Chicago-area accent - a relative of the Minnesota accent?

[RINO Tom]

I am from Peoria, but I now live in Iowa City.  If I'm being honest, people from Peoria have an accent compared to Eastern Iowans.  It's extremely subtle and not anywhere near as noticeable as Chicago area people (spend a weekend out at the bars in Champaign and tell me the drunk guys and gals of the U of I do not have an extremely noticeable accent, LOL), but it's there.  I've been told I say everything "normal" except for some of my vowels (two extremes being saying the name John as either "Jawn" or "Jahn," with me being the second one).  I'd say there isn't anywhere in Illinois with ZERO accent (remember, for all intents and purposes - geographically and culturally - the very southern part of Illinois might as well be Dixie), but Central Illinois is definitely the closest.