The main campus of the University of Illinois, the state’s largest university, is located in the city of Champaign-Urbana. This destination is a shining example of a college town. Technically, Champaign-Urbana is two distinct cities, but they blend together into one metropolis.
Champaign was founded in 1855, when the Illinois Central Railroad built tracks west of downtown Urbana. Originally called “West Urbana,” it was renamed to Champaign when the city acquired a charter in 1860. Both the city and county names were derived from Champaign County, Ohio.
Because of the university and a number of well-known tech startup companies, it is often referred to as the center, or a significant landmark, of the Silicon Prairie. Champaign is home to offices for Fortune 500 companies such as Abbott Laboratories, Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), Caterpillar, John Deere, Dow Chemical Company, IBM and State Farm.Embrace the spirit of higher education by checking out the Spurlock Museum, an eclectic collection of fascinating artifacts from across the globe. Whether you’re searching for some tasty coffee or you’re doing your weekly shopping, the Market at the Square is a lively, fun place to hang out, particularly on Saturdays.
