Champaign, Illinois
Encyclopedia
Champaign is a city in Champaign County, Illinois
, in the United States. The city is located 135 miles (217 km) south of Chicago
, 124 miles (200 km) west of Indianapolis
, Indiana
, and 178 miles (286 km) northeast of St. Louis, Missouri
. Though surrounded by farm communities, Champaign is notable for sharing the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
with its sister city of Urbana
. Thanks to the university and a number of well known technology startup companies, it is often referred to as the hub, or at least a significant landmark, of the Silicon Prairie
. Champaign is also the home of Parkland College. Champaign houses offices for seven Fortune 500
companies, and two more are planned to arrive soon.
As reported in the 2010 U.S. Census, the city was home to 81,055 people. Champaign is the 11th-most populous city in Illinois, and the fourth-most populous city in the state outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area.
Champaign was founded in 1855, when the Illinois Central Railroad
laid its rail track two miles (3 km) west of downtown Urbana. Originally called "West Urbana", it was renamed Champaign when it acquired a city charter in 1860. Both the city and county name were derived from Champaign County, Ohio
.
During February 1969, Carl Perkins
joined with Bob Dylan
to write the song "Champaign, Illinois".
On September 22, 1985, Champaign hosted the first Farm Aid
concert at the University of Illinois' Memorial Stadium
. The concert drew a crowd of 80,000 people and raised over $7 million for American family farmers.
In 2005, Champaign-Urbana (specifically the University of Illinois) was the location of the National Science Olympiad
Tournament, attracting young scientists from all 50 states. The city also hosts the state Science Olympiad competition every year. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign again hosted the National competition on May 20–22, 2010.
, Champaign has a total area of 17.04 square miles (44.1 km²), of which, 17 square miles (44 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²) of it (0.12%) is water.
Champaign shares a border with the neighboring city of Urbana
; together they are home to the University of Illinois
. Champaign, Urbana, and the bordering village of Savoy
form the Champaign-Urbana Metropolitan Area
also known as Champaign-Urbana. It may also be colloquially known as the "Twin Cities" or Chambana.
The city has a humid continental climate
, typical of the Midwestern United States, with hot, humid summers and cold, moderately snowy winters. Temperatures exceed 90 °F (32.2 °C) on an average of 24 days per year, and typically fall below 0 °F (−17.8 °C) on six nights annually. The record high temperature in Champaign was 109 °F (42.8 °C) in 1954, and the record low was −25 °F (−31.7 °C), recorded on four separate occasions − in 1899, 1905, 1994 and 1999.
, and 3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino individuals of any race made up 6.3% of the population.
According to the 2000 Census the city's 27,071 households, 22.0% included children under age 18, 34.4% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 54.0% were non-families. 36.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 persons and the average family size was 2.95.
Of all individuals, 17.8% were under age 18, 31.7% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 15.4% from 45 to 64, and 8.4% were age 65 or older. The median age was 25 years. For every 100 females there were 102.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,795, and the median income for a family was $52,628. Males had a median income of $36,574 versus $27,186 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $18,664. About 8.1% of families and 22.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.0% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.
The 2005 median home value was $131,000, a 6.8% increase from 2004, according to Money Magazine
.
. Herff-Jones (formerly the Collegiate Cap and Gown) also forms part of the city's industrial base.
The city also features a large technology and software industry mostly focusing on research and development of new technologies. The Research Park, located in southern Champaign and backed by the University of Illinois
, is home to many companies including iCyt (a biotechnology company), the Illinois Natural History Survey
, the Illinois State Geological Survey, the Illinois State Water Survey, Yahoo!
, the National Center for Supercomputing Applications
, Science Applications International Corporation
, State Farm Research Center
, Riverglass
Inc. and Tekion (a fuel cell company). Numerous other software and technology companies also have offices in Champaign including AMD, Intel, IBM
, Amdocs
, Infobright
, Instarecon, Phonak
, Power World, Caterpillar Simulation Center, and Volition, Inc.. The largest high technology employer is Wolfram Research, with more than 400 employees in Champaign. The United States Army Corps of Engineers
maintains the Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL) in Champaign.
Champaign is also home to nationally recognized record labels, artist management companies, booking agencies and recording studios. Polyvinyl Records, Undertow Music
, Parasol Records
, Great Western Record Recorders, Pogo Studios, and Nicodemus Booking Agency are all based in Champaign.
In April 2011, the Christian Science Monitor named Champaign-Urbana one of the five cities leading the economic turnaround based on jobs; the information sector added over 300 jobs within a year and unemployment dropped 2.1%.
Other major employers include Jimmy John's
, Futaba Corporation, and Horizon Hobby
.
architecture, and copper roof distinguish the building. The building was originally used as city offices and as the headquarters for the fire department. It later became the headquarters for the police department, complete with indoor shooting range, before becoming the current city offices. Evidence of this change is found on University Avenue where the keystone above the door reads "CFD" with the "F" later becoming a "P" for police. The building is currently undergoing a 10 month restoration project which is tuckpointing and replacing failed lintels. The buildings stone work is also being cleaned. 2010 marked the 75th Anniversary of the buildings groundbreaking.
offices, including the Office of Continuing Education.
This growth in downtown Champaign coincided with the larger growth of the "north Prospect" shopping district on the city's northern boundary. The growth in the north Prospect area relied, in part, on leapfrogging, moving out to the countryside and developing more remote farm land that eventually connects to the main development. Given the overwhelming success of such suburban shopping areas nationally, new development within any city center represented an alternative to the dominant movement out and away from the cities.
