DISTRICT 2
A mighty district of Illinois, this realm rises from Chicago's southern suburbs. Its borders reach across southern Cook County, eastern Will County, Kankakee County, and the far southeast side of Chicago.
For much of the 20th century, these lands forged the nation's strength. Around Lake Calumet and the Port of Chicago, great factories roared while the Pullman Company kept the railroads alive. The steel mills stood as the district's greatest power, with U.S. Steel alone employing 20,000 local workers. But no empire lasts forever.
In March 1980, the Wisconsin Steelworks of South Deering fell silent. In April 1992, U.S. Steel's South Works—the legendary forge whose steel raised Chicago's skyscrapers, including the Sears Tower—closed its gates. Both giants have since vanished from the map.
Only a few strongholds remained. ISG Riverdale, once the Acme Steel Company, began shutting down in 2001 before being reborn as a smaller forge under new ownership.
Today, the district's greatest industrial power is the Ford Motor Company. Its Chicago Assembly Plant, standing between South Deering and Hegewisch, crafts the Ford Explorer, while the Chicago Stamping facility continues its work in Chicago Heights.
Like the First District, this land now battles a new foe: the lingering hardships of economic decline.
A mighty district of Illinois, this realm rises from Chicago's southern suburbs. Its borders reach across southern Cook County, eastern Will County, Kankakee County, and the far southeast side of Chicago.
For much of the 20th century, these lands forged the nation's strength. Around Lake Calumet and the Port of Chicago, great factories roared while the Pullman Company kept the railroads alive. The steel mills stood as the district's greatest power, with U.S. Steel alone employing 20,000 local workers. But no empire lasts forever.
In March 1980, the Wisconsin Steelworks of South Deering fell silent. In April 1992, U.S. Steel's South Works—the legendary forge whose steel raised Chicago's skyscrapers, including the Sears Tower—closed its gates. Both giants have since vanished from the map.
Only a few strongholds remained. ISG Riverdale, once the Acme Steel Company, began shutting down in 2001 before being reborn as a smaller forge under new ownership.
Today, the district's greatest industrial power is the Ford Motor Company. Its Chicago Assembly Plant, standing between South Deering and Hegewisch, crafts the Ford Explorer, while the Chicago Stamping facility continues its work in Chicago Heights.
Like the First District, this land now battles a new foe: the lingering hardships of economic decline.
DEMOCRATS
REPUBLICANS
INDEPENDENTS
