Hey everyone, I'd like to first say: thanks so much for watching this video! I hope you enjoyed it. I realize that this video deals with a somewhat controversial topic, and I did briefly mention my opinion on the matter. The intent with this video was to just show the statistics about population, economy, etc that would go along with Chicagoland becoming a state. I stand by my decision to briefly express my disagreement with this situation becoming reality, but I apologize to those who were looking for a purely objective case study. In future videos like this one, I will do my best to remain objective when appropriate! Thanks, Chicago Geographer

If Illinois lost Chicago they would become the next Iowa

"The largest city in Illinois without Chicago would be Rockford" That's the saddest thing I've heard all week.

Legit have had people asked if i lived in the state of Chicago and they thought illinois was just a city

"the capital of the state would most likely be Chicago" *hmm, yes. The Chicago here is made out of Chicago*

MN, SD, ND, IA, and WI have a deal where students can attend state schools in the other states at in state tuition- I imagine Illinois and Chicago would have many similar deals

Instead of proposing that cities should become states. We should propose a City-State system to balance Rural and Urban areas of a state.

As an Ex- Hammond resident I can tell you we would be on board.

Great video! Interesting series, good you're making new fresh content!

As a resident of Northwest Indiana, please for the love of god do this and take us with you! You have no idea how much seething contempt we have for the rest of the state (and they with us).

Thanks for doing this video. I’ve heard a lot of people jokingly say it should be done, but it really is mind blowing to think about all the many details that would need to be worked out.

I disapprove of the Cubs License plate as a Sox fan

You should make a similar video with the Dallas, Fort Worth Metroplex

Then Illinois will turn to red state

Wisconsin would never give up Kenosha County.

This is honestly a amazing idea, I dont know why they didnt do it in 2011

I live in porter county, and I would love to be apart of Chicago land even though I love Indiana, but I love Chicago and am so thankful I live next to a huge big city with huge skyscrapers!

Real question is: what if Rhode Island became a country.

Excellent video. Also to consider would be the state's pension system and how that would be impacted.

This would be awesome

I know a couple ex-Chicagoans who moved across the border to Indiana in the last few years who would be very upset to suddenly find themselves living under the umbrella of Chicago taxes and policies again.

ive lived in illinois for a long long time. I was born in valparaiso indiana. where I grew up south of chicago illinois. we kinda moved back and forth. I lived in peoria illinois for a few years and we ended up moving back to chicago again after my mother had started dating someone. I guess if chicago were to become a state that would feel very weird to me. ecspecially since I love my state illinois, sure it can be empty sometimes but its a very nice state in my opinion.

Woohoo! Woodstock in now in Chicago. Knew I’d get out of Illinois someday. 🤷🏽‍♂️

It’s not like I go around the country saying I’m from Illinois, so might as well 🤷‍♂️😂 But tbh, it wouldn’t be a bad ideal after this video

One problem with the transit of Chicagoland. The City of Kenosha, Wisconsin has their own bus service that is NOT a part of Pace or part of CTA. The only connection that my hometown has to Chicago, besides Interstate 94, is Metra (RTA). If I had a say, I say that Kenosha County, Wisconsin stays in Wisconsin and GO PACKERS Go.

The people moving out of Lake & Porter counties and moving back into Indiana would be huge!

I love that the definition of Chicagoland here is "wherever the METRA goes"

This but with every major city in each state

Yeah lol, like we would ever give up Kenosha

Speaking as a Hoosier.. you guys can have Gary

As a Californian I really enjoyed this video

Have you ever considered giving lecture style videos about geography just like how Ninja Nerd Lectures does with biology?

I grew up downstate, now live in Chicago, and I hear a lot of half-cocked, ridiculous opinions of Chicago becoming its own state. I will now be sharing this as I've said the same thing to those people several times. Make sure downstate republicans, and Springfield businessmen who think IL is a bad place to do business, see this video and maybe gain some perspective.

You'd never get kenosha to leave wisconsin.

I bet the unofficial official Chicagoland state anthem would be "25 or 6 to 4" by the band Chicago.

You should have one regarding if Providence and it's suburbs seceding from Rhode Island.

6 of the 10 largest city in illinois without chigacoland are biggest than Maines largest city (Portland at 66k people) is just how small my state is....

I think it would be more realistic for Chicagoland to only be made up of Illinois counties. I don’t think the bordering states would like being incorporated into it at all.

8:18 The supposed "Constitution of the State of Chicagoland" begins: "In convention, begun at the city of Detroit on the second monday [sic] of May in the year one thousand eight hundred and thirty five [sic]. We, the PEOPLE of the territory of Michigan...." LOL

Know this video is old but can you do one on if Chicago annex it’s surrounding burbs

I live in downstate, Illinois and I hope it never happens. Illinois isn't Illinois without Chicago. Chicago isn't Chicago without Illinois.

why do i get excited when i see my random ass county on the video

This is the best video ever

I never been outside the city except the burbs outwest I don’t even want too see what else is in the state 💀

1:36 whoa whoa whoa...why the heck do you drag Kenosha into this disaster?

Well let’s just say that the “state” of Chicago would have the highest crime rate.

This video is the best

The next biggest metropolitan area in Illinois would the Quad Cities, IL./IA but it shares half of it with Iowa 😢

1:48 You mean the 48th biggest, right? xD

Summary: “Illinois needs Chicago, Chicago doesn’t need Illinois”

Although the cities are technically separate they realistically and geographically aren’t hardly at all so it would be Champaign-Urbana-Savoy and their combined populations and Bloomington-Normal (I live in normal and grew up around CUS so I know first had what I’m talking about) and it’s combined populations

Do It!