In April 2007, One Main Development broke ground on M2 on Neil, a nine-story, $40 million, mixed-use project - the largest ever for downtown Champaign - located at the corner of Neil and Church Street. M2 on Neil features retail and office space, and 50 upscale condominiums. The project was expected to be complete in late 2008, but experienced delays in construction, partially due to $5 Million in mechanics liens filed against One Main Development, as well as a large fire on an adjacent property that caused substantial facade damage to M2. Construction on the commercial shell and core and the residences was completed in the Summer of 2009. New condo owners began moving into M2 in April 2009, and 13 of 51 have sold. The property began offering condos for rent with flexible lease periods in early 2010. 25,000 (of a total 100,000) square feet of office space was complete and occupied by the Enclave at M2 in July 2009. The remaining commercial space in the building is build-to-suit space and is completed as new tenants move in. The first ground-floor tenant, a branch of local BankChampaign, opened its doors in November 2009. In November 2010, construction began on the anchor retail tenant, Destihl. The restaurant and brewpub opened in Spring 2011, and two other restaurants opened in ground-floor space in Fall 2011. In mid-2011, the second floor was rendered vacant once again with the sudden evacuation of Mezolink, after Mezolink's partner was indicted in a multi-million dollar embezzlement scheme http://www.news-gazette.com/news/courts-police-and-fire/2011-04-03/sec-woes-engulf-mans-associated-firms.html.
The City of Champaign has constructed a six-story parking structure on Hill Street adjacent to M2, intended to service the greater Downtown; it was completed in May 2009.
For more information on Downtown Champaign visit the Champaign Center Partnerships website.
still in existence operating daily as a movie theater in Champaign-Urbana.
and has a single 56' x 23' screen. The theater does not have a daily show schedule, but schedules special screenings and live performances several times each month.
Located along Green Street, this commercial district serves as the entertainment and retail center for students at the University of Illinois. This area has been undergoing great change since 2002 with the completion of a new $7 million streetscape project. Campustown is now attracting new retail and entertainment stores as well as serving as the center for new construction projects. Several new projects opened in 2008 including the 18-story Burnham310 high-rise and grocery store at 4th and Springfield, and a new 24-story apartment building called 309Green.
, I-72
, I-74
, two railroad lines, and the University of Illinois operated Willard Airport
(CMI). The local bus system, which is supported by the taxpayers of the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District (MTD)
and the University of Illinois, serves Champaign, Urbana, Savoy, and surrounding areas. The C-U MTD has twice been named as the best local transit system in the United States.
The former Illinois Central Railroad
line — now part of the Canadian National
system — runs north to south through the city. A spur line from the Canadian National line provides service to several large industries, including two large food processing plants, on the west edge of Champaign and two grain elevators in outlying communities to the west. The Norfolk Southern
operates an east to west line through Champaign. The NS line connects industries in eastern Urbana to the Norfolk Southern main line at Mansfield, Illinois
, west of Champaign. The line now operated by Norfolk Southern is the former Peoria & Eastern Railway, later operated as part of the Big Four (Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway
), New York Central, Penn Central
, and Conrail systems, being sold by Conrail to Norfolk Southern in 1996. Construction of the line was begun by the Danville, Urbana, Bloomington and Pekin Railroad. This short-lived entity became part of the Indianapolis, Bloomington and Western Railway before the railroad was completed.
Amtrak
, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Champaign-Urbana. Amtrak Train 59, the southbound City of New Orleans
, is scheduled to depart Champaign at 10:34 p.m. daily with service to Mattoon, Effingham, Centralia, Carbondale
, Fulton, Newbern-Dyersburg, Memphis
, Greenwood, Yazoo City, Jackson
, Hazlehurst, Brookhaven, McComb, Hammond, and New Orleans. Amtrak Train 58, the northbound City of New Orleans, is scheduled to depart Champaign at 6:10am daily with service to Kankakee, Homewood, and Chicago
. Champaign-Urbana is also served by Amtrak Train 390/391, the Saluki
, daily in the morning, and Amtrak Train 392/393, the Illini
, daily in the afternoon/evening. Both the Saluki and the Illini operate between Chicago and Carbondale.
Greyhound Lines
, Suburban Express
and Megabus bus companies provide intercity bus service to Champaign. In 1999, a newly designed intermodal
transportation center, aptly named Illinois Terminal
by historic reference to the defunct electric interurban
rail line that once ran through Champaign, was completed and serves as a central facility for intercity passenger rail and bus services as well as the MTD's local bus network. The terminal has within the last year experienced a 51% increase in passenger traffic.
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Champaign County, Illinois
Champaign County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 201,081, which is an increase of 11.9% from 179,669 in 2000.. It is the 10th most populous county in Illinois...
, in the United States. The city is located 135 miles (217 km) south of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, 124 miles (200 km) west of Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, and 178 miles (286 km) northeast of St. Louis, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. Though surrounded by farm communities, Champaign is notable for sharing the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
with its sister city of Urbana
Urbana, Illinois
Urbana is the county seat of Champaign County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 41,250. Urbana is the tenth-most populous city in Illinois outside of the Chicago metropolitan area....
. Thanks to the university and a number of well known technology startup companies, it is often referred to as the hub, or at least a significant landmark, of the Silicon Prairie
Silicon Prairie
The Silicon Prairie can refer to one of several places in the United States: an area in Illinois, one in a multi-state region comprised loosely of parts of Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, Kansas, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Missouri, one in Wyoming, and one in Texas.- Dallas-Fort Worth Silicon...
. Champaign is also the home of Parkland College. Champaign houses offices for seven Fortune 500
Fortune 500
The Fortune 500 is an annual list compiled and published by Fortune magazine that ranks the top 500 U.S. closely held and public corporations as ranked by their gross revenue after adjustments made by Fortune to exclude the impact of excise taxes companies collect. The list includes publicly and...
companies, and two more are planned to arrive soon.
As reported in the 2010 U.S. Census, the city was home to 81,055 people. Champaign is the 11th-most populous city in Illinois, and the fourth-most populous city in the state outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area.
