Illinois and Indiana The Land of Lincoln (clip from Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies) The Hoosier State Let's go! Let me hear it! Go go go go go! (screams) Dang yeah! I’m getting fired up for this one. Illinois and Indiana woohooo! Two bordering Midwestern states in these United
States. Both also border Lake Michigan and the Ohio
River. And yes, both have a lot in common, starting
with the fact that, according to some metrics, both share Chicagoland, or the Chicago metropolitan
area. Well yeah, sure Chicagoland is mostly in Illinois,
as is...well...Chicago, the third largest city in the country, but Northwest Indiana
is also often lumped into the Chicago metro. Chicagoland makes up around 65% of the entire
population of Illinois and 10% of the entire population of Indiana. Both are part of the Rust Belt, a region of
the country known for declining industry and run down factories. Even decades after most of these factories
have shut down, several cities in both states continue to lose population each year. And yet, manufacturing is still a major industry
in both. Indiana is the country’s leading steel producer
and second largest car manufacturing state. Illinois is known for making machinery, electrical
equipment, transportation equipment, and food processing. Related to this, both rank towards the bottom
of all 50 states in terms of pollution, although Illinois ranks better. Other major industries in both include healthcare,
retail, and education. The average age of residents in both is the
same. The biggest religion in both is Christianity,
but of those more identify as Roman Catholic in Illinois and more identify as Evangelical
Protestant in Indiana. Oh, and Illinois residents are more religious,
overall. Both have very similar climates. Specifically, a humid continental climate
throughout most of the states, and humid subtropical climate in the southern portions. Basically, the further south you go in both
states, the more precipitation and the more hot it gets in the summer and less cold it
gets in the winter. Both get tornadoes, but flooding is definitely
the most common natural disaster in both. Both are entirely in the Interior Plains,
and both fairly flat overall, although there are hills in some areas. When the first settlers came to what would
become the two states, they encountered countless prairies and forests. For thousands of years, various American Indian
tribes lived in the area. Mississippian culture dominated, with Cahokia
the major city and religious center in modern-day Illinois. They were known as Mound Builders since they
built...uh...mounds. Several Algonquian tribes also resided in
modern-day Illinois and Indiana. The first Europeans to check out both were
the French explorers Louis Jolliet and Jacques Marquette. I am horrible at French pronunciations. Illinois gets its name from another French
dude named René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle (oh boy), who explored the area in the 1600s. He named a river after a group of American
Indian tribes known collectively as the Illinois Confederation, or Illiniwek, which translates
to “the best people.” So Illinois has that going for them. Later, the state name came from the river. So anyway, yeah the French declared modern
day Illinois and Indiana as part of the French Empire, of course, and they held control until
the French and Indian War ended in 1763, when the British took over because they, you know,
won the war. A Philadelphia trading company promptly came
out that way to make some money, and, long story short, ended up working out a deal to
get some land out there. They called the area “Indiana,” or “Land
of the Indians.” Wow, how creative. But there is still confusion on where the
Hoosier nickname came from. Was it because people would say “who’s
here?” when people approached their house? Well maybe, but many say “hoosier” was
a term used to describe country bumpkins or after a dude actually named Hoosier who had
a gang of workers who settled there later on. Anyway, back to history. After the British took control of modern-day
Illinois and Indiana, they immediately found themselves at war again, this time with a
huge alliance of American Indian tribes. It was known as Pontiac’s War, or Pontiac’s
Rebellion. After winning that one, the British had to
deal with their 13 colonies rebelling a few years later, but they lost that one, and the
United States became a country, taking over the area. Well, the Americans also had to deal with
other American Indian rebellions since settlers kept stealing their land and breaking treaties. Go figure. But more and more Americans moved out that
way, and on July 13, 1787, both modern-day Illinois and modern-day Indiana became part
of Northwest Territory. In those early years, some settlers brought
slaves with them, and there was a bit of conflict over whether or not it should be legal in
that territory. Congress created Indiana Territory in 1800,
and yep, future Illinois was part of it, but it became its own territory in 1809. After William Henry Harrison, the first governor
of Indiana Territory and later ninth President, was a bit shady with the Treaty of Fort Wayne,
Indiana found itself at war again, this time with Tecumseh’s War, or Tecumseh’s Rebellion. Tecumseh, a Shawnee chief, and Harrison had
a long history of hating each other. For years, American Indian leaders were getting
aid from and making secret deals with the British in Canada, and this was one of the
causes of the War of 1812. Both Illinois and Indiana saw a lot of action
during that war. Indiana entered the Union as a free state
in 1816, and Illinois also entered the Union as a free state two years later. By 1830, Indiana had more than twice as many
people as Illinois, but both would grow significantly in the coming decades thanks to the building