I would think if Chicago was to legit become a state, "Chicago-land" would only consist of counties in Illinois. I don't think you could legally just take counties away from neighboring states? This thought experiment reminds me of the creation of West Virginia, but on a smaller scale land wise (under different circumstances of course).

Can you do New York

So I do have one grope its that if the state of Indiana even allows it's to counties to succeed, which I find unlikely.

That would actually be lit

Then you wouldn’t be made fun of for not knowing which state Chicago is in because it’s a state itself

This could actually be a reasonable compromise if DC also became a state, since the remaining parts of Illinois would likely get two GOP senators.

1:17 that's going to cause issues with Wisconsin and Indiana

I lived in lake county before

New York City and Long Island: Bruh

As a downstate Illinoisan, Chicago plz dont leave!

I live in Chicagoland, too!

this would probably set a precedent for "metro-states" - the only 3 i can think of atm would be LA, Chicagoland, and NYC. Other huge cities like Houston are distinct enough from other large cities in Texas to really be seperated

Great idea, the rest of Illinois already hates us Chicagoans.

Chicago, Chicagoland: the other city so nice they named it twice.

Why don't Illinois put a fence around Chicago and call it their new zoo.

What if *Chisago* became a state Chisago is a county in Minnesota that often gets confused with Chicago, so funny haha

Ok ngl i like the flag with 51 stars

As a native of Southern Illinois, I can say without a doubt the citizens of 618 fully support this idea.

I always wonder what if Joliet, instead of Chicago, had become the major population, financial and manufacturing center of Illinois. I feel like the could have happened had a few key events went differently.

It’s hard to eyeball but is Rockford so far west that it wouldn’t be part of a Chicagoland? Personally! I’d like the state line a bit farther west and to extend a bit into Michigan to include communities like Grand Beach which my Great grandfather helped develop. You didn’t talk at all about the impact of Chicago including Gary Indiana, and a bit more land north might help compensate for that. I’m not at all sure how Kenosha would feel about this but isn’t there a UW in Kenosha? If you are using GIS you could do some interesting demographics of the state. Also, Metra does have stations in the City in Beverly, Washington Heights, and Morgan Park Neighborhoods on the Rock Island as well as IC lines which go to South Shore neighborhoods including McCormick place, Hyde Park Hrand Crossing etc.

Chicago is one of the top 10 greatest cities in the world and I’m not joking.

To me (a resident of Will county), most of the people who want Chicago to become its own start are Suburban Republicans and Downstate Residents who don't like Chicago controlling state politics (even though People vote not land and Chicago has more people so it gets more political influence). But then I think, if they don't want Chicago in Illinois, give them what they want, the suburban counties will go with Chicago based on economic factors and I could see some of the more agricultural counties outside of the metro-area joining in as well for economic considerations (or have campaigns in them to join Chicago). The grass is not always greener. But I do wonder, which state would get all the debt Illinois currently owes. Its likely Chicago would be leaving Illinois, giving Illinois the short end of the stick when it comes to government budget and debt. The financial situation may also be influenced by how much money the two states would get from the Federal Government in federal services and programs. But the prospect of a State with a comprehensive public transit system is very appealing, especially given its Rail transit, that would put Chicagoland's rail transit on par with many of the European countries. Also, I doubt Indiana and Wisconsin would give up their counties.

If this actually happened there would be a good chance that I would live in one state and go to school in another.

Id like to see someone who lives in Illinois area (not Chicago land area) to make a similar video from a different perspective.

Is it just me or does his voice sound very familiar?

I'd be okay with this. Chicago makes life hard for downstate residents.

So nobody gonna talk about that peninsula in Michigan?

What about palm coast

While this would be cool, i would hate this to happen to Illinois.

My sister once said “I can’t believe such a big city like chicago is in a state like Illinois”

Just Laporte County, IN on the Shore? AHAHHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAH I shall introduce you to Rockingham County, New Hampshire!

Can you do what if Austin became a state

I feel like Illinois Republicans would love this

This is the same as Upstate NY wanting to separate from The City.......Our taxes would be much lower- or would they.

great idea

If we took a densely populated area and made it a state, it would be the most densely popluated state! Wow... so insightful.

I’m from rural Illinois and he didn’t list a single negative that outweighs the avalanche of positives

Southern Illinois would love this. East Saint Louis will only be the one for it to worry.

It’s not as crazy as it sounds when you consider the people in these areas hate Chicago, and especially the taxes that Chicago brings (And before I get a reply comment about it, yes I have spent a considerable amount of time in Illinois, and seen some of the reasons why).

Chicago can have Gary, Indiana. It ruins our ranking in Education and Crime Rate.

Live in the far south suburbs and I love Chicago but they’re suffocating us. We have different needs and wants, we shouldn’t be beholden to the whims of the city.

Imagine the first 12 seconds of this video without any idea what he was talking about.

I only clicked because my home town of kenosha is on the thumbnail.

LMAOOO..Motto be like.... Chicago The Crime Rate State...

Leeeeaave!

It's a standoff because neither side believes that they can survive without the other one. Let's do a test drive for about a decade to see which can flourish without the other one.

Holy crap that Congressional district map is gerrymandered like crazy

Could rename Illinois to Illicorn then xD Also it would be crazy cause there is no real other town that could step up as the city of Illinois. Ok IA, SD and ND also don't really have a main city but still it does sounds crazy :D