Princeton, Illinois
Princeton is a city in Bureau County, Illinois, United States. It is also the county seat of Bureau County.[3] In 2010, 7,660 people lived there. Princeton is part of the Ottawa–Streator Micropolitan Statistical Area.
| City of Princeton | |
 | |
 Location of Princeton in Bureau County, Illinois. | |
.svg) Location of Illinois in the United States | |
| Coordinates: 41°22′43″N 89°28′1″W / 41.37861°N 89.46694°WCoordinates: 41°22′43″N 89°28′1″W / 41.37861°N 89.46694°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Illinois |
| County | Bureau |
| Townships | Princeton, Dover |
| Settled | 1830s |
| Incorporated, City | 1884 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council-Manager |
| • Mayor | Joel Quiram |
| Area | |
| • Total | 8.04 sq mi (20.8 km2) |
| • Land | 8.04 sq mi (20.8 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0 km2) 0% |
| Elevation | 780 ft (240 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 7,660 |
| • Estimate (2018)[2] | 7,545 |
| • Density | 952.7/sq mi (367.9/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| Zip codes | 61356 |
| FIPS code | 17-61899 |
| Website | www |
History
Bureau County was a New England settlement. The first people of Princeton were from New England. These people were "Yankees." They were part of a group of New England farmers who went west into what was then the wilds of the Northwest Territory during the early 1800s. Most of them came because of the Erie Canal.[4][5] When they came to what is now Bureau County, there was nothing but forest and wild prairie. The New Englanders created farms, built roads, created government buildings and created post routes. Culturally, Bureau County would be very similar with early New England culture for most of its history.[5][6][7] During slavery, it was a stop on the Underground Railroad at the home of Owen Lovejoy.[8][9]
Princeton's old nickname was "The City of Elms" because there were many elm trees in Princeton during the middle of the 20th century.[10]
Geography
Princeton is at 41°22′43″N 89°28′1″W / 41.37861°N 89.46694°W (41.378481, −89.466924).[11] The United States Census Bureau says that Princeton has a total area of 7.48 square miles (19.37 km2). All of it is land.[12]
People
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1860 | 2,473 | ||
| 1870 | 3,264 | 32.0% | |
| 1880 | 3,439 | 5.4% | |
| 1890 | 3,396 | −1.3% | |
| 1900 | 4,023 | 18.5% | |
| 1910 | 4,131 | 2.7% | |
| 1920 | 4,126 | −0.1% | |
| 1930 | 4,762 | 15.4% | |
| 1940 | 5,224 | 9.7% | |
| 1950 | 5,765 | 10.4% | |
| 1960 | 6,250 | 8.4% | |
| 1970 | 6,959 | 11.3% | |
| 1980 | 7,342 | 5.5% | |
| 1990 | 7,197 | −2.0% | |
| 2000 | 7,501 | 4.2% | |
| 2010 | 7,660 | 2.1% | |
| Est. 2018 | 7,545 | [2] | 0.6% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[13] | |||
2000 census
The 2000 census says that there were 7,501 people, 3,263 households, and 1,987 families living in Princeton.[14]
Infrastructure
Transportation
Amtrak has service to Princeton. It is on the California Zephyr, the Illinois Zephyr, the Carl Sandburg and the Southwest Chief. It goes daily in both directions between Chicago and points west from Princeton.[15]
Education
Princeton has the Princeton High School. It is the oldest township high school in the state. It was created in 1867.[16]
Famous people
- William Bascom, folklorist, anthropologist
- E. Leslie Conkling, educator and Illinois state legislator
- Henry C. Doolittle, state assemblyman from Wisconsin
- William Dyke, Wisconsin judge and politician
- Virgil Fox, one of the greatest organist of the 20th Century
- Billy Garrett, auto racer
- Gary Green, guitarist for the band Gentle Giant
- Thomas P. Gunning, dentist and Illinois state senator
- Madison Gonterman, head football coach at Indiana University 1896–97
- Jerry Hadley, opera singer and recitalist
- Kathryn Hays, television actress (birth name Kay Piper)
- Frank Fernando Jones, Iowa state legislator
- Paul Kell, NFL player with the Green Bay Packers
- Keith Knudsen, drummer with the Doobie Brothers
- Owen Lovejoy, Congressman, key supporter of Abraham Lincoln, and a leader in the Underground Railway movement to free slaves
- Asa Mercer, founder of the University of Washington
- Bruce Nickells, harness racing driver and trainer; grew up in Princeton
- Ben Parr, author of Captivology, former co-editor of Mashable and columnist for CNET[17]
- Joseph R. Peterson lawyer and Illinois state legislator[18]
- Robert Petkoff, noted Broadway and television Actor, graduated from Princeton High School
- Joseph "Joe" Ruklick, NBA basketball player with the Philadelphia Warriors[19]
- Josh Taylor, actor in Days of Our Lives soap opera and television features
- Justin Tranchita, actor and artist
- William V. Thompson, bowler
- Richard Widmark, Oscar-nominated actor of 61 movies, he was senior class President when he graduated from Princeton High School
- Milo Winter, children's book artist
- Nick Young, radio newscaster with CBS and WBBM
Princeton, Illinois Media
The house of Samuel P. Clark at 109 West Park Ave., Princeton, IL was shown on a postcard c. 1915 and today is the county historical museum.
View of north historic Main Street district in Princeton, Illinois
Apollo Movie Theatre, Princeton, Illinois
Princeton Amtrak station in Princeton, Illinois.
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References
- ↑ "2016 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved Jun 30, 2017.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved August 29, 2019.
- ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ↑ New England in the Life of the World: A Record of Adventure and Achievement By Howard Allen Bridgman pg. 93
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Bradsby, Henry C. (1885-01-01). History of Bureau County, Illinois. Unigraphic.
- ↑ Matson, Nehemiah (1872-01-01). Reminiscences of Bureau County [Illinois] in Two Parts. Republican book and job office.
- ↑ Harrington, George B. (1906-01-01). Past and Present of Bureau County, Illinois: Together with Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Prominent and Leading Citizens and Illustrious Dead. Pioneer Publishing Company. ISBN 9780608368887.
- ↑ History of Princeton Archived 2011-07-17 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ Past and Present of Bureau County, Illinois: Together with Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Prominent and Leading Citizens and Illustrious Dead, Volume 1 by George B. Harrington page 103
- ↑ A., Belden, David (2010). Princeton. Bureau County Historical Society. Charleston, S.C.: Arcadia. p. 7. ISBN 9780738578187. OCLC 648936368.
- ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ↑ "G001 – Geographic Identifiers – 2010 Census Summary File 1". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2020-02-13. Retrieved 2015-12-27.
- ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ↑ "Amtrak – Stations – Princeton, IL (PCT)". Amtrak.com. Retrieved 2007-04-03.
- ↑ "Princeton High School Student Handbook". phs-il.org. Archived from the original on 2007-06-30. Retrieved 2007-04-13.
- ↑ "Parr Builds a Mission With Words and Technology". Bureau County Republican. 2009-12-28. Archived from the original on 2014-02-21. Retrieved 2019-11-13.
- ↑ 'Illinois Blue Book 167-1968,' Biographical Sketch of Joseph R. Peterson, pg. 174–175
- ↑ "Joseph Ruklick". databaseBasketball.com. Archived from the original on October 13, 2012. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
Other websites
 |
Wikisource has the text of a 1905 New International Encyclopedia article about Princeton, Illinois. |
- City of Princeton, Illinois – official website
- Princeton Tourism Bureau – official website
- Princeton Chamber of Commerce – official website