Reply #182: always the debate about what is southern Illinois . . .

[DollyM]

People from Chicago assume anything below Springfield is southern Illinois or "downstate". I am 70 miles east of St. Louis so that is considered south central Illinois but still southern Illinois. Anything below Effingham (1-57)is generally considered southern Illinois but the people who really live in deep southern Illinois consider themselves to be the true southern Illinois population. They are generally more connected with the southern culture due to their proximity to Kentucky. With all that said, if you read the Southern Illinois newspaper, it is blatantly Republican and slants newsarticles in an accusatory way any time it can and people who post of their website are very right wing to the point of being obnoxious. So I would safely say that southern Illinois in general is pretty much Repblican territory. Just drive around here and see all the pick up trucks with Bush-Cheney bumper stickers. This group is largely concerned that a black man is going to be president and they think he is going to take away all their guns. Sometime I think I was born in the wrong place.