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Beardstown, Illinois

Beardstown is a city in Cass County, Illinois, United States. The population was 5,951 at the 2020 census. The public schools are in Beardstown Community Unit School District 15.

Geography
Beardstown is located on the Illinois River.

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Beardstown has a total area of 3.65 sqmi, of which 3.62 sqmi (or 99.21%) is land and 0.03 sqmi (or 0.79%) is water.

Economy
Beardstown is located on the Illinois River, which plays an important role in the economy and history of the community, and is the site of two grain terminals where farm products are transferred to barges for transport. Hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation along the river contribute to the local economy.

A large pork slaughterhouse, formerly owned by Kraft and Cargill now by JBS, is a major employer and has attracted a substantial immigrant population to Beardstown in recent years.

The slaughterhouse and the people employed there were the focus of an economic and urban planning analysis by Faranak Miraftab, an Iranian-American urban scholar and professor of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her book, Global Heartland: Displaced Labor, Transnational Lives and Local Placemaking, discusses the economic and political forces that brought emigrants and immigrants to Beardstown.

Demographics
As of the 2020 census there were 5,951 people, 2,155 households, and 1,352 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,631.30 PD/sqmi. There were 2,368 housing units at an average density of 649.12 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 50.56% White, 11.39% African American, 1.71% Native American, 1.51% Asian, 0.49% Pacific Islander, 23.71% from other races, and 10.62% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 40.43% of the population.

There were 2,155 households, out of which 37.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.97% were married couples living together, 15.13% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.26% were non-families. 32.76% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.18 and the average family size was 2.50.

The city's age distribution consisted of 26.9% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $43,425, and the median income for a family was $49,500. Males had a median income of $36,764 versus $25,108 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,599. About 20.2% of families and 22.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.1% of those under age 18 and 10.0% of those age 65 or over.

History
Beardstown was first settled by Thomas Beard in 1819; he erected a log cabin at the edge of the Illinois River, from which he traded with the local Native Americans and ran a ferry. The town was laid out in 1827 and was incorporated as a city in 1896. During the Black Hawk War in 1832, it was a base of supplies for the Illinois troops.

Thomas Beard's son, Edward "Red" Beard, a noted gambler and saloon keeper of the Old West, was killed in a gunfight in Kansas in 1873 by "Rowdy Joe" Lowe. Earlier, he had built a two-story brick building which was used for 85 years as a store and inn. This inn is alleged to have sheltered Abraham Lincoln on his visits to Beardstown, but that is legend and unconfirmed. The building was demolished and replaced by a post office. William Henry Herndon, Lincoln's Springfield law partner, claimed that Lincoln contracted syphilis from a prostitute in Beardstown, an incident author Gore Vidal colorfully recounts in his historical novel Lincoln (1984). The Beardstown Courthouse was the site of a famous trial which helped build Abraham Lincoln's reputation as a lawyer after he used a copy of a farmer's almanac to undermine the credibility of the prosecution's key witness. The scene was later depicted in a painting by Norman Rockwell. A Lincoln Museum is on the second floor of the courthouse along with many Native American relics.

The Beardstown Ladies
From 1984 to 1993, a group of 16 late-aged women were picking stocks in the Dow Jones and over the course of nine years were claiming returns of 23.4% on their stocks. Once they went public with the amazing returns, they gained national recognition for their success. The Beardstown Ladies, with an average age of 70 (1994), were asked to appear on The Donahue Show, CBS's Morning Show, NBC's The Today Show, and ABC's Good Morning America. For six straight years they were honored by the National Association of Investors Corp's "All-Star Investment Clubs". In 1993, they produced their first home video for investors called, The Beardstown Ladies: Cooking Up Profits on Wall Street. By 1994, they wrote their first book, The Beardstown Ladies' Common-Sense Investment Guide, which sold over 800,000 copies by 1998 and was a New York Times Best Seller. The Beardstown Ladies become a global phenomenon and TV stations from Germany, Brazil, and Japan were interviewing them and taping their monthly meetings in Beardstown. The seeds of scandal were planted in late 1998: a Chicago magazine noticed that the group's returns included the fees the women paid every month. Without them, the returns dwindled to just 9%, underperforming the Dow. An article in The Wall Street Journal led the ladies to hire an outside auditor, which proved they had indeed misstated their returns. Time magazine jokingly stated that they should be jailed for fraud and misrepresentation. , the Beardstown Ladies were still buying stocks. Their books can be bought from Amazon.com for mere pennies.

Notable people

 * William "Duff" Armstrong, accused murderer, was tried in Beardstown and successfully defended by Abraham Lincoln.
 * Walter Flanigan, co-founder of National Football League, born in Beardstown.
 * Stanley J. Korsmeyer, physician, born in Beardstown,
 * Frank McErlane spent his last years here
 * Richard Henry Mills, (born 1929) Judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois (1985–1997). He was born in Beardstown.
 * Red Norvo, jazz vibraphone pioneer, born in Beardstown.
 * Janice O'Hara, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player, born in Beardstown.
 * Glen Seator (1956—2002), visual artist and architectural sculptor.
 * Jesse Wallace, United States Navy Captain and the 27th unique Governor of American Samoa, born in Beardstown.

title: Beardstown, Illinois


text:
Chandlerville, Illinois

Chandlerville is a village in Cass County, Illinois, United States. The population was 527 at the 2020 census.

History
Chandlerville was named for its founder, Dr. Charles Chandler.

Geography
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Chandlerville has a total area of 0.79 sqmi, all land.

Demographics
As of the 2020 census there were 527 people, 217 households, and 103 families residing in the village. The population density was 663.73 PD/sqmi. There were 260 housing units at an average density of 327.46 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 96.39% White, 0.57% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.95% Asian, 1.14% from other races, and 0.76% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.33% of the population.

There were 217 households, out of which 17.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.87% were married couples living together, 7.83% had a female householder with no husband present, and 52.53% were non-families. 50.69% of all households were made up of individuals, and 29.95% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.88 and the average family size was 1.98.

The village's age distribution consisted of 22.8% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 16.9% from 25 to 44, 27.4% from 45 to 64, and 26.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 129.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 129.0 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $38,750, and the median income for a family was $66,875. Males had a median income of $52,188 versus $23,250 for females. The per capita income for the village was $33,350. About 9.7% of families and 20.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 46.9% of those under age 18 and 2.6% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people
Scott Lucas, United States senator from Illinois, was born in Chandlerville

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Chandlerville, Illinois


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Virginia, Illinois

Virginia is a city and the county seat in Cass County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,514 at the 2020 census.

Geography
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Virginia has a total area of 1.27 sqmi, of which 1.21 sqmi (or 94.96%) is land and 0.06 sqmi (or 5.04%) is water.

Demographics
As of the 2020 census there were 1,514 people, 593 households, and 379 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,191.19 PD/sqmi. There were 728 housing units at an average density of 572.78 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 91.94% White, 0.73% African American, 0.53% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 1.39% from other races, and 5.02% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.43% of the population.

There were 593 households, out of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.82% were married couples living together, 11.47% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.09% were non-families. 27.32% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 2.26.

The city's age distribution consisted of 24.9% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 22.2% from 25 to 44, 26.4% from 45 to 64, and 18.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $48,625, and the median income for a family was $52,125. Males had a median income of $36,250 versus $31,793 for females. The per capita income for the city was $26,824. About 19.8% of families and 18.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.8% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education
Virginia has one school: a K-12 facility run by Virginia Community Unit School District 64. The facility is broken down into sections: Virginia Elementary School, Virginia Junior High School, and Virginia High School.

Notable people

 * Craig J. Findley (born 1948), newspaper editor, photographer, and Illinois state representative
 * Eric Jokisch (born 1989) - MLB pitcher (Chicago Cubs 2014), KBO pitcher (Kiwoom Heroes 2019-2023)
 * John Linebaugh Knuppel (1923–1986), member of the Illinois Senate from 1971 until 1981.
 * Arthur A. Leeper (1855–1931), lawyer and Illinois state senator
 * Kyle MacWherter (1892–1977), American football player.
 * Howard D. McKibben (born 1940), judge of the United States District Court for the District of Nevada from 1984 until 2005. McKibben was born in Virginia.

title: Virginia, Illinois


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Allerton, Illinois

Allerton is a village in Sidell Township, Vermilion County, Illinois, United States. A small portion of the village extends into Champaign County. The population was 262 at the 2020 census.

History
Samuel W. Allerton was a wealthy landowner in Vermilion County who had made his fortune on the agricultural and livestock markets. He was one of the founders of the First National Bank of Chicago and Co-founder of the Chicago Union Stockyards. The town was founded on a 3800 acre tract of land in the southwestern part of the county which Allerton purchased in 1880. It had formerly been known as Twin Grove Farm (because of two very similar 100 acre groves of trees in the area). When the C&EI railroad came through the area, he gave them a right-of-way through his land, and then established a grain elevator and platted the village; later he provided land for a park, established a bank, provided funds for a new brick school in 1894, and installed a water system. Allerton himself continued to live in Chicago.

