If it plays in Peoria is a cliché type of phrase on whether a movie or a play will be any good. Stone to the bone Chicagoan, but a great point noted..."just outside Chicago is a place called Illinois".
It became a popular phrase during the era of Vaudeville. It's not necessarily whether or not it will be any good, but whether it will appeal to dull, mainstream Americans. Supposedly if they like it, anyone will like it.
Maybe you could add a question about the four governors who were sentenced to prison in a span of less than 40 years. Good times. Also, the official state nickname is actually the Prairie State. Nobody calls it that though...
Added that one! I've been watching the Illinois/Chicago slow motion trainwreck with great interest. I personally believe that the state should cut taxes by a large amount. Its inevitable that both Illinois and Chicago will have to declare bankruptcy or get bailed out by the Federal Reserve. The sooner this happens, the better. Before even more people leave the state....
Grew up near the town. Heard it pronounced both ways. But it's never "ki-ro" like the city in Egypt. Southern Illinois is nicknamed Little Egypt, so hence the name. Always found it strange, being at the confluence of two major rivers (Mississippi & Ohio), that it never really grew. Though in the mid-19th century it was bustling.