By Daniel Nardini
Illinois has lost hundreds of thousands of people over the past two decades, and with it companies and investments. Without talented people, why would companies remain in the state? However, I am seeing a new influx of people into Illinois and people from the Chicago area moving into other parts of the state as well as people moving into the Chicago area. In fact, Illinois has become a high tech hub in the U.S. Midwest. As I drove through parts of the Chicago area and parts of this state, I am now seeing medium and large size companies having set up shop. With such companies have come good paying jobs that would not have existed twenty years before.
Over fifty years ago, Illinois was one of the most industrialized states in the United States. So many things were made in Illinois. After the year 2000, a lot of industries that had been in Illinois for decades, pulled up shop and went overseas (mostly to China). As the 21st Century continued, Illinois hemorrhaged companies and with it jobs. This utterly devastated the state economy, and was one of the reasons why the very quality of life in this state started to take a nose-dive. People who had good-paying jobs now found they had no income any longer and had to choose on whether they wanted to stay in Illinois or leave for elsewhere. Many Illinois residents left the state, and this was one of the reasons why Illinois has lost so many people.
Despite this, some industries remained. Illinois has still remained the state where industry can have a competitive edge and where there are highly skilled people to fill such good paying jobs. One thing there is still in Illinois that no outsourcing can ever take away is the quality that workers here in this state give to the products they make. If a product is made in Illinois (or anywhere else in the United States), you can be sure that it will be a high quality product. Producing high quality goods is what Illinois is known for. As the U.S. government is encouraging high tech companies to either return or stay in the United States, Illinois should pick up those high tech companies that wish to locate into this state. I am hopeful that this decade will see people wanting to come and live in Illinois. I for one am happy I live here.
Making Illinois Go High Tech
By Daniel Nardini
Over fifty years ago, Illinois was one of the most industrialized states in the United States. So many things were made in Illinois. After the year 2000, a lot of industries that had been in Illinois for decades, pulled up shop and went overseas (mostly to China). As the 21st Century continued, Illinois hemorrhaged companies and with it jobs. This utterly devastated the state economy, and was one of the reasons why the very quality of life in this state started to take a nose-dive. People who had good-paying jobs now found they had no income any longer and had to choose on whether they wanted to stay in Illinois or leave for elsewhere. Many Illinois residents left the state, and this was one of the reasons why Illinois has lost so many people.
Despite this, some industries remained. Illinois has still remained the state where industry can have a competitive edge and where there are highly skilled people to fill such good paying jobs. One thing there is still in Illinois that no outsourcing can ever take away is the quality that workers here in this state give to the products they make. If a product is made in Illinois (or anywhere else in the United States), you can be sure that it will be a high quality product. Producing high quality goods is what Illinois is known for. As the U.S. government is encouraging high tech companies to either return or stay in the United States, Illinois should pick up those high tech companies that wish to locate into this state. I am hopeful that this decade will see people wanting to come and live in Illinois. I for one am happy I live here.