Illinois. The Land of Lincoln. Birthplace of one of our nation's greatest leaders. There's a certain allure to this state. Sure, it's a lot of flat land populated by bean fields and corn stalks for as far as the eye can see, but there's also the sense that you're in this place that feels like the epicenter of Americana. There's a reason that people call this part of the country "the heartland," and it's because it just feels "down home" around here.
This is further emphasized by the fact that Illinois is on the Eastern end of the United States' famed Route 66 highway, one of the greatest symbols of Americana that can be found throughout this great nation. Of course, it takes a proper vehicle in order to traverse Route 66 in the manner as was intended. Thankfully, there is a lot of cars for sale to choose form in Illinois. The state boasts nearly $26 billion in new car sales from 3,628 dealerships, with about 10 million registered vehicles on the road. There are $59,876 auto industry jobs in the state, while drivers log an average of 12,743 miles annually per licensed motorist.
That's a lot of cars. It would see, though, that Illinoisans have a particular penchant for vanity. Vanity license plates, that is. According to statistics, Illinois drivers have requested from the state DMV more personalized "vanity plates" than any other state in the country. Illinois drivers were also more illuminated than other drivers for a time. Literally, they had more light. Aurora is known as The City of Lights because it was the first place in the country to use electric street lighting around the entire city.
Of course, if you're new to Illinois, there are a few, well, strange laws one should be mindful of. For instance, if you're a woman who weighs more than 200 pounds, you shouldn't wear shorts while riding a horse. That's against the law.
