Illinois (1983: Doomsday)

Illinois was the 21st state admitted to the United States of America, but today is the name of a region with a few scattered survivor communities.

Pre-Doomsday
With a population near 40,000 between 1300 and 1400 AD, the Mississippian-culture city of Cahokia, in what is now southern Illinois, was the largest city within the future United States until after 1790, when it was surpassed by New York City. Gradually Cahokia and the area were abandoned, and at the time of the American Revolution, only about 2,000 Native American hunters and a small number of French villagers inhabited the Illinois area. United States migrant settlers began arriving from Kentucky in the 1810s; Illinois achieved statehood in 1818. The future metropolis of Chicago was founded in the 1830s on the banks of the Chicago River, one of the few natural harbors on southern Lake Michigan. Railroads and John Deere's invention of the self-scouring steel plow made central Illinois' rich prairie into some of the world's most productive and valuable farmlands, attracting immigrant farmers from Germany and Sweden.

By 1900, the growth of industrial jobs in the northern cities and coal mining in the central and southern areas attracted immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe. Its manufacturing made the state a major arsenal in both World wars. The Great Migration of African Americans from the rural South to Chicago formed a large and important community that created the city's famous jazz and blues cultures.

Doomsday
Illinois suffered several nuclear strikes on Doomsday. The large metropolis of Chicago received multiple strikes, leading to the death of millions. Other cities that were attacked included the state capital of Springfield, Peoria,

East St. Louis was also destroyed during the nuclear strike on St. Louis.

Post-Doomsday
Much of what is known today of Illinois comes from explorers sent by, and most recently the. Remnants of the Illinois National Guard managed to reach safe areas in Kentucky along with several refugee convoys. All were eventually absorbed into the expanding Commonwealth of Kentucky who eventually established bases and outposts in former Illinois territory.

A couple of survivor communities have risen in the former state. Along the banks of the Mississippi River is the the which encompases territory in Illinois and Iowa. Also there is the small town of, which survived Doomsday thanks to an alliance between the local citizens and Eastern Illinois University.