Artist of the Month - Michelle Smith

Michelle Smith is a Springfield, Illinois artist. Smith recently won a The Ralph Lauren Design for good Polo shirt. Her design on the iconic polo can be viewed and purchased here: https://rlauren.co/2ZW0pse

What does being able to live and work in Illinois mean to you? As Illinois is all I really know, it has always been, and always will be home. I am very proud to be able to say, not only do I live and work in Illinois but I am born, raised, educated and STILL in Illinois!

Read more …

Danville area rated most affordable small city for homeowners

AdvisorSmith, an information resource for small business owners, has named Danville the most affordable small city out of 507 markets that the company studied. 

The firm used information collected from real estate website Zillow and the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey to estimate the weighted average housing price in each city.

Read more …

Illinois-born Dairy Queen chain turns 80

• Made in Illinois

Harrison Ford, Robin Williams, Harold Ramis… and soft-serve ice cream?

That’s right—Dairy Queen is an Illinois native, born on North Chicago Street in Joliet. The fast food and ice cream chain turned 80 on Monday.

According to a 1991 article from the Associated Press, founder Sherwood “Sherb” Noble broke into the business after taking a dairy course at Iowa State College and managing an ice cream store in his hometown of Clemons, Iowa.

Read more …

Five Illinois cities named best places to live in America

• Champaign
• Springfield
• University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

As many people adjust to working remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic, a recent poll suggests about one-third of Americans are considering moving to less populated areas of the country—five Illinois cities have been highlighted as top destinations for those looking to relocate.

Business Insider ranked cities based on factors like economics, education and cost of living to come up with a list of the top 30 places to settle after the threat of the pandemic has subsided. Their research indicates five Illinois cities—Danville, Peoria, Champaign, Bloomington and Springfield—may become hubs for these post-pandemic transplants.

Read more …