Chillicothe

History

The name Chillicothe comes from the name of the Chalahgawtha sect of the Shawnee nation. Along with Peoria, Chillicothe grew due to river traffic and quickly became a stop for barge and railroad traffic traveling to and from Chicago and St. Louis. In the late 1800s, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway was building its mainline from Chicago to Kansas City and selected Chillicothe as its crossing point of the Illinois River. The railroad quickly became an establishment in Chillicothe as a crew change point and a notable stop in Central Illinois. Chillicothe today still remains a key point on the Southern Transcon route between Chicago and Los Angeles with high frequency intermodal freight trains moving through daily. On November 5, 1988, Vice President George H.W. Bush, Representative Robert H. Michel, & Governor James Thompson stopped in Chillicothe to close out Election '88 in Illinois. Governor Thompson declared the day "Ilion Crabel Day" in honor of the city's record breaking city clerk. Crabel, elected in 1923, served as city clerk for 66 years until 1989. Chillicothe is the host to The Summer Camp Music Festival, a multi-day music festival created by Jay Goldberg Events & Entertainment that is held annually at Three Sisters Park.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, Chillicothe has a total area of , of which (or 94.74%) is land and (or 5.26%) is water. Chillicothe is located on the Illinois River and on the parallel Iowa Interstate Railroad (IAIS) branch, from Bureau to Peoria, which was formerly the Rock Island Railroad. Crossing the IAIS and the Illinois River at Chillicothe is the former Santa Fe Railroad, now owned by BNSF Railway. Almost 4 miles outside of town the BNSF Railway operates one of the most notable civil engineering points on the Chillicothe Subdivision. Edelstein Hill is one of the steepest climbs on the railway system and attracts many railfans to see locomotives pulling intermodal trains up the hill. The Illinois River runs both north and south connecting Chicago with St. Louis. Barge traffic is occasional as it is an efficient means of transportation for some bulk products. Eight miles to the north is Sparland and three miles to the south is Rome. Peoria is 20 miles to the south.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Dunlap High School
  High · Dunlap · 1,375 students · 18.1:1 ratio
• Hickory Grove Elementary School
  Elementary · Dunlap · 801 students · 19.5:1 ratio
• Il Valley Central High School
  High · Chillicothe · 647 students · 13.8:1 ratio
• Mossville Elementary School
  Elementary · Mossville · 420 students · 16.8:1 ratio
• South Elementary School
  Elementary · Chillicothe · 399 students · 14.8:1 ratio
• Banner Elementary School
  Elementary · Dunlap · 381 students · 18.1:1 ratio
• Dunlap Grade School
  Elementary · Dunlap · 258 students · 16.1:1 ratio
• Chillicothe Jr High
  Middle · Chillicothe · 239 students · 18.4:1 ratio