History
Champaign was founded in 1855, when the Illinois Central Railroad
Illinois Central Railroad
The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois with New Orleans, Louisiana and Birmingham, Alabama. A line also connected Chicago with Sioux City, Iowa...
laid its rail track two miles (3 km) west of downtown Urbana. Originally called "West Urbana", it was renamed Champaign when it acquired a city charter in 1860. Both the city and county name were derived from Champaign County, Ohio
Champaign County, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 38,890 people, 14,952 households, and 10,870 families residing in the county. The population density was 91 people per square mile . There were 15,890 housing units at an average density of 37 per square mile...
.
During February 1969, Carl Perkins
Carl Perkins
Carl Lee Perkins was an American rockabilly musician who recorded most notably at Sun Records Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, beginning during 1954...
joined with Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
to write the song "Champaign, Illinois".
On September 22, 1985, Champaign hosted the first Farm Aid
Farm Aid
Farm Aid started as a benefit concert on September 22, 1985, in Champaign, Illinois, held to raise money for family farmers in the United States...
concert at the University of Illinois' Memorial Stadium
Memorial Stadium (Champaign)
thumb|right|300px|Original plan for Memorial Stadium circa 1921. Caption from [[Popular Mechanics]] Magazine, 1921Memorial Stadium is a football stadium located in Champaign, Illinois, in the United States, on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The stadium is dedicated as...
. The concert drew a crowd of 80,000 people and raised over $7 million for American family farmers.
In 2005, Champaign-Urbana (specifically the University of Illinois) was the location of the National Science Olympiad
Science Olympiad
Science Olympiad is an American elementary, middle, or high school team competition which tests knowledge of various science topics and engineering ability. Over 6,200 teams from 49 U.S. states compete each year. Most teams compete in three levels of competition: regionals, states, and nationals...
Tournament, attracting young scientists from all 50 states. The city also hosts the state Science Olympiad competition every year. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign again hosted the National competition on May 20–22, 2010.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, Champaign has a total area of 17.04 square miles (44.1 km²), of which, 17 square miles (44 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²) of it (0.12%) is water.
Champaign shares a border with the neighboring city of Urbana
Urbana, Illinois
Urbana is the county seat of Champaign County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 41,250. Urbana is the tenth-most populous city in Illinois outside of the Chicago metropolitan area....
; together they are home to the University of Illinois
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
. Champaign, Urbana, and the bordering village of Savoy
Savoy, Illinois
Savoy is a village in Champaign County, Illinois, United States, and a suburb of the city of Champaign, Illinois. The population was 7,280 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Savoy is located at ....
form the Champaign-Urbana Metropolitan Area
Champaign-Urbana Metropolitan Area
The Champaign-Urbana metropolitan area, also known as Champaign-Urbana, is a metropolitan area in east-central Illinois. It is the 191st largest metropolitan area in the U.S. It is composed of three counties, Champaign, Ford, and Piatt...
also known as Champaign-Urbana. It may also be colloquially known as the "Twin Cities" or Chambana.
The city has a humid continental climate
Humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot summers and cold winters....
, typical of the Midwestern United States, with hot, humid summers and cold, moderately snowy winters. Temperatures exceed 90 °F (32.2 °C) on an average of 24 days per year, and typically fall below 0 °F (−17.8 °C) on six nights annually. The record high temperature in Champaign was 109 °F (42.8 °C) in 1954, and the record low was −25 °F (−31.7 °C), recorded on four separate occasions − in 1899, 1905, 1994 and 1999.
Demographics
As of the 2010 census, 81,055 people and 34,434 total housing units in Champaign. The population density was 3,974.6 people per square mile (1,534.4/km²). There were 28,556 housing units at an average density of 1,681.0 per square mile (648.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 67.8% White, 15.62% African-American, 0.3% Native American, 10.6% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 2.7% from other racesRace (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino individuals of any race made up 6.3% of the population.
According to the 2000 Census the city's 27,071 households, 22.0% included children under age 18, 34.4% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 54.0% were non-families. 36.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 persons and the average family size was 2.95.
Of all individuals, 17.8% were under age 18, 31.7% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 15.4% from 45 to 64, and 8.4% were age 65 or older. The median age was 25 years. For every 100 females there were 102.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,795, and the median income for a family was $52,628. Males had a median income of $36,574 versus $27,186 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $18,664. About 8.1% of families and 22.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.0% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.
The 2005 median home value was $131,000, a 6.8% increase from 2004, according to Money Magazine
Money Magazine
Money Magazine is a business news and financial programme that is broadcast on Sundays at 7:00pm in Hong Kong by television channel TVB Pearl.-Producers and reporters:...
.
Economy
In addition to the University of Illinois, Champaign is also home to Parkland CollegeParkland College
Parkland College is a is a two-year community college in Champaign, Illinois, a member of the Illinois Community College System serving Community College District 505. District 505 includes all of Ford County, and parts of Coles, Champaign, DeWitt, Douglas, Edgar, Iroquois, Livingston, Moultrie,...
. Herff-Jones (formerly the Collegiate Cap and Gown) also forms part of the city's industrial base.
The city also features a large technology and software industry mostly focusing on research and development of new technologies. The Research Park, located in southern Champaign and backed by the University of Illinois
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
, is home to many companies including iCyt (a biotechnology company), the Illinois Natural History Survey
Illinois Natural History Survey
The Illinois Natural History Survey , located on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Champaign, Illinois, is an active research institution with over 200 staff members, and it maintains one of the largest State-operated museums in the United States, with collections...
, the Illinois State Geological Survey, the Illinois State Water Survey, Yahoo!
Yahoo!
Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...
, the National Center for Supercomputing Applications
National Center for Supercomputing Applications
The National Center for Supercomputing Applications is an American state-federal partnership to develop and deploy national-scale cyberinfrastructure that advances science and engineering. NCSA operates as a unit of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign but it provides high-performance...
