Northwestern Illinois is a geographic region of the state of Illinois within the USA.
Northwestern Illinois is generally considered to consist of the following area: Jo Daviess County, Carroll County, Whiteside County, Stephenson County, Winnebago County, Ogle County, and Lee County. Northwestern Illinois borders the states of Iowa to the west and Wisconsin to the north.
The largest city in this region, located near the eastern edge, is Rockford. Rockford's Metropolitan Area includes Winnebago County and Boone County (to the east), with an estimated 2009 population of 353,722.[1]
Former US President Ronald Reagan was born in the Whiteside County town of Tampico, IL.
The geography of northwestern Illinois varies from that of the rest of the state. The area is primarily in the Coulee Region, which is characterized by bluffs, valleys, and rolling hills. Counties especially characterized by the coulee region include: Jo Daviess County, and Carroll County, but nonetheless, the whole region is characterized by the region.
Areas to visit include Galena, Illinois, located in central Jo Daviess County, and less than fifteen minutes from Dubuque, Iowa, the city was the home of Ulysses S. Grant U.S. President. His home can be found downtown. The downtown of the city includes hundreds of small ma' and pa' shops, with antiques, goodies, and furniture. The city draws visitors mainly from Dubuque, Madision, Davenport, and Chicago, but visitors come from all around to experience the quaintness of Galena. The city's population is near 3,500.
Oregon, Illinois along the Rock River in Ogle County, the city is quaint, and quiet, almost centered around the historic Ogle County Courthouse. Oregon is right in the middle of Ogle County. It is a very peaceful place. It holds a county fair every August and draws quite a crowd from this. There is always a demolition derby which is the highlight of the fair and always draws the biggest crowd. The fair also has carnival rides. Also, it has a parade every October called Autumn on Parade. This event lasts all weekend and draws people from all over the Midwest to check out the arts and crafts. Oregon has some of the most beautiful parks in the Northwest. Ranging from the park district's parks to the state parks, everything is amazing. The parks are well groomed and are very pleasing to the eye. Flowing through Oregon is the Rock River. For the past few years there is always a tragedy that happens in this river. There is a dam in Oregon that has a very rough current. This current has claimed the lives of a few unfortunate people in the past few years.
In addition to Oregon, Byron occupies the Ogle county area as well. Every summer Byron holds a festival called Byron Fest. This fest showcases a carnival and bands that play during the evening hours. This wonderful event brings people from all different ages to enjoy the festivities. Byron is also home to the Byron drag strip. Every weekend during the summer months people from all over the Midwest come to race their cars down this quarter mile strip of asphalt.
Others: Savanna, Illinois, Hanover, Illinois, and many more.