Samuel Allerton also owned 12,000 acres in Piatt County, part of which later became the Robert Allerton Park, farther west in the Monticello area; Robert was Samuel's son who oversaw his father's agricultural interests in Illinois. Samuel's total land holdings included 78,000 acres across four Midwest states.

Geography
Allerton is located near the southwestern corner of Vermilion County and extends west into Champaign County in two places. Champaign-Urbana is about 30 mi to the northwest, and Danville is the same distance to the northeast.

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Allerton has a total area of 0.68 sqmi, all land. Allerton is located on the county line, and a small portion of is located in Champaign County, Illinois.

Demographics
As of the 2020 census there were 262 people, 101 households, and 76 families residing in the village. The population density was 385.86 PD/sqmi. There were 116 housing units at an average density of 170.84 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 91.60% White, 2.67% African American, 0.76% Native American, and 4.96% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.15% of the population.

There were 101 households, out of which 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.41% were married couples living together, 9.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.75% were non-families. 14.85% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.96% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.00 and the average family size was 2.64.

The village's age distribution consisted of 21.0% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 34.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.1 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $60,208, and the median income for a family was $63,750. Males had a median income of $31,667 versus $33,333 for females. The per capita income for the village was $24,257. About 9.2% of families and 9.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.9% of those under age 18 and 2.5% of those age 65 or over.

title: Allerton, Illinois


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Bondville, Illinois

Bondville is a village in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 388 at the 2020 census.

Geography
Boonville is located about 2 mi west of the western edge of Champaign, at the intersection of the east–west Illinois Route 10 and the north-south County Road 19. Interstate 72 passes from east to west about 0.5 mi to the north of this intersection. The town of Seymour lies about 3 mi further to the west. According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Bondville has a total area of 0.25 sqmi, all land.

Demographics
As of the 2020 census there were 388 people, 220 households, and 110 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,545.82 PD/sqmi. There were 201 housing units at an average density of 800.80 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 84.79% White, 2.84% African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.52% Asian, 0.52% from other races, and 11.08% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.35% of the population.

There were 220 households, out of which 13.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.27% were married couples living together, none had a female householder with no husband present, and 50.00% were non-families. 29.09% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.27% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 2.07.

The village's age distribution consisted of 10.8% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 19.8% from 25 to 44, 37.3% from 45 to 64, and 22.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 50.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 124.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 113.7 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $53,750, and the median income for a family was $65,000. Males had a median income of $40,298 versus $29,500 for females. The per capita income for the village was $31,857. About 7.3% of families and 10.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.0% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.

title: Bondville, Illinois


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Broadlands, Illinois

Broadlands is a village in Champaign County, Illinois, along the East Branch of the Embarras River. The population was 316 at the 2020 census. Originally owned by the Sullivant family, Broadlands was, at over 70000 acre, one of the world's largest farms in the late 1860s. Broadlands was sold to John T. Alexander in 1866, and it was broken up upon his death in 1876 to pay his creditors.

Geography
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Broadlands has a total area of 0.32 sqmi, all land.

Demographics
As of the 2020 census there were 316 people, 122 households, and 88 families residing in the village. The population density was 981.37 PD/sqmi. There were 144 housing units at an average density of 447.20 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 93.67% White, 0.95% African American, 0.95% from other races, and 4.43% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.53% of the population.

There were 122 households, out of which 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.21% were married couples living together, 3.28% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.87% were non-families. 19.67% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.48% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.32 and the average family size was 2.79.

The village's age distribution consisted of 22.9% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 22.3% from 25 to 44, 27.9% from 45 to 64, and 17.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.9 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $53,500, and the median income for a family was $76,875. Males had a median income of $45,417 versus $21,500 for females. The per capita income for the village was $22,762. About 20.5% of families and 20.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.5% of those under age 18 and 25.9% of those age 65 or over.

Community
Water is piped from the Mahomet Aquifer, as compared to the treated well water provided by most other nearby villages.

Elementary and junior high students from Broadlands attend school in Homer, while students in all of Heritage Community School District #8 (Homer, Allerton, Broadlands, Longview) attend the expanded high school in Broadlands.

The Broadlands Community Club holds a homecoming festival each year. The Club typically has events throughout the day for children and adults including a parade, afternoon entertainment, a fish fry and homemade pies.

title: Broadlands, Illinois


text:
Champaign, Illinois

Champaign is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 88,302 at the 2020 census. It is the tenth-most populous municipality in Illinois and the fourth most populous city in the state outside the Chicago metropolitan area. It is a principal city of the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, which had 236,000 residents in 2020.

Champaign shares the main campus of the University of Illinois with its twin city of Urbana, and is also home to Parkland College, which gives the city a large student population during the academic year. Due to the university and a number of technology startup companies, it is often referred to as a hub of the Illinois Silicon Prairie. Champaign houses offices for the Fortune 500 companies Abbott, Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), Caterpillar, John Deere, Dow Chemical Company, IBM, and State Farm. Champaign also serves as the headquarters for several companies, including Jimmy John's.

History

Champaign was founded in 1855, when the Illinois Central Railroad laid its rail track two miles (3 km) west of downtown Urbana. Originally called "West Urbana", it was renamed Champaign when it acquired a city charter in 1860. Both the city and county name were derived from Champaign County, Ohio, which took its name from the French word for "open, level country".

During February 1969, Carl Perkins joined with Bob Dylan to write the song "Champaign, Illinois", which Perkins released on his album On Top. The band Old 97's took another Bob Dylan song, "Desolation Row", and combined its melody with new lyrics to make a new song "Champaign, Illinois", which they released with Dylan's blessing on their 2010 album The Grand Theatre Volume One. It achieved considerable popularity. The two "Champaign, Illinois" songs are not similar to each other, except that Bob Dylan was involved in both of them.

On September 22, 1985, Champaign hosted the first Farm Aid concert at the University of Illinois' Memorial Stadium. The concert drew a crowd of 80,000 people and raised over $7 million for American family farmers.

In 2005, Champaign–Urbana (specifically the University of Illinois) was the location of the National Science Olympiad Tournament, attracting young scientists from all 50 states. The city also hosts the state Science Olympiad competition every year. The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign once again hosted the National competition on May 20–22, 2010.

Joan Severns was the city's first female mayor, serving between 1979 and 1983. Deborah Frank Feinen, who has served as mayor since 2015, is the city's second female mayor. In May 2017, the city's first female-majority city council was sworn in.

Location
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Champaign has a total area of 23.14 sqmi, of which 22.99 sqmi (or 99.37%) is land and 0.15 sqmi (or 0.63%) is water.

Champaign is a city in central Illinois and is located on relatively high ground, providing sources to the Kaskaskia River to the west, and the Embarras River to the south. Downtown Champaign drains into Boneyard Creek, which feeds the Saline Branch of the Salt Fork Vermilion River.

Champaign shares a border with the neighboring city of Urbana; together they are home to the University of Illinois. Champaign, Urbana, and the bordering village of Savoy form the Champaign–Urbana Metropolitan Area, also known as "Champaign–Urbana". It may also be colloquially known as the "Twin Cities", "Chambana" or "Shampoo–Banana".

Climate
The city has a humid continental climate, typical of the Midwestern United States, with hot summers and cold, moderately snowy winters. Temperatures exceed 90 °F (32.2 °C) on an average of 24 days per year, and typically fall below 0 °F (−17.8 °C) on six nights annually. The record high temperature in Champaign was 109 °F (42.8 °C) in 1954, and the record low was −25 °F (−31.7 °C), recorded on four separate occasions − in 1899, 1905, 1994 and 1999.

Demographics
As of the 2020 census there were 88,302 people, 34,851 households, and 15,624 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,816.81 PD/sqmi. There were 40,314 housing units at an average density of 1,742.55 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 53.45% White, 17.97% African American, 0.37% Native American, 16.69% Asian (6.34% Chinese, 3.92% Asian Indian, 1.83% Korean, 1.05% Filipino, 0.86% Vietnamese, 0.46% Thai, 0.27% Pakistani), 0.05% Pacific Islander, 3.96% from other races, and 7.52% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.74% of the population.

There were 34,851 households, out of which 21.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.63% were married couples living together, 8.77% had a female householder with no husband present, and 55.17% were non-families. 39.97% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.01% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.13 and the average family size was 2.30.

The city's age distribution consisted of 17.0% under the age of 18, 29.0% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 17.7% from 45 to 64, and 10.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 27.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 110.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $49,467, and the median income for a family was $78,118. Males had a median income of $36,680 versus $27,805 for females. The per capita income for the city was $30,245. About 10.3% of families and 23.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.3% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.