, Science Applications International Corporation
Science Applications International Corporation
SAIC is a FORTUNE 500 scientific, engineering and technology applications company headquartered in the United States with numerous federal, state, and private sector clients...
, State Farm Research Center
State Farm Research Center
The State Farm Research and Development Center opened in January 2005 at the University of Illinois’ Research Park. State Farm has been involved in academic programming, student assistance and research at U of I for over 35 years, but this facility allows for a captive audience of college interns...
, Riverglass
Riverglass
RiverGlass is a software company that makes data analysis applications currently used by customers in several fields.Companies use RiverGlass Recon to find, collect, and analyze text information from the web and internal document repositories using text analytics...
Inc. and Tekion (a fuel cell company). Numerous other software and technology companies also have offices in Champaign including AMD, Intel, IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
, Amdocs
Amdocs
Amdocs Limited is a provider of software and services for billing, customer relationship management , operations support systems...
, Infobright
Infobright
Infobright is a commercial provider of column-oriented relational database software with a focus in machine-generated data. The company's head office is located in Toronto, Canada. Most of its research and development is based in Warsaw, Poland.-History:...
, Instarecon, Phonak
Phonak
Sonova – till 31 July 2007 Phonak – is a Swiss company that specializes in hearing and wireless systems. The Sonova Group consists of four divisions - Phonak Hearing Systems, Unitron Hearing, Phonak Communications and Advanced Bionics.On August 1, 2007 Phonak AG officially changed its name to...
, Power World, Caterpillar Simulation Center, and Volition, Inc.. The largest high technology employer is Wolfram Research, with more than 400 employees in Champaign. The United States Army Corps of Engineers
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
maintains the Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL) in Champaign.
Champaign is also home to nationally recognized record labels, artist management companies, booking agencies and recording studios. Polyvinyl Records, Undertow Music
Undertow Music
Undertow began in 1996 as a collective of independent artists, musicians, filmmakers, designers and creative managers sharing resources, ideas, and a love of music. Undertow Music operates offices in St...
, Parasol Records
Parasol Records
Parasol Records is an American independent record label based out of Urbana, Illinois. The label was founded by Geoff Merritt as an outgrowth of the catalogue Parasol Mail Order ....
, Great Western Record Recorders, Pogo Studios, and Nicodemus Booking Agency are all based in Champaign.
In April 2011, the Christian Science Monitor named Champaign-Urbana one of the five cities leading the economic turnaround based on jobs; the information sector added over 300 jobs within a year and unemployment dropped 2.1%.
Top employers
According to the City's 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:| # | Employer | # of Employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign | 10,900 |
| 2 | Champaign Unit 4 School District | 1,378 |
| 3 | Kraft Foods Kraft Foods Kraft Foods Inc. is an American confectionery, food and beverage conglomerate. It markets many brands in more than 170 countries. 12 of its brands annually earn more than $1 billion worldwide: Cadbury, Jacobs, Kraft, LU, Maxwell House, Milka, Nabisco, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Trident, Tang... |
1,325 |
| 4 | Parkland College Parkland College Parkland College is a is a two-year community college in Champaign, Illinois, a member of the Illinois Community College System serving Community College District 505. District 505 includes all of Ford County, and parts of Coles, Champaign, DeWitt, Douglas, Edgar, Iroquois, Livingston, Moultrie,... |
1,200 |
| 5 | PlastiPak | 800 |
| 6 | Christie Clinic | 780 |
| 7 | Hobbico Hobbico Hobbico, Inc. is located in Champaign, Illinois and is a manufacturer and distributor of hobby products including radio control airplanes, boats, cars and helicopters. Other products include plastic model kits, model rockets, model trains, slot cars, crafts, jigsaw puzzles and games... |
700 |
| 8 | City of Champaign | 641 |
| 9 | Amdocs Amdocs Amdocs Limited is a provider of software and services for billing, customer relationship management , operations support systems... |
620 |
| 10 | Devonshire Group | 590 |
Other major employers include Jimmy John's
Jimmy John's
Jimmy John's is a franchised sandwich restaurant founded by Jimmy John Liautaud in 1983 and headquartered in Champaign, Illinois. The franchise has over 1000 locations in 39 states and has opened approximately 200 units per year for the last three years...
, Futaba Corporation, and Horizon Hobby
Horizon Hobby
Horizon Hobby, Inc. is an international hobby product distributor, headquartered in Champaign, Illinois, U.S.A.. It currently manufactures various Hobby grade radio control models, as well as Athearn model trains, rockets, and die-cast models, which it sells direct and to hobby retailers.An...
.
List of mayors
- E.T. McCan, 1860–61
- Daniel Gardner, 1861–62
- J.S. Wright, 1862–64
- E. L. Sweet, 1864–66
- C. G. Larned, 1866–69
- C.B. Smith, 1869–72
- Levi Dobson, 1873–76
- J. Dickerson, 1873–76
- Henry Trevett, 1876–79
- B.C. Beach, 1880–81
- L.S. Wilcox, 1881–83
- B. McKinley, 1883
- W.A. Day, 1883–85
- B.C. Beach 1885–87
- L.S. Wilcox, 1887–89
- P.W. Woody, 1889–91
- J.B. Harris, 1891–1895
- E.E. Chester, 1895–97
- J.R. Scott; 1897–99
- C. J. Sabin, 1899–1900
- C.J. Mullikin, 1901–03
- E.S. Swigart, 1903–05
- Shields A. Blaine, 1905–09
- S.C. Tucker, 1909–11
- William Coughlin, 1911–13
- O.B. Dobbins, 1913–15
- E.S. Swigart, 1915–17
- S.C. Tucker, 1917–22
- George J. Babb, 1922–27
- George B. Franks, 1927–31
- C.J. Mullikin, 1931–35
- James D. Flynn, 1935–43
- George J. Babb, 1943–51
- Virgil F. Lafferty, 1951–58
- E. Dexter, 1959–66
- V. Wikoff, 1967–74
- W. Bland, 1975–78
- J. Severns, 1979–82
- R. Dodd, 1983–86
- D. McCollum, 1987–98
- G. Schweighart, 1999–2011
- Don GerardDon GerardDon Gerard is the current mayor of the city of Champaign, Illinois. He was previously a facilities manager at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.-Early life and work:Don Gerard was born October 31, 1965 in Chicago, Illinois...
