©J. Crocker
Downtown Chicago,Illinois

Illinois is the 21st state of the United States of America. It is located in the Midwest Region of the country, defined by the low, flat to rolling terrain typical of the interior plains. The state is also part of the great Lakes region, bordering Lake Michigan to the northeast. Furthermore, Illinois is bordered by Indiana to the east, Iowa and Missouri to the west, Wisconsin to the northwest, and Kentucky to the southeast.

The majority of Illinois lies entirely in the Interior Plains, such that it is mostly composed of flat prairie lands or gently rolling terrain, with the exception of areas along the Illinois and Mississippi rivers where the land breaks into hills and bluffs. In the extreme northwestern part of Illinois is the Driftless Area, a region defined by deeply carved river valleys. The state has a widely varying climate due to its nearly 400 miles length and its mid continental placement. The northern parts of Illinois has a humid continental climate, with hot, humid summers and cool to cold winters while its southernmost portion borders on a humid subtropical climate, having a more moderate winter.

Illinois has unique part in American history, as it has been the place of residence of three U.S. Presidents — Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, and Barack Obama — right before they are elected to office. This fact is honored by the state with its official state slogan, Land of Lincoln, which has been displayed on its license plates since 1954. Illinois became a U.S. state in 1818.

During the American Civil War, Abraham Lincoln roots made certain that Illinois is one of the Union’s strongest supporters. The state was a major source of troops, military equipment, food, and clothing beginning with Lincoln's first call for troops and then throughout the war, Illinois mustered 150 infantry regiments, 17 cavalry regiments and two light artillery regiments for the war effort. Additionally, its ideal situation in the Mississippi and Illinois rivers made it a valuable logistics point throughout the war.

During World War 2, Chicago, already the state’s largest and most prominent city became a factor in how the war turned out. On December 2, 1942, physicist Enrico Fermi conducted the first successful artificial, self-sustained nuclear reaction at the University of Chicago as part of the top secret Manhattan Project. This success was relayed to Washington, D.C. by a coded phone call, saying, “The Italian navigator has just landed in the new world”. It also led to the creation of the “Little Boy” and the “Fat Man” bombs which would later be used in the United States’ atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Illinois Military Boarding Schools

Due to its significance in several of the United States’ military affairs throughout history, Illinois is an ideal location for military education. The influence of three major military installations: the Scott Air Force Base, the Rock Island Arsenal of the U.S. Army, and the Great Lakes Training Center of the U.S. Navy, also made the state a choice spot for military schools.

Currently, Illinois has several military schools and programs offered by private institutions all over the state. There are private military schools, college prep military schools, public elementary military schools, as well as military programs offered by state colleges. To find a military boarding school, just click on any of the links below.