Economy
In addition to the University of Illinois, Champaign is also home to Parkland College. Herff Jones, formerly Collegiate Cap and Gown, and Kraft also form part of the city's industrial base. Kraft's plant is one of the largest pasta factories in North America. The Champaign-Urbana community is a well-known hub for startups, including a top ranking from Silicon Prairie News in 2019.

Champaign is home to nationally recognized record labels, artist management companies, booking agencies, and recording studios. Polyvinyl Records, Undertow Music, Parasol Records, Great Western Record Recorders, Pogo Studios, and Nicodemus Booking Agency are all based in Champaign.

In April 2011, The Christian Science Monitor named Champaign-Urbana one of the five cities leading the economic turnaround based on jobs; the information sector added over 300 jobs within a year and unemployment dropped 2.1%.

Research Park
Champaign features a large technology and software industry mostly focusing on research and development of new technologies. The Research Park, located on campus land just south of the State Farm Center and run by the University of Illinois, is home to many companies, including Caterpillar, ADM, John Deere, AbbVie, Motorola Solutions, Brunswick, Capital One, Cargill, NVIDIA, Riverbed Technology, Abbott Laboratories, Yahoo! and the State Farm Research and Development Center.

The technology incubator at Research Park, EnterpriseWorks, has launched 350+ startups since opening in 2014. Famous graduates of EnterpriseWorks include Agrible, which was sold to Nutrien in 2018 for $63 million. Another success story is Starfire, which graduated from EnterpriseWorks and moved into other space at the Research Park. In 2022, Starfire was growing so fast, it bought its own 190,000 SF building in the northwest side of Champaign.

Top employers
According to the Champaign County Economic Development Corporation, the top ten employers in the city are :

Other major employers include Horizon Hobby, Jimmy John's, Plastipak, SuperValu, and Wolfram Research. Numerous other software and technology companies also have offices in Champaign including Ansys, Amdocs, Cloudflare, Instarecon, Phonak, Power World, and Caterpillar Simulation Center. The largest high technology employer is Wolfram Research, with more than 400 employees in Champaign. The United States Army Corps of Engineers maintains the Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL) in Champaign.

Downtown
In the 1980s, part of the downtown Champaign area (Neil St.) was closed to vehicular traffic to create a pedestrian mall, but this short-lived experiment was scrapped when business declined. As part of a revitalization effort, One Main Development constructed two new mixed-use buildings: One Main and M2 on Neil. The City of Champaign gave $3.7 million in tax incentives for the building of M2 and agreed to pay nearly $11 million for a new parking deck.

This growth in downtown Champaign coincided with the larger growth of the "north Prospect" shopping district on the city's northern boundary. The growth in the north Prospect area relied, in part, on leapfrogging, moving out to the countryside and developing more remote farmland that eventually connects to the main development. Given the overwhelming success of such suburban shopping areas nationally, new development within any city center represented an alternative to the dominant movement out and away from the cities.

The Champaign City Building serves as the City Hall and is a recognizable landmark. The building replaces the original city building, which sat on the same site until 1937.

The historic Virginia Theatre is a restored 1463-seat movie theater which opened on December 28, 1921. It has an ornate, Spanish Renaissance-influenced interior, full stage and dressing rooms, and its original Wurlitzer pipe organ. It hosts Ebertfest and has a single 56' x 23' screen. The theater does not have a daily show schedule, but schedules special screenings and live performances several times each month.

The Art Theater Co-op, which showed independent and foreign films, was built in 1913 as the Park Theatre. From 1969 to 1986, it showed adult films. Until October 2019, it was the only single-screen movie theater operating daily in Champaign-Urbana, and was the United States's first co-operatively owned art movie theater. It closed in October 2019.

Campustown
Located along Green Street, this commercial district serves as the entertainment and retail center for students at the University of Illinois and citizens of the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area. This area has been undergoing change since 2002 with the completion of a new $7 million streetscape project. Campustown is now attracting new retail and entertainment stores as well as serving as the center for new construction projects. Several new projects opened in 2008 including the 18-story Burnham 310 high-rise and grocery store at 4th and Springfield, and a new 24-story apartment building called 309 Green.

The newly renamed Tower at 3rd (formerly Champaign Hilton, Century 21, Quality Inn, University Inn, Presidential Tower) is located in the University District and is over twenty stories high. A hotel until 2001, it currently houses student apartments.

A new 14-story apartment complex was completed in 2014 at the intersection of 6th and Green streets (site of the former Gameday Spirit). A 12-story, mixed-use complex consisting of a hotel, apartments and parking was scheduled to be completed by August 2015. The mixed-use complex is reported to consist of two towers which will be connected by a skywalk. A 27-story apartment building is planned at 308 East Green Street. This high-rise is reported to have an automated parking vault which will be operated by an elevator.

Museums and libraries

 * Orpheum Children's Science Museum. A hands on science museum for children. It closed in 2020.
 * Krannert Art Museum. An Art Museum featuring both modern and classical art owned by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. It has 48000 sqft of space devoted to all periods of art, from ancient Egyptian to contemporary photography.
 * Champaign County Historical Museum. Located in the historic Cattle Bank built in 1858. Features exhibits on the history of the area and the Midwest as a whole.
 * Champaign Public Library
 * Urbana Free Library

Illinois Fighting Illini
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign fields ten men and eleven women varsity sports.

Stadiums
Built from 1922 to 1923, Memorial Stadium was named in honor of the students and faculty members who died overseas during World War I. Since opening in 1923, Memorial Stadium has been home to Illinois Fighting Illini football. The stadium also was the temporary home of the NFL's Chicago Bears for the 2002 season while its regular venue Soldier Field was being renovated.

Originally known as the Assembly Hall, the State Farm Center is home to the Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball and Illinois Fighting Illini women's basketball teams. It holds the annual Broadway Series, which features popular musicals.

Minor league
During its history, the city has been home to several separate minor league baseball clubs. The first in 1889 was a shared club between Champaign and Logansport, Indiana, called the Logansport/Champaign-Urbana Clippers. The Clippers played for one season in the Illinois–Indiana League before folding. The city hosted its second team, the Champaign-Urbana Velvets from 1911 to 1914 who played in the Illinois–Missouri League until the league disbanded after 1914. The city's most recent minor league team was the Champaign-Urbana Bandits who played during the single 1994 season of the Great Central League. The Bandits played at Illinois Field. Prior to holding postseason play, the league folded.

Twice Champaign was also home to a Collegiate Summer Baseball League team. The city's Champaign County Colts were a founding member of the Central Illinois Collegiate League from 1963 to 1964. In 1990 the Colts were revived as the Champaign-Urbana Colts until the team folded in 1996. The more recent club played its home games at Illinois Field.

In October 2014, the Midwest Professional Basketball Association announced the creation of the Champaign Swarm as one of its founding members, that began play at the Dodds Athletic Center in January 2015.

Parks and recreation
There are 60 parks, 11 trails, and 14 facilities within the city of Champaign, totaling over 654 acre.

Primary and secondary
The city of Champaign is served by Champaign Unit 4 School District. Unit 4 administers both Champaign Central High School and Champaign Centennial High School.

Champaign is also served by three private high schools. The largest of the three is St. Thomas More High School which is located on the city's far northwest side. The school opened in 2000 and is the newest charter of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Peoria. Judah Christian School, which is located just south of I-74 on Prospect Avenue, opened in 1983 and serves grades pre-kindergarten through 12. Academy High is a private, independent high school located in South Champaign which opened in 2017. The school is designed to be student-centered, highly collaborative, and project-based.

Higher education
Located within Champaign are two institutions of higher education, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Parkland College. The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, located in the city's eastern side, is a public land-grant research university and the flagship institution of the University of Illinois system. It is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the United States with over 50,000 students enrolled annually. Parkland College, located in northwestern Champaign, is part of the Illinois Community College System and enrolls approximately 9,000 students annually.

