Springfield

Springfield sits near the geographic center of Illinois, on flat to gently rolling prairie that was some of the richest farmland on the continent. It became the state capital in 1837, a move championed by a young legislator named Abraham Lincoln, who lived and practiced law here for nearly a quarter century before the presidency. The city's identity is bound up with him — his home, law office, and tomb are all here.

Set amid the corn and soybean fields of central Illinois, Springfield is a government and agricultural-service town rather than an industrial one. The surrounding land is classic Corn Belt prairie, flat and fertile, drained by the Sangamon River. State government and Lincoln heritage tourism anchor the local economy.

• Illinois
  The Prairie State, hinge of the Midwest located in
• Chicago
  The third-largest U.S. city, on Lake Michigan same state