, 2011–present
Champaign City Building
The Champaign City Building serves as the City Hall and is a recognizable landmark. The building replaces the original city building which sat on the same site until 1937. Groundbreaking on the current City Building began immediately in 1937. As one of the most visible buildings in the downtown district, it serves as a city symbol, with its likeness featured on the city seal. The ornate decoration, art decoArt Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
architecture, and copper roof distinguish the building. The building was originally used as city offices and as the headquarters for the fire department. It later became the headquarters for the police department, complete with indoor shooting range, before becoming the current city offices. Evidence of this change is found on University Avenue where the keystone above the door reads "CFD" with the "F" later becoming a "P" for police. The building is currently undergoing a 10 month restoration project which is tuckpointing and replacing failed lintels. The buildings stone work is also being cleaned. 2010 marked the 75th Anniversary of the buildings groundbreaking.
The Tower at 3rd
The newly-renamed Tower at 3rd (formerly Champaign Hilton, Century 21, Quality Inn, University Inn, Presidential Tower) is located in the University District and is over twenty stories high. A hotel until 2001, it currently houses student apartments and formerly housed several University of IllinoisUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
offices, including the Office of Continuing Education.
Downtown
In the 1980s, part of the downtown Champaign area (Neil St.) was closed to vehicular traffic to create a pedestrian mall, but this short-lived experiment was scrapped when business declined. Initiated by Jon "Cody" Sokolski, a former record store owner turned CEO of One Main Development, the downtown area of Champaign was recently the target of a revitalization effort that was intended to bring more businesses into the area and return the downtown district to the center of city life. In addition to efforts that restored the facades on many of the historic buildings, additional construction projects including restaurants, bars, shops, office space, and condominiums increased the size of the downtown area. And while some of the distinct turn-of-the-century architecture associated with the city was retained through these efforts, it was thought by some to be updated significantly by pairing older buildings with two new anchors: One Main and M2 on Neil. The City of Champaign gave $3.7 million in tax incentives for the building of M2 and agreed to pay nearly $11 million for a new parking deck.In April 2007, One Main Development broke ground on M2 on Neil, a nine-story, $40 million, mixed-use project - the largest ever for downtown Champaign - located at the corner of Neil and Church Street. M2 on Neil features retail and office space, and 50 upscale condominiums. The project was expected to be complete in late 2008, but experienced delays in construction, partially due to $5 Million in mechanics liens filed against One Main Development, as well as a large fire on an adjacent property that caused substantial facade damage to M2. Construction on the commercial shell and core and the residences was completed in the Summer of 2009. New condo owners began moving into M2 in April 2009, and 13 of 51 have sold. The property began offering condos for rent with flexible lease periods in early 2010. 25,000 (of a total 100,000) square feet of office space was complete and occupied by the Enclave at M2 in July 2009. The remaining commercial space in the building is build-to-suit space and is completed as new tenants move in. The first ground-floor tenant, a branch of local BankChampaign, opened its doors in November 2009. In November 2010, construction began on the anchor retail tenant, Destihl. The restaurant and brewpub opened in Spring 2011, and two other restaurants opened in ground-floor space in Fall 2011. In mid-2011, the second floor was rendered vacant once again with the sudden evacuation of Mezolink, after Mezolink's partner was indicted in a multi-million dollar embezzlement scheme http://www.news-gazette.com/news/courts-police-and-fire/2011-04-03/sec-woes-engulf-mans-associated-firms.html.
The City of Champaign has constructed a six-story parking structure on Hill Street adjacent to M2, intended to service the greater Downtown; it was completed in May 2009.
For more information on Downtown Champaign visit the Champaign Center Partnerships website.
The Art Theater
The Art Theater, which shows critically acclaimed independent and foreign films, was built in 1913 as the Park Theatre. It has since undergone several changes in name and repertoire, including a phase from 1969 to 1986, in which it showed adult films. The theater is the only single-screen movie theaterMovie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
still in existence operating daily as a movie theater in Champaign-Urbana.
Historic Virginia Theatre
The Historic Virginia Theatre is a recently-restored 1525-seat movie theater, dating back to the 1920s. It has an ornate, Spanish Renaissance-influenced interior, full stage and dressing rooms, and an elaborate Wurlitzer pipe organ. It hosts Roger Ebert's Overlooked Film FestivalRoger Ebert's Overlooked Film Festival
Ebertfest: Roger Ebert's Film Festival, originally known as Roger Ebert's Overlooked Film Festival but commonly referred to as simply Ebertfest, is an annual film festival held every April in Champaign, Illinois, United States, organized by the College of Media at the University of Illinois...
and has a single 56' x 23' screen. The theater does not have a daily show schedule, but schedules special screenings and live performances several times each month.
Campustown
Parks
There are 58 parks within the city of Champaign, totaling over 552 acres (2.2 km²) of parkland.Transportation
Champaign is served by I-57Interstate 57
Interstate 57 is an Interstate Highway in Missouri and Illinois that parallels the old Illinois Central rail line for much of its route. It goes from Miner, Missouri, at Interstate 55 to Chicago, Illinois, at Interstate 94. I-57 essentially serves as a shortcut route for travelers headed between...
, I-72
Interstate 72
Interstate 72 is an Interstate Highway in the midwestern United States. Its western terminus is in Hannibal, Missouri, at an intersection with U.S. Route 61; its eastern terminus is at Country Fair Drive in Champaign, Illinois. In 2006, the Illinois General Assembly dedicated all of Interstate 72...
