People from Illinois are a lot of things. We know sports. We’re cultured. We hike and bike. We’re compassionate. But we’re also extremely tough. Here are nine reasons why people from Illinois are unbelievably tough:

1. The value of hard work has been instilled in us
USDA/Flickr
Our farming roots have made sure of that.
2. We've gotten through bad times in Illinois sports
Mike Morbeck/Flickr
3. We've united in strength over some tough times
State Farm/Flickr
Illinois has had its share of natural disasters and we've gotten through them.
4. We deal with horrible weather...a lot
Joshin Yamada/Flickr
Extreme weather, extreme weather changes--we've been there, done that.

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5. We've hosted some notorious characters
Recuerdos de Pandora/Flickr
6. We deal with some terrible driving conditions
Steven Vance/Flickr
Whether it's a few feet of snow or waiting three hours to get into work, we've driven in it.
7. We have dealt with not being quite as cool as NYC
Rishad Daroowala/Flickr
Yes, we're plenty cool, but there's a little bit of an inferiority complex going on.
8. We co-exist with some interesting people on public transportation
Erin Nekervis/Flickr
9. Despite our differences, we unite
SEIU Local 1/Flickr
We might have completely different political views, but we can come together over the important stuff.

Why else do you think people from Illinois are insanely tough? Let us know in the comments.

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