of canals and later railroads. After his people, the Sauk, lost their land
in another shady treaty, a chief named Black Hawk led an attack against Americans in western
Illinois. This led to what became known as the Black
Hawk War, and was the last major American Indian conflict in both states. By 1860, Illinois had surpassed Indiana in
population. Both states contributed significantly to the
Union effort during the American Civil War. After that war was over, the population in
both states shifted to the north, but while Chicago obviously dominated, cities in both
attracted immigrants and African Americans from the South. (singing) It was a great migration. It's such a sweet migration. Both states were ahead of
most of the rest of the country passing progressive legislation at the end of the 1800s. In the 1900s, Illinois was generally known
for two things- being an industrial and cultural hub for the country, and political corruption. Indiana was known that century from shifting
from a mostly farming state to a mostly industrial one. Today, however, both ARE still considered
agricultural states, but Illinois has more farms. As I started this video with, Illinois may
be the Land of Lincoln, as the beloved President Abraham Lincoln famously spent most of his
adult life there, but he also lived in southern Indiana growing up. So how about some differences? First of all, Illinois has around 6 million
more people. That said, the population of Illinois has
been declining for several years while it’s been steadily growing in Indiana. Most of that growth? In the Indianapolis metropolitan area. Illinois borders five states, Indiana just
four. And Illinois is about 1.6 times bigger. Despite bordering each other, they’re in
different time zones. Well, parts of Indiana are also in the Central
time zone like Illinois. Yeah, Indiana has a long history of time zone
confusion, by the way. Marijuana is completely legal for adults in
Illinois. It’s not legal at all in Indiana. Illinois has also historically had less strict
laws regarding alcohol. However, it has very strict laws against fireworks,
whereas Indiana lets you blow up all kinds of stuff on the 4th of July. Indiana residents tend to be more conservative. While Illinois residents tend to generally
vote for Democratic Party candidates, Indiana residents tend to generally vote for Republican
Party candidates. Despite being a swing state and electing Obama
President in 2008, Indiana voters before that didn’t vote for a Democrat for President
since LBJ in 1964. More Illinois residents have college degrees. Illinois spends lots more per student on education. More Illinois residents are members of a union. Granted, that might be since Indiana has a
right to work law and Illinois doesn’t. According to Forbes magazine, Indiana is a
MUCH better state for business. A big reason why? Indiana residents pay much less in taxes than
Illinois residents. However, the median household income is quite
a bit higher in Illinois. Plus, the minimum
wage is higher there. The poverty rate is higher in Indiana. But you know what I’m gonna say next, don’t
you. Yep, the cost of living is higher in Illinois. But come on, that’s mostly due to Chicago
having such a high cost of living. I mean, Chicago, which I said before is
Illinois’ biggest city, is 28% more expensive than Indianapolis, Indiana’s biggest city. Well, what about the second largest cities? Ok, so get this. Fort Wayne, Indiana, is 5% more expensive
than Rockford, which is the largest city in Illinois outside of the Chicago metro. So see? Chicago warps it. Illinois has a more ethnically diverse population
overall. 14.1% of Illinois residents were born in a
foreign country, compared with 5% of Indiana residents. Illinois has a more definite split that Indiana
doesn’t seem to have. That is the Chicago metro vs. the rest of
the state. Those outside of Chicago seem to have a love/hate
relationship with the city. Chicago accounts for most of the economic
prosperity of the state, but it also accounts for most of the political problems. Indiana has more property crime. Illinois? More violent crime. Six Vice Presidents, including the current
one, Mike Pence, have been from Indiana. Four Presidents have roots in Illinois. Indiana has a random tree growing out of a
tower and a random grave in the middle of a road. Illinois has more nuclear power plants than
any other state. In fact, 54% of its electricity comes from
nuclear power. Having been to both multiple times, I would
argue the infrastructure...particularly the roads...are better in Illinois. Then again, there are a lot more roads you
have to freaking pay to use in Illinois. And finally, Sufjan Stevens made an album
about Illinois, but not Indiana. Check mate, Indiana. Oh but wait. Indiana has John Mellencamp. Take that Illinois. But come on...both states are terrific. Maybe I’ll make that album about Indiana
since Sufjan neglected to, or at least talk John Mellencamp into doing it. Ain’t that America, for you and me? No, it’s not pronounced Illi noise. Which state is better? Indiana or Illinois? Also, which states should I compare next for
this series? I’m particularly confused about what to
do with West Virginia since I'm comparing Virginia to Maryland, I've decided. Poor West Virginia. What am I going to do with you? Also, here is my monthly shout out to my Patreon
supporters who donate at least $10 or more a month to my channel. Starting with my biggest donors, Bradley Pool,
Eric B. Wolman, Matt Standish, Alicia Solberg, Andrew B., Austin Rudolph, Elcaspar, Nik Everett,
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Leigh Fortier, Zachary F. Parker, Pat Randolph, Laughlin McGregor, and Cal Stephens, my newest Patreon supporter. Thanks to all of you for supporting my channel, and thank YOU for watching.
