10 Misconceptions About Illinois Most People Believe

Many people outside of Illinois believe these 10 things are true about our state, but we would beg to differ.

Common Illinois Stereotypes

My family spends a lot of time at our cabin in Wisconsin and I love everything about it, except one major thing...when Wisconsinites find out we're from Illinois. (If our license plates don't give us away, the likely chance that my father is wearing a Bears shirt definitely does).

Aside from jokes about how bad the Chicago Bears suck, I've learned first hand that people in Wisconsin like to say things like this to Illinoisans;

• Everyone sucks at driving in Illinois. (Our roads may suck, but not all our drivers do)
• All Illinois politicians are shady. (Pretty much true, but I feel bad saying "all" politicians are shady. It might be more appropriate to say "Most".)
• It's really expensive to live in Illinois. (Taxes are high in Illinois, but obviously, not all homes and cities are)
• There's a big difference between Chicago and the rest of the state of Illinois. (100% true for so many reasons)

During my quest to find more "accurate" Illinois stereotypes to be armed with the next time I head up North, I came across this article on movoto.com.

The article lists 10 Illinois stereotypes that are "completely accurate", and it immediately put me in defense mode.

Now, before I list them I will admit that there is some truth behind all of these judgments, BUT I would like to argue my case against each one to see if you agree too.