Radio
• 88.3 W201CK (Translates 90.7 KHRI) "Air 1", Christian CHR

• 88.7 WPCD, Parkland College College radio

• 89.3 WGNJ, Religious

• 90.1 WEFT, Community radio

• 90.9 WILL-FM, Classical music (RDS)

• 91.7 WBGL, Christian AC (RDS)

• 92.1 W221CK "Extra 92.1" Rock (RDS – Artist/Title)

• 92.5 WREE "Rewind 92.5", Classic hits (RDS – Artist/Title)

• 93.5 WSJK, Talk/sports

• 94.5 WLRW "Mix 94.5" Hot AC (RDS – Artist/Title) (HD Radio)

• 95.3 WJEK, Adult contemporary

• 95.7 WLHF, Catholic radio, Religious, Christian

• 96.1 WQQB "Q 96", CHR/Pop (RDS)

• 97.5 WHMS-FM "Lite Rock 97.5" Adult contemporary

• 98.3 WPEO-FM, Christian

• 99.1 WYXY "WYXY Classic" Country (RDS – Artist/Title)

• 99.7 W259BG "HITS 99.7" Top 40

• 100.3 WIXY "WIXY 100.3" Country (RDS – Artist/Title)

• 101.1 W266AF (Translates 90.9 WILL-FM HD2), Classical music

• 102.5 WGNN, Religious

• 103.9 W280DE (Translates 102.5 WGNN), Religious

• 104.5 WRFU-LP "Radio Free Urbana", Variety

• 105.5 WCZQ "Hot 105.5" Hip Hop & R&B

• 105.9 WGKC, Country (RDS)

• 106.5 simulcast of 1460 AM WKJR, Spanish Music

• 107.1 WPGU, "Champaign's Alternative", Alternative rock

• 107.9 WKIO "U-Rock 107.9" Classic rock

• 580 WILL, Public Radio

• 1400 WDWS, News/Talk (AM Stereo)

• 1460 WKJR, Spanish Music NOAA Weather Radio station WXJ76 transmits from Champaign and is licensed to NOAA's National Weather Service Central Illinois Weather Forecast Office at Lincoln, broadcasting on a frequency of 162.550 MHz (channel 7 on most newer weather radios, and most SAME weather radios). The station activates the SAME tone alarm feature and a 1050 Hz tone activating older radios (except for AMBER Alerts, using the SAME feature only) for hazardous weather and non-weather warnings and emergencies, along with selected weather watches, for the Illinois counties of Champaign, Coles, DeWitt, Douglas, Edgar, Ford, Moultrie, Piatt, and Vermillion. Weather permitting, a tone alarm test of both the SAME and 1050 Hz tone features are conducted every Wednesday between 11 am and Noon.

Television

 * 3 WCIA, CBS
 * 7 W07DD-D, Three Angels Broadcasting Network
 * 12 WILL-TV, PBS
 * 15 WICD "NewsChannel 15", ABC
 * 17 WAND, NBC
 * 23 WBUI, CW
 * 27 WCCU "Fox 55/27"
 * 33 W31EH-D, Trinity Broadcasting Network
 * 44 WBXC-CA, MTV 2
 * 49 WCIX "My WCFN TV" MyNetworkTV
 * 51 WEIU, PBS

Newspapers

 * The News-Gazette, daily local newspaper
 * Daily Illini, campus newspaper
 * The Booze News, former satirical campus newspaper, now called The Black Sheep
 * Buzz Weekly, weekly entertainment magazine
 * Prospectus News, Parkland College's independent student newspaper

Highways
Champaign is served by I-57, I-72, I-74, two railroad lines, and the University of Illinois operated Willard Airport (CMI).

Interstate 57 enters in Champaign County after a diamond interchange with Curtis Road. It makes two Cloverleaf interchanges with Interstate 72 towards Decatur, Illinois, and the second (soon to be changed) Cloverleaf interchange with Interstate 74 in Illinois to Indianapolis. After making the two major interchanges, it runs out of Champaign County with a Partial cloverleaf interchange with U.S. Route 45 to Rantoul, Illinois. Interstate 74 starts with U.S. Route 150 in Illinois with Mahomet, Illinois, it makes two total interchanges within the city's limits. After making those interchanges, it makes one interchange with Interstate 57. After making the main interchange it starts to make interchanges with the city's streets. Interstate 74 goes out of Champaign County with St. Joseph, Illinois. Interstate 72 enters Champaign County with an interchange towards Monticello and north towards Mahomet after the main route that heads north crosses Interstate 74. Interstate 72 then heads into the cloverleaf interchange with Interstate 57 and then continues east for 1 1/2 to 2 miles eventually terminating itself at University Avenue on the southeast side of Champaign.

Interstate Highways

Interstate 57

Interstate 72

Interstate 74

US Highways

US 45

US 150

Illinois Highways

Route 10

Mass transit
In 1999, a newly designed intermodal transportation center, aptly named Illinois Terminal by historic reference to the defunct electric interurban rail line that once ran through Champaign, was completed and serves as a central facility for intercity passenger rail, bus services as well as the MTD's local bus network. Danville Mass Transit and Champaign County Area Rural Transit System, which primarily provide transit services to Danville and Rantoul respectively, have connecting services to Illinois Terminal.

The local bus system, which is supported by the taxpayers of the Champaign–Urbana Mass Transit District (MTD) and the University of Illinois, serves Champaign, Urbana, Savoy, and surrounding areas. The C-U MTD has twice been named as the best local transit system in the United States.

C-CARTS provides bus service connecting Champaign, Urbana and Rantoul.

Rail
Amtrak provides service to Champaign–Urbana out of Illinois Terminal by: Train 58/59, the City of New Orleans; Train 390/391, the Saluki; and Train 392/393, the Illini.

The former Illinois Central Railroad line—now part of the Canadian National Railway system—runs north to south through the city. A spur line from the Canadian National line provides service to several large industries, including two large food processing plants, on the west edge of Champaign and two grain elevators in outlying communities to the west. Norfolk Southern Railway operates an east-to-west line through Champaign, connecting eastern Urbana to the Norfolk Southern main line at Mansfield, Illinois, along the former Peoria & Eastern Railway.

Intercity bus
Greyhound Lines, Peoria Charter Coach Company, and Burlington Trailways provide intercity bus service to Champaign. Lincoln Land Express, a Champaign-based bus service, shut down in 2013.

Airport
Champaign is served by Willard Airport (CMI) which is operated by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The airport is currently served by American Eagle offering daily flights to Chicago O'Hare International Airport and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. It was formerly home to the University of Illinois Institute of Aviation, which was established in 1945 and absorbed by Parkland College in 2014.

title: Champaign, Illinois


text:
Fisher, Illinois

Fisher is a village in Champaign County, Illinois, United States, that was founded in 1875. The population was 1,881 at the 2010 census.

Geography
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Fisher has a total area of 1.33 sqmi, all land.

Demographics
As of the 2020 census there were 2,062 people, 702 households, and 529 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,550.38 PD/sqmi. There were 850 housing units at an average density of 639.10 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 94.28% White, 0.44% African American, 0.05% Native American, 0.44% Asian, 0.63% from other races, and 4.17% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.50% of the population.

There were 702 households, out of which 40.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.26% were married couples living together, 7.83% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.64% were non-families. 19.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.54% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.16 and the average family size was 2.73.

The village's age distribution consisted of 27.4% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 32.3% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 114.0 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $71,136, and the median income for a family was $88,177. Males had a median income of $46,744 versus $37,717 for females. The per capita income for the village was $33,378. About 2.8% of families and 3.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.5% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education
The community is served by the Fisher Community Unit School District. The public schools are Fisher Grade School [kindergarten through sixth grade] and the Fisher Junior/Senior High School, whose mascot is the Fisher "Bunnie." The Bunnies offer six girls' sports, seven boys' sports and two co-ed sports at the senior high-school level and six competitive sports for junior-high students.

title: Fisher, Illinois


text:
Foosland, Illinois

Foosland is a village in Brown Township, Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 75 at the 2020 census. The village is named after William Foos, who owned 3,500 acres in the area in the 1840s.

Geography
Foosland is located in the northwest corner of Champaign County three miles southeast of Illinois Route 54. Gibson City lies nine miles to the northeast along Route 54 and Champaign is approximately 22 miles to the southeast. Lone Tree Creek, a tributary to the Sangamon River, flows past the south side of the community.

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Foosland has a total area of 0.07 sqmi, all land.

Demographics
As of the 2020 census there were 75 people, 24 households, and 10 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,086.96 PD/sqmi. There were 44 housing units at an average density of 637.68 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 96.00% White, 2.67% from other races, and 1.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.67% of the population.

There were 24 households, out of which 12.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.50% were married couples living together, 4.17% had a female householder with no husband present, and 58.33% were non-families. 37.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 29.17% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.10 and the average family size was 2.21.

The village's age distribution consisted of 20.8% under the age of 18, 0.0% from 18 to 24, 17% from 25 to 44, 30.1% from 45 to 64, and 32.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 56.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 121.1 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $50,833, and the median income for a family was $86,250. Males had a median income of $46,250 versus $26,250 for females. The per capita income for the village was $27,058. No families and 9.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 29.4% of those age 65 or over.

History
Foosland was founded in 1874 and a post office was established on June 19 that year. The town is named after William Foos, an Ohioan who was instrumental in the establishment of the town, and in the placement there of a station of the Chicago-Paducah railroad. He bought and drained about 3,500 acres of nearby land and, through a local superintendent, managed a tenant farming operation. Foosland was incorporated in 1959. Champaign County Judge Frederick S. Green approved a canvass of votes of elected officers. The first mayor was Paul Verkler.

title: Foosland, Illinois


text:
Gifford, Illinois

Gifford is a village in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 911 at the 2020 Census.

