City of Peoria, IL

Located on the Illinois River in Central Illinois, Peoria is the oldest, and presently the third largest municipality in the State of Illinois and is the economic center of the Peoria Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), the second largest MSA in Illinois. The 1990 census lists the Peoria MSA population as 339,172 while the City of Peoria itself has a population of 119,218. The City is an economically and ethnically diverse community and is centrally located within three driving hours of Chicago, St. Louis and Indianapolis.

Peoria is the home of Bradley University, a private university with nationally recognized graduate and undergraduate programs in fields such as engineering and business. Illinois Central College, a junior college located in East Peoria, has a satellite campus in downtown Peoria. The City of Peoria has both outstanding public and private school systems. The City is also considered the regional medical center for central Illinois with three major hospitals, a Veterans Administration clinic and the University of Illinois Medical School.