, I-74
Interstate 74
Interstate 74 is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Its western end is at an intersection with Interstate 80 in Davenport, Iowa; the eastern end of its Midwest segment is at an intersection with Interstate 75 in Cincinnati, Ohio...
, two railroad lines, and the University of Illinois operated Willard Airport
University of Illinois Willard Airport
University of Illinois Willard Airport is an airport owned and operated by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign located south of Savoy in Tolono Township, Champaign County, Illinois. It serves the greater Champaign-Urbana Metropolitan Area in East Central Illinois...
(CMI). The local bus system, which is supported by the taxpayers of the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District (MTD)
Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District
The Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District is a mass transit system that is part of the Champaign-Urbana Metropolitan Area in which property taxes are levied to support a local transit system operating buses and the Illinois Terminal intermodal facility in downtown Champaign...
and the University of Illinois, serves Champaign, Urbana, Savoy, and surrounding areas. The C-U MTD has twice been named as the best local transit system in the United States.
The former Illinois Central Railroad
Illinois Central Railroad
The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois with New Orleans, Louisiana and Birmingham, Alabama. A line also connected Chicago with Sioux City, Iowa...
line — now part of the Canadian National
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
system — runs north to south through the city. A spur line from the Canadian National line provides service to several large industries, including two large food processing plants, on the west edge of Champaign and two grain elevators in outlying communities to the west. The Norfolk Southern
Norfolk Southern Railway
The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the Norfolk Southern Corporation. With headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, the company operates 21,500 route miles in 22 eastern states, the District of Columbia and the province of Ontario, Canada...
operates an east to west line through Champaign. The NS line connects industries in eastern Urbana to the Norfolk Southern main line at Mansfield, Illinois
Mansfield, Illinois
Mansfield is a village in Piatt County, Illinois in the United States. The population was 949 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Mansfield is located at ....
, west of Champaign. The line now operated by Norfolk Southern is the former Peoria & Eastern Railway, later operated as part of the Big Four (Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway
Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway
The Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway, also known as the Big Four Railroad and commonly abbreviated CCC&StL, was a railroad company in the Midwestern United States....
), New York Central, Penn Central
Penn Central Transportation
The Penn Central Transportation Company, commonly abbreviated to Penn Central, was an American railroad company that operated from 1968 until 1976. It was created by the merger on February 1, 1968, of the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York Central Railroad...
, and Conrail systems, being sold by Conrail to Norfolk Southern in 1996. Construction of the line was begun by the Danville, Urbana, Bloomington and Pekin Railroad. This short-lived entity became part of the Indianapolis, Bloomington and Western Railway before the railroad was completed.
Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Champaign-Urbana. Amtrak Train 59, the southbound City of New Orleans
City of New Orleans
The City of New Orleans is a nightly passenger train operated by Amtrak which travels between Chicago, Illinois and New Orleans, Louisiana. Before Amtrak's formation in 1971, the train was operated by the Illinois Central Railroad along the same route . The train currently operates on a 19½ hour...
, is scheduled to depart Champaign at 10:34 p.m. daily with service to Mattoon, Effingham, Centralia, Carbondale
Carbondale, Illinois
Carbondale is a city in Jackson County, in the state of Illinois, within the Southern Illinois region. It is located at the junction of Illinois Route 13 and U.S. Route 51, southeast of St. Louis, Missouri, on the northern edge of the Shawnee National Forest...
, Fulton, Newbern-Dyersburg, Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, Greenwood, Yazoo City, Jackson
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
, Hazlehurst, Brookhaven, McComb, Hammond, and New Orleans. Amtrak Train 58, the northbound City of New Orleans, is scheduled to depart Champaign at 6:10am daily with service to Kankakee, Homewood, and Chicago
Union Station (Chicago)
Union Station is a major train station that opened in 1925 in Chicago, replacing an earlier 1881 station. It is now the only intercity rail terminal in Chicago, as well as being the city's primary terminal for commuter trains. The station stands on the west side of the Chicago River between Adams...
. Champaign-Urbana is also served by Amtrak Train 390/391, the Saluki
Saluki (Amtrak)
The Saluki is a 310-mile passenger train line operated by Amtrak running between Chicago and Carbondale, Illinois. The train is a part of the Illinois Service rail network and is partially funded by the Illinois Department of Transportation...
, daily in the morning, and Amtrak Train 392/393, the Illini
Illini (Amtrak)
The Illini is a 310-mile passenger train operated by Amtrak that runs between Chicago and Carbondale, Illinois. The train is a part of the Illinois Service rail network and is partially funded by the Illinois Department of Transportation and by local governments along the route...
, daily in the afternoon/evening. Both the Saluki and the Illini operate between Chicago and Carbondale.
Greyhound Lines
Greyhound Lines
Greyhound Lines, Inc., based in Dallas, Texas, is an intercity common carrier of passengers by bus serving over 3,700 destinations in the United States, Canada and Mexico, operating under the well-known logo of a leaping greyhound. It was founded in Hibbing, Minnesota, USA, in 1914 and...
, Suburban Express
Suburban Express
Suburban Express is a bus company which serves five midwest universities: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois State University, Eastern Illinois University, Purdue, and the University of Iowa. Weekend services transport students from all five campuses directly to several Suburban...
and Megabus bus companies provide intercity bus service to Champaign. In 1999, a newly designed intermodal
Intermodal passenger transport
Intermodal passenger transport involves more than one mode of transport of passengers. Some modes of transportation have always been intermodal; for example, most major airports have extensive facilities for automobile parking and have good rail or bus connections to the cities nearby. Urban bus...
transportation center, aptly named Illinois Terminal
Illinois Terminal
Opened in January 1999, the Illinois Terminal is an intermodal transportation center, providing city bus, intercity bus, and rail connections to, from, and within Champaign, Illinois...
by historic reference to the defunct electric interurban
Interurban
An interurban, also called a radial railway in parts of Canada, is a type of electric passenger railroad; in short a hybrid between tram and train. Interurbans enjoyed widespread popularity in the first three decades of the twentieth century in North America. Until the early 1920s, most roads were...
rail line that once ran through Champaign, was completed and serves as a central facility for intercity passenger rail and bus services as well as the MTD's local bus network. The terminal has within the last year experienced a 51% increase in passenger traffic.