History
Gifford was laid out in 1876 and named for Benjamin F. Gifford. Along with nearby Penfield, the town had a station on the now-defunct Illinois Central Railroad. On August 9, 1894, a fire originating from the barbershop and billiard hall engulfed the entirety of the business district as well as the grain elevator, destroying both completely.

Gifford was heavily damaged by an EF3 tornado on November 17, 2013. The tornado struck shortly before 1:00 PM, destroying more than 20 homes and damaging 200 others. It took a diagonal path through the center of the village, and nobody was seriously injured.

Geography
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Gifford has a total area of 0.44 sqmi, all land.

Demographics

As of the 2020 census there were 911 people, 365 households, and 220 families residing in the village. The population density was 2,051.80 PD/sqmi. There were 374 housing units at an average density of 842.34 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 94.29% White, 0.55% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.66% from other races, and 4.06% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.87% of the population.

There were 365 households, out of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.32% were married couples living together, 7.95% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.73% were non-families. 34.52% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.73% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 2.28.

The village's age distribution consisted of 21.3% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 16.6% from 25 to 44, 28.9% from 45 to 64, and 27.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 71.6 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $63,472, and the median income for a family was $80,625. Males had a median income of $50,568 versus $37,000 for females. The per capita income for the village was $34,517. About 3.2% of families and 5.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.5% of those under age 18 and 2.3% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

 * Dennis J. Collins, Illinois state legislator and lawyer
 * Michelle Franzen, television and radio journalist
 * Michael Frerichs, Incumbent Treasurer of Illinois

title: Gifford, Illinois


text:
Homer, Illinois

Homer is a village in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. Its population was 1,073 at the 2020 census.

History
Homer grew from a settlement named Union, which was on the Fort Clark or State Road running between Danville and Urbana, nearly three miles north of the present town. Union was little more than several cabins built in 1829-30, but it served as a post office and meeting place in what was Vermilion County prior to the creation of Champaign County in 1833. Moses Thomas, a native of Pennsylvania, built a mill on the Salt Fork creek southeast of Union in 1834 and began to mill grain. A young merchant traveling from Indiana, Michael Doctor Coffeen, built a store adjacent to the mill, and with Thomas created the village of Homer on January 26, 1837. The post office was moved to Homer with M. D. Coffeen as postmaster in 1841.

Homer grew to 120 people in 1850, and the coming of the Great Western Railroad to the south of the town prompted the village to move to its present location. In February 1855, the town's 32 buildings were dragged 1.5 miles south by 18 teams of oxen. The village became a stop on the railway, later named the Wabash Railroad, becoming the center of agriculture in eastern Champaign County.

In 1905, the town became the location for Homer Park, an amusement park on the Illinois Traction System interurban line. Homer Park, north of the village on the Salt Fork creek, offered swimming, food, baseball, movies and even a small zoo. The park closed in 1937 after flooding and poor management.

Teachers strike
The Homer School District, which served the village and the surrounding area, set a record for the longest teacher's strike in the nation's history, spanning from October 26, 1986, to June 23, 1987. At 156 days, the strike was more than twice as long as the second-longest, set by a school district near Cleveland, Ohio during the 2002-2003 school year. At issue throughout the negotiations was the salary formula, which the Chicago Tribune reported was "not likely to drastically change the pay rates of ... teachers." Other provisions included allowing teachers fired during the strike to be allowed to return with no loss of salary or seniority and the district's newly unionized support staff getting a 6 percent pay increase beginning July 1, and an additional 2 percent increase at the beginning of the 1988-1989 school year. Legal fees were estimated to be $150,000.

Although the strike lasted 156 days, students only lost 11 days of class time as strikebreaking teachers were hired to teach classes. However, some families moved from Homer or paid tuition to have their children attend neighboring schools. The Homer School District eventually consolidated with the Allerton-Broadlands-Longview School District (located to Homer's south), many of the teachers left and all but two school board members either did not seek re-election or were defeated in the first election after the settlement. The town suffered from the effects of the strike for many years, according to a 2006 article in The News Gazette of Champaign-Urbana.

Geography
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Homer has a total area of 0.98 sqmi, all land.

Demographics
As of the 2020 census there were 1,073 people, 519 households, and 347 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,094.90 PD/sqmi. There were 509 housing units at an average density of 519.39 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 91.89% White, 0.19% African American, 0.84% Asian, 0.47% from other races, and 6.62% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.24% of the population.

There were 519 households, out of which 34.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.39% were married couples living together, 17.73% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.14% were non-families. 30.83% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.06% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.18 and the average family size was 2.54.

The village's age distribution consisted of 28.8% under the age of 18, 11.8% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.5 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $65,347, and the median income for a family was $81,750. Males had a median income of $58,750 versus $22,059 for females. The per capita income for the village was $44,604. About 12.1% of families and 10.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.0% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.

title: Homer, Illinois


text:
Ivesdale, Illinois

Ivesdale is a village in Champaign County, Illinois, United States; a very small portion of the village extends into Piatt County, Illinois. The population was 265 at the 2020 census.

History
Ivesdale is served by Saint Joseph Catholic Parish and is home to Saint Joseph Roman Catholic Church (built in 1894) which is known locally as "The Cathedral of the Cornfield".

Bernard Alblinger, who served as mayor from 1963 until his death in 2011, the second longest-serving mayor in the history of Illinois, serving a total of 48 consecutive years.

Geography
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Ivesdale has a total area of 0.72 sqmi, all land.

Demographics

As of the 2020 census there were 265 people, 113 households, and 74 families residing in the village. The population density was 370.11 PD/sqmi. There were 121 housing units at an average density of 168.99 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 95.85% White, 0.38% African American, and 3.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.75% of the population.

There were 113 households, out of which 26.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.21% were married couples living together, 8.85% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.51% were non-families. 28.32% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.47% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 2.21.

The village's age distribution consisted of 21.6% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 26.8% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.8 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $51,477, and the median income for a family was $56,250. Males had a median income of $47,917 versus $26,500 for females. The per capita income for the village was $25,204. About 14.9% of families and 17.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.8% of those under age 18 and 22.7% of those age 65 or over.

title: Ivesdale, Illinois


text:
Lake of the Woods, Illinois

Lake of the Woods is a census-designated place in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,403 at the 2020 census. Lake of the Woods is located in Mahomet Township and mostly surrounded by the northeast part of the village of Mahomet.

Geography
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Lake of the Woods has a total area of 1.77 sqmi, of which 1.68 sqmi (or 95.24%) is land and 0.08 sqmi (or 4.76%) is water.

Demographics
As of the 2020 census there were 2,403 people, 938 households, and 640 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 1,360.70 PD/sqmi. There were 1,072 housing units at an average density of 607.02 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 89.31% White, 0.54% African American, 0.29% Native American, 0.54% Asian, 1.79% from other races, and 7.53% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.75% of the population.

There were 938 households, out of which 43.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.76% were married couples living together, 10.55% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.77% were non-families. 31.77% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.75% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.38 and the average family size was 2.68.

The CDP's age distribution consisted of 34.0% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 17.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 125.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.4 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $59,257, and the median income for a family was $90,556. Males had a median income of $44,133 versus $40,000 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $26,662. About 9.1% of families and 7.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.8% of those under age 18 and 5.2% of those age 65 or over.

title: Lake of the Woods, Illinois


text:
Longview, Illinois

Longview is a village in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 112 at the 2020 census.

Geography
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Longview has a total area of 0.25 sqmi, all land.

Demographics
As of the 2020 census there were 112 people, 42 households, and 17 families residing in the village. The population density was 453.44 PD/sqmi. There were 64 housing units at an average density of 259.11 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 97.32% White, and 2.68% from two or more races. None of the population identified as Hispanic or Latino.

There were 42 households, out of which 23.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 23.81% were married couples living together, 9.52% had a female householder with no husband present, and 59.52% were non-families. 38.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.05% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.47 and the average family size was 2.36.

The village's age distribution consisted of 19.2% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 34.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.0 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $26,667, and the median income for a family was $43,750. Males had a median income of $41,875 versus $30,625 for females. The per capita income for the village was $24,206. About 35.3% of families and 28.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 68.4% of those under age 18 and 21.4% of those age 65 or over.

title: Longview, Illinois


text:
Ludlow, Illinois

Ludlow is a village in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 308 at the 2020 census.

History
Once named Pera Station, Ludlow, a prairie town in northern Champaign County, Illinois, has a rich history dating back to its days as a stop on the Illinois Central Railroad. This settlement played a crucial role in connecting the region's rural communities and facilitating trade between Urbana and Loda. The village was renamed Ludlow in 1868 after James D. Ludlow, a shareholder in the Illinois Central Railroad. The construction of the railroad brought about a significant influx of settlers to Ludlow, many were attracted by the area's fertile soil and vast prairies. The early years saw rapid growth, with James Ludlow donating land to the village for its expansion. The village grew to include two churches, becoming a hub for community gatherings and worship. The village continued to expand including a hardware store, as well as two blacksmith shops were established. Additionally, the "Ludlow Co-Op Elevator Company" was formed in 1904, the company has continued to serve the community and has since grown, expanding to 11 locations. In 1949, a fire department was formed to service the residents of Ludlow, known as “Ludlow Fire Protection District". In the late 1970's, Ludlow received significant funding after an arson attack. This funding assisted in critical infrastructure upgrades, which had a lasting impact on the town's development and growth. The funds were used to renovate roads, upgrade drainage systems, and install curbs, among other projects including, building a new community center. Ludlow continues to grow and evolve, with police services, a small bar named "Pop's Place, and a local post office.

