Why is Illinois Being Invaded by So Many Bums from New Jersey?

Illinois has become infamous for the number of people who are choosing to leave the Land of Lincoln. But, did you know that Illinois is also seeing an influx of people choosing to call it home from an unexpected place. Why the heck is Illinois being invaded by so many bums people from New Jersey anyway?

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I want to state for the record that I have nothing personal against the fine people from New Jersey. Despite what you might think, all of them are not gangsters. Sorry, Tony Soprano. I am also still a big fan of Bon Jovi and have nearly all of their albums.

I bring this New Jersey topic up because 24/7 Wall St just ranked all of the states where Jersey people move to the most and near the top of the list is...(*drum roll*)...Illinois.

In the last year alone, they say 3,576 left New Jersey for Illinois. Is Chicago-style pizza that appealing?

One of my colleagues in New Jersey said that employment is the overwhelming reason. The estimate is that 40% of people that leave Jersey do it because there's a better job someplace else (which apparently is in Illinois now).

I've hit my limit of Sopranos references so I won't infer that there are mob families who feel the need to live by Lake Michigan, but it is a curious trend that I really can't put my finger on exactly why it's happening. If you start hearing more Jersey accents in Illinois, this is the reason why.

Fuhgeddaboudit.