FM Radio
- 88.1 W201CK (Translates 90.7 KHRI) "Air 1Air 1Air1 is a Christian music radio network in the United States, operated by the non-profit organization EMF Broadcasting. Air 1 is essentially a Top-40 station with Christian Music - so many of the rules that commercial Top-40 stations use for musical rotation apply.-History:In 1986, KLRD began...
", Christian CHR - 88.7 WPCDWPCDWPCD is a radio station broadcasting an Alternative format. Licensed to Champaign, Illinois, USA, the station serves the Illinois college area. The station is currently owned by Parkland College and features programing from AP Radio....
, Parkland College College Radio - 89.3 WGNJ, Religious
- 90.1 WEFTWEFTWEFT Champaign 90.1FM is a community radio station in Champaign, Illinois, founded in 1981 and owned by Prairie Air, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation. It has a wide range of programming, including music from nearly every genre, public affairs discussion, theater and arts, and more...
, Community radioCommunity radioCommunity radio is a type of radio service, that offers a third model of radio broadcasting beyond commercial broadcasting and public broadcasting. Community stations can serve geographic communities and communities of interest... - 90.9 WILLWILLWILL is the callsign of the three public broadcasting stations owned by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and directly operated by its Division of Broadcasting...
, Classical musicClassical musicClassical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
(RDSRadio Data SystemRadio Data System, or RDS, is a communications protocol standard for embedding small amounts of digital information in conventional FM radio broadcasts. RDS standardises several types of information transmitted, including time, station identification and programme information.Radio Broadcast Data...
) - 91.7 WBGLWBGLWBGL is a Christian radio station licensed to Champaign, Illinois and owned by the Illinois Bible Institute, the educational branch of the Illinois District Council of the Assemblies of God.-Relay stations:...
, Christian AC (RDS) - 92.1 W221CK "Extra 92.1" RockRock musicRock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
(RDS - Artist/Title) - 92.5 WCFFWCFFWCFF is a radio station broadcasting a Adult Hits format. Licensed to Urbana, Illinois, USA, the station serves the Champaign area. The station is currently owned by Saga Communications of Illinois, LLC and features programing from CNN Radio...
"92.5 The Chief", Adult HitsAdult hitsAdult hits is a radio format, popular in the early 2000s, that does not adhere to a specific music genre, but instead draws from a wider playlist...
(RDS - Artist/Title) - 93.5 talk radio
- 94.5 WLRWWLRWWLRW is a radio station broadcasting a Hot Adult Contemporary format. Licensed to Champaign, Illinois, USA, the station serves the Champaign, Decatur area. The station is currently owned by Saga Communications of Illinois, LLC and features programing from CNN Radio...
"Mix 94.5" Hot ACAdult contemporary musicAdult contemporary music is a broad style of popular music that ranges from lush 1950s and 1960s vocal music to predominantly ballad-heavy music with varying degrees of rock influence, as well as a radio format that plays such music....
(RDS - Artist/Title) (HD RadioHD RadioHD Radio, which originally stood for "Hybrid Digital", is the trademark for iBiquity's in-band on-channel digital radio technology used by AM and FM radio stations to transmit audio and data via a digital signal in conjunction with their analog signals...
) - 95.3 talk radio
- 96.1 WQQBWQQBWQQB is a mainstream CHR radio station broadcasting in the Champaign/Urbana, Illinois, radio market. The station is a class A licensed station transmitting from Rantoul, Illinois, at 3,800 watts and is owned by RadioStar, Inc....
"Q 96", CHR/Pop (RDS) - 97.5 WHMS-FM "Lite Rock 97.5" Adult ContemporaryAdult contemporary musicAdult contemporary music is a broad style of popular music that ranges from lush 1950s and 1960s vocal music to predominantly ballad-heavy music with varying degrees of rock influence, as well as a radio format that plays such music....
- 98.3 WWHPWWHPWWHP, 98.3 MHz, is a Americana/Roots formatted radio station in Farmer City, Illinois. The station slogan is "WWHP, The Whip." The station claims to be located, "somewhere between Memphis and Chicago."...
"The Whip", Blues, bluegrass, country, rock, gospel and American Roots music - 99.1 WYXYWYXYWYXY is a radio station licensed for Savoy, Illinois on 99.1 MHz and owned by Saga Communications' Illini Radio Group.WYXY formerly had the callsigns WIAI then WXLS. It was sold from IAI Broadcasting to Saga Communications in 2004 and changed its callsign to WXTT...
"WIXY Classic" CountryCountry musicCountry music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
(RDS - Artist/Title) - 100.3 WIXYWIXYWIXY is a radio station broadcasting a country music format. Licensed to Champaign, Illinois, USA, the station serves the Champaign-Urbana area...
"WIXY 100.3" CountryCountry musicCountry music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
(RDS - Artist/Title) - 101.1 W266AFWILLWILL is the callsign of the three public broadcasting stations owned by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and directly operated by its Division of Broadcasting...
(Translates 90.9 WILLWILLWILL is the callsign of the three public broadcasting stations owned by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and directly operated by its Division of Broadcasting...
), Classical musicClassical musicClassical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times... - 102.5 WGNN, Religious
- 103.9 W280DE (Translates 102.5 WGNN), Religious
- 104.5 WRFU-LPWRFU-LPWRFU-LP is a radio station broadcasting a variety music format. Licensed to Urbana, Illinois, USA, the station serves the Champaign area. The station is currently owned by the Socialist Forum....
