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.New England in the Life of the World: A Record of Adventure and Achievement By Howard Allen Bridgman pg. 93 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.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. Harrington page 103

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.

People

upright=1.3|thumb|South historic Main Street district in Princeton, Illinois.
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

 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'Illinois Blue Book 167-1968,' Biographical Sketch of Joseph R. Peterson, pg. 174–175
 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

References

Other websites

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

Category:1830 establishments in Illinois
Category:Cities in Illinois
Category:County seats in Illinois