Princeton, Illinois View of South Historic Main Street precinct in Princeton, Illinois.
Official name: City of Princeton Location of Princeton inside Illinois Princeton is a town/city in and the governmental center of county of Bureau County, Illinois, United States. The populace was 7,700 at the 2014 census.
Princeton is part of the Ottawa Streator Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is encompassed inside the Chicago-Naperville Combined Statistical Area.
Due to its locale where Interstate 80 meets the Amtrak system, as well as its well-preserved chief street and historic housing stock, Princeton has turn into a prominent satellite town for Chicago and the Quad Cities. The initial founders of Princeton consisted entirely of pioneer from New England.
Most of them appeared as a result of the culmination of the Erie Canal. When they appeared in what is now Bureau County there was nothing but a virgin forest and wild prairie, the New Englanders laid out farms, constructed roads, erected government buildings and established post routes.
Culturally Bureau County, like much of northern Illinois, would be culturally very continuous with early New England culture for most of its history. During the time of slavery, it was a stop on the Underground Railroad at the home of Owen Lovejoy. "The naming of the township of Princeton was the privilege of the three trustees, Roland Moseley, John Musgrove and John P.
It is only natural when one wanders away from the scenes of his early life that he should feel a longing for something that looks or sounds like home, so it was with the school trustees of what is now Princeton.
Musgrove, coming from New Jersey, and being loyal to his classic institution, wrote upon his slip Princeton, and as it had been agreed that the first name drawn should settle the question, there was quite a little excitement in the preparation for the deciding contest.
At last the word was given, the drawing was made, while those interested stood with bated breath, awaiting the result which was soon announced by the declaration that upon the slip of paper drawn by the blind-folded man, Princeton was plainly written, and so we today have the classic name of Princeton for the legal center of Bureau county.
Princeton, for many years has appreciateed the distinct ion of being one of the literary centers of the state.
Princeton's former nickname was "The City of Elms" because of the large number of elm trees the town/city had amid the middle of the 20th century. However, an epidemic hit the elm trees of Princeton and killed off almost every elm.
Princeton is positioned at 41 22 43 N 89 28 1 W (41.378481, -89.466924). According to the 2010 census, Princeton has a total region of 7.48 square miles (19.37 km2), all land. South historic Main Street precinct in Princeton, Illinois.
View of north historic Main Street precinct in Princeton, Illinois Princeton's Main Street is lined with autonomous shops, bars, and restaurants.
The south end, or downtown, is the historic retail center of town and still contains the city's only movie theater (The Apollo), the courthouse, historic library, chief bank offices, as well as more service-oriented businesses.
Each year the town/city of Princeton holds its annual Homestead Festival the second weekend in September.
Princeton is positioned on the south side of Interstate 80 some 100 miles (160 km) southwest of Chicago.
Route 34, and Illinois Route 26 all run through Princeton.
Amtrak, the nationwide passenger rail system, provides service to Princeton, operating the California Zephyr, the Illinois Zephyr, the Carl Sandburg and the Southwest Chief each daily in both directions between Chicago and points west from Princeton. Princeton is home to Princeton High School, the earliest township high school in the state, established in 1867. Its mascot is the Tiger.
The new addition homes a larger library as well as a several new classrooms. The school is home to the Frank and Marion Rathje track which hosts high school football and track and field squads from around the region.
Princeton's most famous tradition is the Homestead Festival, which began in 1971, as a celebration of the restoration of the Owen Lovejoy Homestead, and now comprises a weekend of food, celebration, and the famous Homestead Parade, which lasts for over an hour with small-town floats and performances by outside groups, including the South Shore Drill Team and the Jesse White Tumbling Team. Main article: Princeton Public Library, Illinois Princeton's library history dates back to March 1886 when a locale for the library was decided upon and secured.
On March 21, 2006, a popular vote was passed for the renovation of 698 East Peru Street, formerly known as Bogo's, to turn into Princeton Public Library.
Princeton Public Library opened on August 1, 2007, replacing an older facility, the Matson Public Library, and has a book compilation of 45,000 items, with about 27,000 square feet (2,500 m2) of usable space.
In March 2009, the Princeton Public Library was one of only three libraries in the state of Illinois to host Between Fences, an exhibit sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibits Service (SITES) and the Illinois Humanities Council.
Robert Petkoff, noted Broadway and tv Actor, graduated from Princeton High School Richard Widmark, Oscar-nominated actor of 61 movies, he was senior class President when he graduated from Princeton High School History of Bureau County, Illinois.
Reminiscences of Bureau County [Illinois] in Two Parts.
Past and Present of Bureau County, Illinois: Together with Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Prominent and Leading Citizens and Illustrious Dead.
History of Princeton 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.
"City of Princeton - Major Industries".
"Amtrak - Stations - Princeton, IL (PCT)".
"Princeton High School Student Handbook".
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 Municipalities and communities of Bureau County, Illinois, United States County seat: Princeton Arispie Berlin Bureau Clarion Concord Dover Fairfield Gold Greenville Hall Indiantown Lamoille Leepertown Macon Manlius Milo Mineral Neponset Ohio Princeton Selby Walnut Westfield Wheatland Wyanet
Categories:
Cities in Bureau County, Illinois - Cities in Illinois - Populated places on the Underground Railroad - County seats in Illinois - Princeton, Illinois - Ottawa Peru, IL Micropolitan Travel Destination - Populated places established in the 1830s - 1830s establishments in Illinois
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