Princeton, Illinois

Princeton is a city in Bureau County, Illinois, United States. It is also the county seat of Bureau County. In 2020, 7,832 people lived there. Princeton is part of the Ottawa Micropolitan Statistical Area. 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. 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. During slavery, it was a stop on the Underground Railroad at the home of Owen Lovejoy. Princeton's old nickname was "The City of Elms" because there were many elm trees in Princeton during the middle of the 20th century. Geography Princeton is at 41°22′43″N 89°28′1″W (41.378481, −89.466924). 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. People 2020 census The 2020 census says that there were 7,832 people living in Princeton. They made up 3,533 households. 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. Education Princeton has the Princeton High School. It is the oldest township high school in the state. It was created in 1867. Famous people References Other websites City of Princeton, Illinois – official website Princeton Tourism Bureau Archived 2019-10-14 at the Wayback Machine – official website Princeton Chamber of Commerce – official website