The culture of the State of Illinois varies highly based on location within the state. The Chicago area, which is a sprawling city, has a very metropolitan culture. Chicago is also home to many performing arts including theatre and opera. Downstate Illinois is very rural and hence has a much different cultural background. State nickname: Land of Lincoln, The Prairie State Other U.S. States Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Governor Rod Blagojevich (D) Official languages English Area 149,998 km² (25th)  - Land 143,968 km²  - Water 6,030 km² (4. ... Chicago (officially named the City of Chicago) is the third largest city in the United States (after New York City and Los Angeles), with an official population of 2,896,016, as of the 2000 census. ...

Demographics

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2004 the population of Illinois was 12,713,634. This includes 1,682,900 foreign-born (13.3%). 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

At the northern edge of the state on Lake Michigan lies Chicago, the nation's third largest city. In 2000, 23.3% of the population lived in the city of Chicago, 43.3% in Cook County and 65.6% in Illinois's part of Chicagoland, the leading industrial and transportation center in the region, which includes Will, DuPage, and Lake Counties as well as Cook County. The rest of the population lives in the smaller cities and in the rural areas that dot the state's plains. The Chicagoland region is colored red. ...

The racial makeup of the state is as follows:

• 67.8% White
• 15.1% Black
• 12.3% Hispanic
• 3.4% Asian
• 0.2% American Indian
• 1.9% Mixed Race

The top five ancestry groups in Illinois are: German (19.6%), African American (15.1%), Irish (12.2%), Mexican (9.2%), Polish (7.5%). For other uses, see White (disambiguation). ... The term Blacks is often used in the West to denote race for persons whose progenitors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Sub-Saharan Africa. ... Hispanic, as used in the United States, is one of several terms used to categorize US citizens, permanent residents and temporary immigrants, whose background hail either from the Spanish-speaking countries of Latin America or relating to a Spanish-speaking culture. ... An Asian American is a person of Asian ancestry or origin who was born in or is an immigrant to the United States. ... Native Americans (also Indians, Aboriginal Peoples, American Indians, First Nations, Alaskan Natives, or Indigenous Peoples of America) are the indigenous inhabitants of The Americas prior to the European colonization, and their modern descendants. ... The terms multiracial, biracial and mixed-race describe people whose ancestors are not of a single race. ... African Americans, also known as Afro-Americans or black Americans, are an ethnic group in the United States of America whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Sub-Saharan and West Africa. ...

Nearly three in ten whites in Illinois claimed at least partial German ancestry on the Census, making the Germans the largest ancestry group in the state. Blacks are present in large numbers in the city of Chicago, East St. Louis, and the southern tip of the state. Residents of American and British ancestry are especially concentrated in the southeastern part of the state. Metropolitan Chicago has the greatest numbers of people of Irish, Mexican, and Polish ancestry.

7.1% of Illinois' population were reported as under 5, 26.1% under 18, and 12.1% were 65 or older. Females made up approximately 51% of the population.

Religion

Protestants are the largest religious group in Illinois, however unlike the other Midwestern states, Illinois is not overwhelmingly Protestant (less than half of the people identify themselves as Protestants). Roman Catholics, who are heavily concentrated in and around Chicago, account for 30% of the population.

The religious affiliations of the people of Illinois are:

• Christian – 80%
  • Protestant – 49%
    • Baptist – 12%
    • Lutheran – 7%
    • Methodist – 7%
    • Presbyterian – 3%
    • Other Protestant or general Protestant – 20%
  • Roman Catholic – 30%
  • Other Christian – 1%
• Other Religions – 4%
• Non-Religious – 16%