Geography
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Ludlow has a total area of 0.40 sqmi, all land.

The small community of Ludlow is approximately 117 miles from Chicago, Illinois. An average of 6 miles from its closest cities or villages, those being Paxton, Illinois, and Rantoul, Illinois. Ludlow is also 21 miles from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Major highways

 * US 45.svg US Route 45

 * I-57.svg Interstate 57

Demographics
As of the 2020 census there were 308 people, 173 households, and 80 families residing in the village. The population density was 775.82 PD/sqmi. There were 153 housing units at an average density of 385.39 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 75.32% White, 2.60% African American, 1.30% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 10.71% from other races, and 10.06% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 14.29% of the population.

There were 173 households, out of which 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 27.17% were married couples living together, 2.89% had a female householder with no husband present, and 53.76% were non-families. 36.99% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.29% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.31 and the average family size was 2.46.

The village's age distribution consisted of 18.1% under the age of 18, 17.8% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 30.6% from 45 to 64, and 8.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 110.2 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $47,679, and the median income for a family was $60,625. Males had a median income of $45,417 versus $20,000 for females. The per capita income for the village was $20,027. About 15.0% of families and 26.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.5% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Education
Ludlow is served by one school, “Ludlow Grade School” a public elementary school that provides education to the local children from kindergarten through 8th grade. Students in grades 9th-12th attend the school “Rantoul High School”, which is located in the nearby village of Rantoul.

The current principal of Ludlow Grade School is Jeff Graham.

Government
Ludlow’s government officials are as such:

Current mayor is Steve Thomas.

Village Clerk & Treasurer is Dawn Good-Adwell.

Ludlow Board of Trustees- Brian B., John C., Tom F., Miranda M., Paxton P., and Marsha S.

Cultural references
The town of Ludlow is identified as the first site of an invasion of giant locusts in the 1957 movie Beginning of the End.

title: Ludlow, Illinois


text:
Mahomet, Illinois

Mahomet is a village in Champaign County, Illinois, United States, along the Sangamon River. The population was 9,434 at the 2020 census. Mahomet is located approximately 10 mi northwest of Champaign at the junction of Interstate 74 and Illinois Route 47.

Etymology
The town's own published account credits their founder Daniel T. Porter, who had Connecticut roots, as the one who denominated both the new village as Middletown (after Middletown, Connecticut) and the post office as Mahomet (after Mahomet Weyonomon, a Mohegan sachem from Connecticut). With the arrival of the railroad, the town embraced the name of its post office in 1871 because there already was a Middletown, Illinois. However, alternative theories of the origin of the name "Mahomet" also exist. One derives the word from the "Mahomet Lodge," the local Masonic Lodge at the time the town was searching for a new name. Its use as the name of the lodge was a manifestation of the Freemasons' liberal use of religious names and stonemason tools and symbols. Local historian, Gregory Pasley, refutes this idea as the Post Office held the name of "Mahomet" by 1838. This was well before the Masonic Lodge was established in the village. Another theory stated that the town's name was arbitrarily assigned when the conflicting names were noted by the US Postal Service. Henry Gannett's book, The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States, proposes Muhammad as the town's namesake.

History
The village of Mahomet was first settled in 1832 on the banks of the Sangamon River. It was the first community to be established in modern-day Champaign County. The original village name was Middletown, possibly because it is half-way between the towns of Danville and Bloomington. In 1871, the name of the village was changed to Mahomet because there was already another Middletown in Illinois, which was causing mail problems. Most early settlers came from Ohio, Virginia, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania and chose to reside in Mahomet because there was abundant water from the Sangamon River and abundant trees. Currently, most residents commute around 10 mi to the cities of Champaign and Urbana to work, although the village has a thriving small business district.

In 2007, the citizens of Mahomet voted to repeal the alcohol prohibition order that had been in place since World War II.

Geography
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Mahomet has a total area of 9.79 sqmi, of which 9.72 sqmi (or 99.29%) is land and 0.07 sqmi (or 0.71%) is water.

Demographics
As of the 2020 census there were 9,434 people, 3,030 households, and 2,501 families residing in the village. The population density was 963.44 PD/sqmi. There were 3,594 housing units at an average density of 367.03 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 89.47% White, 1.08% African American, 0.19% Native American, 2.78% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.81% from other races, and 5.61% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.51% of the population.

There were 3,030 households, out of which 43.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.24% were married couples living together, 8.78% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.46% were non-families. 14.52% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.26 and the average family size was 2.93.

The village's age distribution consisted of 29.4% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 25% from 25 to 44, 27.7% from 45 to 64, and 8.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $113,871, and the median income for a family was $122,585. Males had a median income of $70,487 versus $42,898 for females. The per capita income for the village was $41,978. About 0.8% of families and 2.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Parks and recreation
The most popular tourist attractions in Mahomet are all Champaign County Forest Preserve District properties: Lake of the Woods Park and its award-winning Hartwell C. Howard Golf Course, and the River Bend Forest Preserve. Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve is a 900 acre park along the Sangamon River. The park features a botanical garden, a lake, a picturesque covered bridge and also offers activities like boating, fishing, cross country skiing, and sledding. Within Lake of the Woods Park is the Museum of the Grand Prairie (formerly called the Early American Museum), which has a collection that features life in the 19th and early 20th century in East-Central Illinois. The park has a 3.3 mi bike path and a bell tower. The Hartwell C. Howard Golf Course is an 18-hole regulation course, a 9-hole par 3 course, and a practice range. The River Bend Forest Preserve is 275 acre, of which 130 acre is water. The park has two large lakes, one of them being the largest lake in Champaign County and 2.5 mi of forest along the Sangamon River.

Education
The Mahomet School District has 2,980 students and 183 instructors spread over five schools.

Notable people

 * Jason Seaman, teacher who intervened during the 2018 Noblesville West Middle School shooting
 * Melanie Paxson

Points of interest

 * Mabery Gelvin Botanical Garden
 * Hazen Bridge - A registered historical bridge northeast of Mahomet.
 * Mahomet Public Library

title: Mahomet, Illinois


text:
Ogden, Illinois

Ogden is a village in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. At the time of the 2020 census, the population was 729.

Geography
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Ogden has a total area of 0.59 sqmi, all land.

Demographics
As of the 2020 census there were 729 people, 312 households, and 192 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,239.80 PD/sqmi. There were 324 housing units at an average density of 551.02 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 97.39% White, 0.14% African American, 0.14% Asian, 0.82% from other races, and 1.51% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.78% of the population.

There were 312 households, out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.91% were married couples living together, 8.97% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.46% were non-families. 28.85% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.99% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.16 and the average family size was 2.48.

The village's age distribution consisted of 25.2% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 22.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.7 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $62,500, and the median income for a family was $80,625. Males had a median income of $48,906 versus $36,750 for females. The per capita income for the village was $29,814. About 4.7% of families and 7.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.2% of those under age 18 and 14.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education
The public high school district for the community of Ogden is St. Joseph-Ogden High School #305, a school that combines the village of St. Joseph Middle School with Ogden's Prairieview-Ogden Junior High in Flatville, Illinois The local K-6 grade school is Praireview-Ogden South Elementary School #197. Some of the students in the Praireview-Ogden School District will go to neighboring high school in St. Joseph, Illinois

History
A tornado did extensive damage to the downtown area of Ogden in March 1976, and a devastating F-3 tornado with winds estimated at 170 mph hit Ogden on April 19, 1996, leaving a path of destruction from one end of town to the other. When the 1996 tornado was over, more than 200 homes received major damage, 80 homes were completely destroyed and 13 people suffered minor injuries. With help from government agencies, surrounding communities, and thousands of volunteers; Ogden recovered under the leadership of Mayor Jack Reidner. Over the years Ogden has proven itself a resilient community with supportive and caring residents.

The Kickapoo Rail Trail(KRT) runs through Ogden and when completed will be part of the Trail running from Urbana to Danville.

In 2022, Ogden area citizens formed a village volunteer group called Onward Ogden that is running many events and an Ogden Open Air Market every Thursday Memorial Day to Labor Day and has taken an active interest in the village. Onward Ogden' Park and Recreation group has been very active in creating more inviting spaces and helping maintain the village's parks and play grounds. There are numerous bird houses assembled and painted by area students that are hung throughout the village.

