Springfield, Illinois gets the honor of being the capital visited as a part of my 51 Capitals Project. I’m excited to get this journey started and can’t think of a better way to do so than traveling to a state for the first time to visit a good friend! Here is a quick rundown of Capital #1 and plans for the very first trip!

Quick State Facts:

•       Illinois became 21^st state in 1818
•       5^th most populous state
•       Called the “Land of Lincoln”
•       Chicago is the largest city in the state and the 3^rd most populous in the US

Quick Capital Facts

•       Current Capitol building built in 1888
•       Springfield founded in 1821 and became the capital in 1839 thanks to Abraham Lincoln
•       Capitol is the tallest non-skyscraper capitol, exceeding the height of United States Capitol in Washington D.C.
•       The dome is covered in zinc on the exterior and stained glass work including the state seal on the interior
•       A Springfield city statute actually prevents buildings higher than the capitol from being built.

Quick Travel Facts

•       Travel Dates: March 6-9, 2014
•       Friday: Springfield and Quincy
•       Saturday and Sunday: All about Chicago
•       Modes of Transportation: Planes, trains and automobiles
•       Travel buddy: Kori, a fellow LSU ME grad and HBIC

 

Sources: www.illinois.gov, http://www.wikipedia.org