Illinois borders Wisconsin in the north; Lake Michigan, Indiana, and Kentucky in the east; Kentucky and Missouri in the south; and Missouri and Iowa in the west. Illinois is a U.S. state located in the Midwest region of the country, where it covers an area of 57,914 square miles. Human communities have lived within the borders of Illinois for a long time, and some of the most important events that shaped the borders of Illinois occurred after the arrival of Europeans to the region.
In the modern era, Illinois shares its borders with six states, including Iowa, Michigan, Kentucky, Missouri, Indiana, and Wisconsin. There are several major cities located along the border between the two states, such as Davenport, Moline, and Bettendorf, that are part of the Quad Cities. The monument is located near an old power plant and marks the border between the two states. The position of the border was changed to allow the Great Lakes shipping route to be connected to the Mississippi River and the Illinois River.
Some of the major cities located on the Wisconsin border side include Janesville, Platteville, and Beloit. Kentucky lawyers believed that the Kentucky border should be located on the north bank of the Ohio River. One of the best-known sites along the border is a monument that is known as the Illinois-Indiana Boundary Monument. During the 20th century, according to an article in the New York Times, Illinois and Kentucky were involved in a dispute over the location of the border.
On the other hand, Illinois attorneys believed that the state's border with Kentucky was located approximately 100 feet from the coast. On the Iowa side of the border, some of the counties along the border include Jackson, Dubuque, and Scott. During the 19th century, it was proposed that the border between Illinois and Michigan be located south of Lake Michigan. Several Illinois counties are located along the borders with Iowa, such as Rock Island, Whiteside, and Carroll.
Changing the position of the border benefited Illinois, as the state gained more than 5 million acres of fertile farmland and shorelines along the lake. The initial position of the border would have significantly reduced the Illinois territory and denied it a coastline along Lake Michigan. The most important quadruple city on the Illinois side of the border is Rock Island, which is the county seat of Rock Island.
