Amboy

History

Amboy had its start in the 1850s when the Illinois Central Railroad was extended to that point. The community's name is a transfer from Amboy, New Jersey. The chain of Carson Pirie Scott & Co. began in Amboy when Samuel Carson opened his first dry goods store there in 1854. The Christian denomination Community of Christ, formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, had a general conference in Amboy on April 6, 1860, at which time Joseph Smith III reorganized the church founded by his father Joseph Smith Jr. The Illinois Central facility in Amboy served as the railroad's division headquarters for the railroad's region. The building was saved from demolition and is a museum. The actual railroad and trainyard were abandoned and removed in the early 90's. Amboy was the site of an ammunition factory for World War II - The Green River Ordnance Plant. It was roughly bordered by Sterling Rd to the south, Bataan Rd to the East, and Bataan Rd. to the North and West of the facility. The facility employed 4500 people at one time. The facility was completed on Dec. 15, 1942 and used until VJ day in August 1945. The plant is also known as the place where Vesta Stoudt first invented modern duct tape. [https://www.jnj.com/our-heritage/vesta-stoudt-the-woman-who-invented-duct-tape#:~:text=The%20iconic%20tape%20was%20invented,Ordnance%20Plant%20near%20Amboy%2C%20Illinois.]

Geography

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Amboy has a total area of , all land.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  1,939
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,840
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,792
• White-breasted Nuthatch

  Sitta carolinensis Latham, 1790 · Aves
  1,721
• Downy Woodpecker

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  1,691
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  1,624
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  1,575
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,471

Largest nearby schools

• Amboy Central Elem School
  Elementary · Amboy · 285 students · 13.6:1 ratio
• Ashton-Franklin Center Elem Sch
  Elementary · Franklin Grove · 256 students · 13.5:1 ratio
• Amboy High School
  High · Amboy · 220 students · 12.2:1 ratio
• Amboy Jr High School
  Middle · Amboy · 210 students · 13.1:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.6 — 2025-03-15
  6 km W of Dwight, Illinois
• M 3.1 — 2024-07-15
  2 km WNW of Somonauk, Illinois
• M 3.6 — 2023-11-15
  1 km SSW of Standard, Illinois
• M 2.9 — 2015-03-25
  3 km WNW of Lake in the Hills, Illinois
• M 2.6 — 2013-06-10
  4 km NNE of Virgil, Illinois
• M 3.8 — 2010-02-10
  2 km NW of Lily Lake, Illinois