For years the state of Indiana ran ads enticing Illinois businesses and citizens to move across the border to become Hoosiers. Hoosier House Speaker Todd Huston just leveled up.

Huston has now asked whole counties on the Illinois side of the border to join Indiana.

Sound Crazy? Point 1. Remember just a couple months ago seven counties voted to make Cook County its own state and create a New Illinois? This would be the inverse of that partially.

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Point 2. Take into consideration that Indiana has been successful in luring Illinois people to Indiana in droves over the last decade, as Indiana is the state most people are leaving Illinois for. More than Florida, Texas or Tennessee. Illinois tried to affect that by hiring the woman behind the "Illinnoyed?" campaign. That was in 2016. The outflow east hasn't slowed.

Point 3. Last week the Indiana legislature drew up plans to alter the border between the states (HB1008) to include not the seven that just voted on New Illinois, but 33 Illinois Counties….(!!!)

Google Maps Street View/Indiana/Illinois state line
Google Maps Street View/Indiana/Illinois state line
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There would obviously be issues to work out, as laws and regulations are different in the two states.

The Illinois legislature would have to vote on this too. Your initial thought might be -they would never let that happen.- That’s understandable, but think of the perspective of downstate Illinois….Do those counties have more in common with Indiana or Chicago?

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Chicago could finally rid itself of the little brother that annoys it. The Windy City could potentially be unburdened by their state tax outflow. Not only have they dreamed of new ways to spend that extra revenue, it’s already been spent.

Google Maps Street View/Chicago City hall
Google Maps Street View/Chicago City hall
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Downstate could finally shed the shadow of the biggest city in the middle of the country and not be tethered to Chicago’s poor fiscal decisions and culture of corruption.

Should Indiana lure dozens (or any) Illinois counties eastward, would Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin or Kentucky follow in a similar effort?

LOOK: States sending the most people to Indiana

Stacker compiled a list of states where the most people are moving to Indiana using data from the Census Bureau.

Gallery Credit: Stacker

LOOK: Fastest-growing jobs in Indiana

Stacker analyzed data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to determine which jobs in Indiana grew the fastest between 2022 and 2023.

Gallery Credit: Stacker


 

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