Government

 * Village of Ogden website
 * The History of Ogden, Illinois

Education

 * Praireview-Ogden Elementary and Junior High school website
 * St. Joseph-Ogden High School Website

Houses of Worship

 * Ogden Church of Nazarene Facebook page
 * Ogden United Methodist Church Facebook page

title: Ogden, Illinois


text:
Pesotum, Illinois

Pesotum is a village in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 551 at the 2010 census.

The village was named after Pesotum, a Native American warrior in the Battle of Fort Dearborn.

Geography
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Pesotum has a total area of 0.58 sqmi, of which 0.57 sqmi (or 98.44%) is land and 0.01 sqmi (or 1.56%) is water.

Demographics
As of the 2020 census there were 550 people, 193 households, and 120 families residing in the village. The population density was 951.56 PD/sqmi. There were 249 housing units at an average density of 430.80 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 96.73% White, 0.73% African American, 0.18% from other races, and 2.36% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.64% of the population.

There were 193 households, out of which 23.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.19% were married couples living together, 5.18% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.82% were non-families. 32.12% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.47% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.91 and the average family size was 2.32.

The village's age distribution consisted of 16.3% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 22.1% from 25 to 44, 39.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.8 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $76,339, and the median income for a family was $87,917. Males had a median income of $44,875 versus $40,000 for females. The per capita income for the village was $33,158. About 8.3% of families and 8.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.1% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.

title: Pesotum, Illinois


text:
Philo, Illinois

Philo is a village about nine miles south of Urbana in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,392 at the 2020 census.

Geography
Philo is located three miles south of Urbana township and six miles south of the city of Urbana. The legend "Center of the Universe" is painted on the village water tower, along with its zipcode.

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Philo has a total area of 0.83 sqmi, all land.

Philo was named after the founder Philo Hale. The main park (Hale Park), which is used for numerous functions including reserved space for family reunions, is located on the north end of the village and is named after the founder.

Demographics
As of the 2020 census there were 1,392 people, 463 households, and 360 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,679.13 PD/sqmi. There were 561 housing units at an average density of 676.72 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 94.90% White, 0.22% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.29% Pacific Islander, 0.93% from other races, and 3.23% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.72% of the population.

There were 463 households, out of which 38.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.44% were married couples living together, 12.31% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.25% were non-families. 16.63% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.78% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.37 and the average family size was 3.02.

The village's age distribution consisted of 25.4% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 24.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.7 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $91,156, and the median income for a family was $93,889. Males had a median income of $43,690 versus $36,090 for females. The per capita income for the village was $36,383. No families and 3.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.6% of those under age 18 and 3.6% of those age 65 or over.

Education
Philo is in the Unit 7 School District based in nearby Tolono. Residents attend Unity East Elementary, Unity Junior High, and Unity High School.

Philo also has a Catholic Grade School, St. Thomas, for grades pre-K through 8th, and in nearby Champaign is the High School of Saint Thomas More

title: Philo, Illinois


text:
Rantoul, Illinois

Rantoul is a village in northern Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 12,371 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area.

History
The community was named after Robert Rantoul, Jr., a U.S. representative from Massachusetts, and a director of the Illinois Central Railroad.

Rantoul was laid out in 1854 for the Illinois Central Railroad by John Penfield. A post office was established in 1856 as Rantoul Station; the name was changed to Rantoul in May 1862.

In 1917, Rantoul was chosen by the United States Army to be the site of Chanute Field, due to its proximity to the Illinois Central railroad and the War Department's ground school at the University of Illinois. In the 1930s, Chanute Field grew, dominating the local economy as thousands of airmen were stationed there to train recruits. Renamed Chanute Air Force Base after World War II, it was closed in 1993, but was partly reoccupied by the Octave Chanute Aerospace Museum, which was permanently closed on December 30, 2015, and the Rantoul National Aviation Center. Rantoul's economy has taken a sharp decline due to the base's closing, from which it has never recovered. The book Eye of the Storm: Chanute Closes by Katy B. Podagrosi tells the story of this period.

Rantoul Family Sports Complex opened in August 2021 as a premier amateur sports facility featuring 10 all weather baseball / softball and 8 all weather multi-purpose fields. The complex plays host to thousands of amateur teams for tournament and local play. It also serves as home field for the University of Illinois "Fighting Illini" men's lacrosse team.

In 2022 the Rantoul Family Sports Complex was visited by nearly 1 million people, resulting in 7.5 million dollars in visitor spending in Champaign County.

Geography
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Rantoul has a total area of 8.59 sqmi, of which 8.49 sqmi (or 98.79%) is land and 0.10 sqmi (or 1.21%) is water.

Demographics
As of the 2020 census there were 12,371 people, 5,137 households, and 2,947 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,439.49 PD/sqmi. There were 5,639 housing units at an average density of 656.16 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 54.60% White, 22.50% African American, 0.61% Native American, 1.20% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 10.16% from other races, and 10.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.44% of the population.

There were 5,137 households, out of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.09% were married couples living together, 21.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.63% were non-families. 36.81% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.54% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.35 and the average family size was 2.46.

The village's age distribution consisted of 29.6% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 12.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.9 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $41,837, and the median income for a family was $48,750. Males had a median income of $36,630 versus $31,197 for females. The per capita income for the village was $22,744. About 16.3% of families and 20.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.3% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.

Activities

 * Hardy's Reindeer Ranch, Real reindeer and Christmas shop.
 * Octave Chanute Aerospace Museum, detailing the history of Flight, Military Aviation, and Chanute Air Force Base, located on the old Base. Closed in 2015.
 * Korean War Veterans Museum, a Museum currently under construction detailing the history of the Korean War, located on the old Base.
 * Rantoul Theater Group, offering drama, comedy, and musical live entertainment

Education

 * Rantoul Township High School, the only high school in Rantoul, Illinois and stands as its own district. RTHS serves students from Rantoul, Gifford, Thomasboro, Ludlow and the surrounding rural area. More information is provided through the provided link. The University of Illinois football scrimmage game is usually held at the high school field in August.
 * St. Malachy Grade School, a Catholic Grade School in Rantoul, IL.
 * Rantoul City Schools District 137 is a Pre-K-8 District with Grade Level Centers, made up of 5 schools: Eastlawn (Pre-K-5), Pleasant Acres (Pre-K-5), Broadmeadow (Pre-K-5), Northview (Pre-K-5), and Eater (6-8).
 * Lincoln's ChalleNGe Academy In 1993, the Center for Strategic and International Studies published a study entitled, Forging a Military Youth Corps. That same year, Congress, acting upon the studies recommendations, provided funding in the 1993 Defense Authorization Act for the National Guard Bureau to conduct a pilot youth intervention program. The purpose of this pilot program was to determine if life coping skills and employability of a high school dropout could be significantly improved through participation in a life skills program using a military model.
 * University of Illinois Advanced Transportation and Research Engineering Laboratory (ATREL) is a 47-acre laboratory site where pavement, railroad, and transportation systems are researched, studied, and tested.

Public transit
Bus service in Rantoul is provided by Champaign County Area Rural Transit System (C-CARTS). C-CARTS operates four routes within Rantoul and one route connecting Rantoul to Champaign-Urbana.

Rail transportation
Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Rantoul. Amtrak Train 391, the southbound Saluki, is scheduled to depart Rantoul at 11:10am daily with service to Champaign-Urbana, Mattoon, Effingham, Centralia, Du Quoin, and Carbondale. Amtrak Train 393, the southbound Illini, is scheduled to depart Rantoul at 6:00pm daily serving the same points as the southbound Saluki. Amtrak Train 390, the northbound Saluki, is scheduled to depart Rantoul at 10:27am daily with service to Gilman, Kankakee, Homewood, and Chicago. Amtrak Train 887, the northbound Illini, is scheduled to depart Rantoul at 7:02pm daily serving the same points as the northbound Saluki.

Air transportation

 * Rantoul National Aviation Center

Notable people

 * Don Branson, auto racer
 * Sean Bubin, offensive lineman of the Detroit Lions and New England Patriots
 * Michelle Franzen, television and radio reporter, graduated from Rantoul Township High School
 * Harry M. McCaskrin, Illinois state legislator and lawyer
 * Darren W. McDew, U.S. Air Force general
 * Greg McMahon, special teams coordinator for the New Orleans Saints; Rantoul native
 * C. Adrian Pillars, sculptor
 * Jheri Redding, hairdresser, hair care products entrepreneur; best known for creating the Jheri curl.
 * Kareem Richardson, former men's basketball coach at University of Missouri–Kansas City.
 * Alan Ritchson, actor most known for Blue Mountain State
 * Blake Schilb, professional basketball player, playing for Red Star Belgrade
 * Craig Vetter, innovative designer of motorcycles, inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999
 * Dick Williams, radio reporter WRTL radio and co founder WRTL radio with Bob Brown

title: Rantoul, Illinois


text:
Royal, Illinois

Royal is a village in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 293 at the 2020 census.

