To the right is a map displaying the popular vote results for president in each Illinois county in 2008, courtesy of the New York Times.  Earlier this year, we examined similar maps formulated for the past seven presidential elections and wondered how blue the Prairie State would look this year.  Now we know.

A few observations:  The downstate counties didn't turn towards the Democrat in nearly the same numbers as they did in 1992 and 1996.  Indeed, the bottom half of state looks much the same as it did in 2004. 

The real shift came in the collar counties around Chicago, which voted heavily for Obama.  (We'll have more on that dynamic later.)  Also the I-80 corridor turned blue, which happened to a certain degree in '96, but not in 2000 or 2004. 

Finally, the counties lining the state's northern border -- Jo Daviess, Stephenson, Winnebago, Boone, McHenry, and Lake -- formed an unprecedented blue streak.

Here are those maps of the past seven elections, so you can contrast and compare yourself (click for larger image):