What is the capital of Illinois?

Springfield is the capital of Illinois, located in central Illinois about 200 miles southwest of Chicago and 100 miles north of St. Louis, Missouri. Springfield has been the capital since 1839, when the state legislature voted to move the capital from Vandalia after a campaign led by a young legislator named Abraham Lincoln.

Lincoln practiced law in Springfield, and the city is most famously associated with him. He moved to Springfield in 1837, married Mary Todd in 1842, raised four sons (Robert, Edward, William, and Thomas, three of whom predeceased him), and lived in the city until he left for Washington as president-elect in February 1861. Springfield is the only home Lincoln ever owned, the Lincoln Home National Historic Site at 8th and Jackson Streets.

After his assassination on April 15, 1865, Lincoln's body was returned by funeral train to Springfield and interred at Oak Ridge Cemetery, where his elaborate tomb is one of the most visited presidential burial sites. The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum opened in 2005 contains many original Lincoln papers and artifacts. The Old State Capitol, where Lincoln practiced law and delivered his famous House Divided speech on June 16, 1858, has been restored. The Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices preserve the law office Lincoln shared with William Herndon.

Springfield's population is about 115,000, with a metropolitan area of about 210,000 people. The current Illinois State Capitol, completed in 1888 in the French Renaissance style, replaced the Old State Capitol that the city outgrew. Illinois state government includes the Governor, the bicameral General Assembly (with a 59-member Senate and 118-member House), and the Illinois Supreme Court. Major universities in Springfield include the University of Illinois Springfield (about 4,000 students).

Springfield's economy is dominated by state government and healthcare. Other state capitals also named Springfield include those of Massachusetts (Springfield, Massachusetts, but the state capital is Boston), Missouri (the third largest city in Missouri but Jefferson City is the capital), and several others. Springfield is one of the most common place names in the United States, with at least 41 cities and towns of that name.

The Springfield Race Riot of August 14 to 15, 1908, in which a white mob attacked Black residents and businesses, helped lead to the founding of the NAACP in February 1909. Modern Springfield retains a strong civic identity around Lincoln's legacy and Illinois state government.