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  (41.378481, −89.466924). The United States Census Bureau says that Princeton has a total area of . All of it is land.

### 2020 census

The 2020 census says that there were 7,832 people living in Princeton. They made up 3,533 households.

### 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

- 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
- Joseph R. Peterson lawyer and Illinois state legislator
- Robert Petkoff, noted Broadway and television Actor, graduated from Princeton High School
- Joseph "Joe" Ruklick, NBA basketball player with the Philadelphia Warriors
- 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

## Other websites

- City of Princeton, Illinois – official website
- Princeton Tourism Bureau – official website
- Princeton Chamber of Commerce – official website

## Infobox (settlement)

- **name**: Princeton
- **official name**: City of Princeton
- **settlement type**: List of cities in Illinois, City
- **image skyline**: Matson Public Library.JPG
- **image caption**: Matson Library
- **image map**: File:Bureau County Illinois Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Princeton Highlighted.svg
- **map caption**: Location of Princeton in Bureau County, Illinois.
- **image map1**: Illinois in United States (US48).svg
- **map caption1**: Location of Illinois in the United States
- **subdivision type**: Country
- **subdivision name**: United States
- **subdivision type1**: State
- **subdivision name1**: Illinois
- **subdivision type2**: County
- **subdivision name2**: Bureau County, Illinois, Bureau
- **subdivision type3**: Townships
- **subdivision name3**: Princeton Township, Bureau County, Illinois, Princeton, Dover Township, Bureau County, Illinois, Dover
- **established title**: Settled
- **established date**: 1830s
- **established title1**: Incorporated, City
- **established date1**: 1884
- **government type**: Council-manager government, Council-Manager
- **unit pref**: Imperial
- **area total sq mi**: 8.24
- **area land sq mi**: 8.24
- **area water sq mi**: 0.00
- **area water percent**: 0
- **elevation ft**: 780
- **population as of**: 2020 United States Census, 2020
- **population total**: 7832
- **population density sq mi**: 950.49
- **timezone1**: North American Central Time Zone, CST
- **utc offset1**: -6
- **timezone1 dst**: North American Central Time Zone, CDT
- **utc offset1 dst**: -5
- **postal code type**: Zip codes
- **postal code**: 61356
- **area code**: Area code 815, 815
- **blank name**: Federal Information Processing Standards, FIPS code
- **blank info**: 17-61899
- **blank2 name sec2**: Wikimedia Commons
- **area total km2**: 21.34
- **area land km2**: 21.34
- **area water km2**: 0.00
- **population density km2**: 367.00