Geography
Royal is located at 40.19333°N, -87.97306°W (40.193408, -87.973189).

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Royal has a total area of 0.18 sqmi, all land.

Demographics
As of the 2020 census there were 293 people, 149 households, and 101 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,601.09 PD/sqmi. There were 143 housing units at an average density of 781.42 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 95.56% White, 0.34% African American, 0.68% Asian, 0.68% from other races, and 2.73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.68% of the population.

There were 149 households, out of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.05% were married couples living together, 10.07% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.21% were non-families. 29.53% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.79% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.04 and the average family size was 2.48.

The village's age distribution consisted of 21.9% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 23.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.8 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $75,750, and the median income for a family was $91,750. Males had a median income of $46,250 versus $32,188 for females. The per capita income for the village was $35,455. About 4.0% of families and 5.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.8% of those under age 18 and 1.2% of those age 65 or over.

History
Royal, Illinois is a small village that in part consists of grain elevators at the intersection of a railroad and County Road 20.

Nearly a hundred years ago, the people of St. John Lutheran Church decided to move their church building into town, to better serve current and future generations of people in the village of Royal. Not everyone initially wanted to move the church building; the vote to move was narrowly split. Nonetheless, having made the decision, the congregation came together and embraced the vision for a ministry within the village of Royal. The people worked together for many hours to move their church home. The men and boys of the congregation carefully deconstructed the church, brick by brick, and transported the bricks from out in the country into the village of Royal. There, the congregation's women and older men painstakingly cleaned the mortar from the bricks to provide the building blocks for a new St. John Lutheran Church to serve the people of Royal. The church still stands today, with 831 members and an average attendance of 200 people.

In 1982, around the time of the town's centennial anniversary, people began to talk to one another about constructing a shared Community Building to benefit the current and future people of Royal. Hearkening back to the example of the members of St. John's, the wider community came together around the shared vision of a community of people living together. This vision was embodied in the concept of a Community Building.

An apartment building in Champaign, Illinois needed to be demolished. Hearkening back to the example of the people of St. John Lutheran, the people gathered the bricks and worked together to clean the mortar from each brick. The people then built the new Community Building with these bricks, and it was completed the year after the centennial. The building still stands today and is used by the people of Royal for personal and public events for as little as $85.00 for a small group.

Government

 * ChampaignCountyClerk.com. Village of Royal elected officials.
 * DexKnows. Location of election polling place.
 * United States Postal Service. Location of post office.

Demographics

 * ZipAtlas. Cities with the highest percentage of Germans in Illinois.
 * CityData.com. Demographic statistics for Royal.

Education

 * Prairieview-Ogden Schools. Home webpage for the elementary and junior high school.

Houses of Worship

 * St. John Lutheran Church.

Seniors

 * FamilyService.org. Royal Senior Citizen Social Group information page.

title: Royal, Illinois


text:
Sadorus, Illinois

Sadorus is a village in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 402 at the 2020 census. Sadorus was the first town founded in Champaign County.

Geography
Sadorus is located at 39.96639°N, -88.34528°W (39.966397, -88.345247).

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Sadorus has a total area of 1.03 sqmi, all land.

Settlement
Sadorus was settled in April 1824 by Henry Sadorus, and was the first town founded in Champaign County.

Train wreck
There was a train wreck as a train was passing through the town on February 21, 2011. Two grain cars tipped over and another 3 or 4 cars derailed into a nearby field. The train had already passed through the residential area of the town when it derailed, and so luckily, nobody was injured. It is believed that soggy soil underneath the tracks caused the derailment.

Demographics
As of the 2020 census there were 402 people, 156 households, and 88 families residing in the village. The population density was 391.43 PD/sqmi. There were 171 housing units at an average density of 166.50 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 88.56% White, 1.49% Native American, 0.25% from other races, and 9.70% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.24% of the population.

There were 156 households, out of which 24.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.54% were married couples living together, 10.26% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.59% were non-families. 30.77% of all households were made up of individuals, and 24.36% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.92 and the average family size was 2.29.

The village's age distribution consisted of 18.5% under the age of 18, 3.4% from 18 to 24, 17.9% from 25 to 44, 31.4% from 45 to 64, and 28.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 53.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 123.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 120.5 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $49,500, and the median income for a family was $78,750. Males had a median income of $42,500 versus $20,000 for females. The per capita income for the village was $29,109. About 3.4% of families and 6.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.6% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Notable landmarks
Sadorus Rock is a large rock that was in a local field. The rock was moved from the field to in front of the Sadorus Park around 2003. Formally known as "Pioneer Rock", it was renamed "Sadorus Rock" and dedicated to Henry Sadorus on October 30, 1932. It is believed that the large rock wound up in the relatively un-rocky fields of Champaign county sometime during the end of the last ice age when melting glaciers deposited the rock in the area.

Notable places
The National Museum of Ship Models and Sea History, a non-profit museum that opened in 2001, features ship models and rare maritime texts.

Notable people

 * Jennie Garth, actress starring in Beverly Hills, 90210 and What I Like About You (TV series)
 * Dorothy Schroeder, AAGPBL All-star player and all-time league leader in RBIs and walks; in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

title: Sadorus, Illinois


text:
Savoy, Illinois

Savoy is a village in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 8,857 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area.

History
The village was named after Princess Maria Clotilde of Savoy, who had paid the area a visit in 1861. The village was incorporated on April 10, 1956.

Henry M. Dunlap (1853–1938), Illinois farmer and state legislator, lived in Savoy.

Geography
Savoy is located at 40.06333°N, -88.2525°W (40.063441, −88.252388).

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Savoy has a total area of 3.30 sqmi, of which 3.23 sqmi (or 97.85%) is land and 0.07 sqmi (or 2.15%) is water.

Savoy shares a border with the neighboring city of Champaign and is less than two miles from the site of the main campus of the University of Illinois. Savoy is a part of the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area.

Demographics
As of the 2020 census there were 8,857 people, 3,548 households, and 1,848 families residing in the village. The population density was 2,680.69 PD/sqmi. There were 3,986 housing units at an average density of 1,206.42 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 66.14% White, 6.93% African American, 0.14% Native American, 18.40% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.55% from other races, and 6.83% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.28% of the population.

There were 3,548 households, out of which 26.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.62% were married couples living together, 6.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.91% were non-families. 33.74% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.08% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.22 and the average family size was 2.45.

The village's age distribution consisted of 20.2% under the age of 18, 14.6% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 18.1% from 45 to 64, and 20.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 78.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.0 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $74,189, and the median income for a family was $110,655. Males had a median income of $58,594 versus $32,234 for females. The per capita income for the village was $39,751. About 7.3% of families and 12.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.0% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation
The northern part of Savoy and a corridor along Dunlap Avenue are serviced by the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District.

U.S. Route 45 (Dunlap Avenue) runs north through Savoy into Champaign, Illinois becoming Neil Street. Savoy is about 2–3 miles east of, but in relative proximity to Interstate 57 with access via Curtis Road at Exit 232 and Monticello Road at Exit 229.

The University of Illinois Willard Airport (KCMI) that serves East Central Illinois, with commercial airline service to Chicago O'Hare Airport and Dallas/Fort Worth provided by American Eagle, is located immediately south of Savoy.

title: Savoy, Illinois


text:
Sidney, Illinois

Sidney is a village in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,208 at the 2020 census.

History
The Potawatomi Trail of Death passed through here in 1838.

Geography
Sidney is located at 40.02441°N, -88.07269°W.

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Sidney has a total area of 0.63 sqmi, of which 0.62 sqmi (or 99.21%) is land and 0.01 sqmi (or 0.79%) is water.

Government
Sidney has a village president and board of trustees. Village President: Jason Arrasmith Village Board of Trustees:
 * Daniel Gadeken
 * Leroy Schluter
 * Tyler Bickers
 * Donna Hooker
 * Matthew Laurent
 * Bret Harris

Demographics
As of the 2020 census there were 1,208 people, 503 households, and 354 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,920.51 PD/sqmi. There were 517 housing units at an average density of 821.94 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 93.71% White, 0.33% African American,0.41% Asian, 0.75% from other races, and 4.80% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.07% of the population.

There were 503 households, out of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.86% were married couples living together, 8.55% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.62% were non-families. 21.27% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.74% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.03 and the average family size was 2.58.

The village's age distribution consisted of 26.4% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 27.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.4 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $76,250, and the median income for a family was $81,071. Males had a median income of $56,750 versus $43,333 for females. The per capita income for the village was $34,866. About 2.0% of families and 3.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.6% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

 * John Wilson Ruckman, Union Army General with distinction in the Civil War; born in Sidney
 * Carolee Schneemann, American artist associated with the Fluxus movement; lived in Sidney while attending University of Illinois

title: Sidney, Illinois