"Radio Free Urbana", Variety - 105.5 WCZQWCZQWCZQ is a Rhythmic Contemporary station serving Champaign, Illinois. WCZQ broadcasts at 105.5 MHz with an ERP of 6 kW and is licensed to Monticello, Illinois. They are owned by Joyner Radio. The station has been a Rhythmic since 2002....
"Hot 105.5" Hip Hop & R&B - 105.9 WGKCWGKCWGKC is a heritage Classic rock radio station licensed to Mahomet, Illinois and broadcasting in the Champaign-Urbana, Illinois radio market. The station is owned by RadioStar, Inc...
, Classic rockClassic rockClassic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...
(RDS) - 107.1 WPGUWPGUWPGU 107.1 is the fully commercial student-run College radio station located at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It is operational 24-7, broadcasting alternative music and other programming throughout Champaign-Urbana and surrounding communities...
, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign AlternativeAlternative rockAlternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
College Radio - 107.9 WUIL "U-Rock 107.9" Classic rockClassic rockClassic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...
AM Radio
- 580 WILLWILLWILL is the callsign of the three public broadcasting stations owned by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and directly operated by its Division of Broadcasting...
, Public Radio - 1400 WDWSWDWSWDWS is a News-Talk radio station in Champaign, Illinois. The station operates at 1 kW of power, and is owned by the News-Gazette, the primary newspaper in the Champaign-Urbana Metropolitan Area. The station provides news and information for the city, and agricultural information for...
, News/TalkTalk radioTalk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
(AM StereoAM stereoAM stereo is a term given to a series of mutually incompatible techniques for wireless radio broadcasting stereo audio in the AM band in a manner that is compatible with standard AM receivers...
) - 1460 WJCI, Spanish Music
- 1580 WBCPWBCPWBCP is a radio station broadcasting an Urban Adult Contemporary music format. It is licensed to Urbana, Illinois and broadcasts to the Champaign, Illinois area. The station established in 1989 and is currently owned by P & C Enterprises, Inc....
, Urban Adult ContemporaryUrban Adult ContemporaryUrban adult contemporary is the name for a format of radio music, similar to an urban contemporary format. Radio stations using this format usually would not have rap music on their playlists. The format was designed by Barry Mayo when he, Lee S. Simonson and Bill Pearson organized Broadcast...
Analog Television
- 3 WCIA, CBSCBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
- 7 W07DD, Three Angels Network
- 12 WILLWILLWILL is the callsign of the three public broadcasting stations owned by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and directly operated by its Division of Broadcasting...
, PBSPublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia.... - 15 WICD "NewsChannel 15", ABCAmerican Broadcasting CompanyThe American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
- 17 WANDWANDWAND, virtual channel 17, is an NBC-affiliated television station serving the Decatur–Springfield–Champaign area. It is owned by Block Communications...
, NBCNBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago... - 23 WBUIWBUIWBUI is a television station licensed to Decatur, Illinois and serving the Central Illinois market, including the cities of Springfield, Champaign, and Urbana. The station broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 22 from a transmitter in Oreana along I-72. WBUI is affiliated...
, CWThe CW Television NetworkThe CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB... - 27 WCCUWRSP-TVWRSP-TV is the Fox-affiliated television station for Central Illinois licensed to Springfield. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 44 from a transmitter in Mechanicsburg. The station can also be seen on Mediacom and Comcast channel 7...
"Fox 55/27" - 34 W33AY, Trinity Broadcast Network
- 44 WBXC-CA, MTV 2MTVMTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
- 49 WCIX "My WCFN TV" My Network TV
- 51 WEIUWEIU-TVWEIU-TV channel 51 is a Public Broadcasting Service member public television station in Charleston, Illinois. Its headquarters are at Eastern Illinois University, which is the origin of the call sign's letters. WEIU also airs EIU sporting events, such as football and basketball.-Technical...
, PBSPublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
Digital Television (DTV)
- 9 WILL-DT, PBS
- 18 WAND-DT, NBC
- 22 WBUI-DT, CW
- 26 WCCU-DT, Fox
- 41 WICD-DT, ABC
- 48 WCIA-DT, CBS
- 50 WEIU-DT, PBS
- The News-Gazette, daily local newspaper
- Daily IlliniDaily IlliniThe Daily Illini, commonly known as the DI, is an independent, student-run newspaper that has been published for the community of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign since 1871...
- Buzz Weekly
- Prospectus NewsProspectus NewsProspectus News is Parkland College's independent student newspaper. Prospectus News provides up to date information regarding the latest happenings at Parkland as well as things happening in the community involving Parkland, Parkland students, and alumni...
- The Booze NewsThe Booze NewsThe Booze News is a satirical newspaper founded at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in February 2004 by Atish Doshi and Derek Chin. The free paper, published weekly with a circulation of 20,000, is written, edited and distributed by students at UIUC...
- The Hub Weekly, last published in September 2007
- Smile Politely, Champaign-Urbana's online magazine
Points of interest
- Parkland CollegeParkland CollegeParkland College is a is a two-year community college in Champaign, Illinois, a member of the Illinois Community College System serving Community College District 505. District 505 includes all of Ford County, and parts of Coles, Champaign, DeWitt, Douglas, Edgar, Iroquois, Livingston, Moultrie,...
- University of Illinois ArboretumUniversity of Illinois ArboretumThe University of Illinois Arboretum is a new arboretum, with gardens, currently under construction on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus. It is located at the intersection of Florida and Lincoln Avenue, Urbana, Illinois, and open daily without charge.The arboretum is being...
- University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignThe University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
External links
- City of Champaign Web Site
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Main Page
- Champaign-Urbana Historic Built Environment Digital Image Collection
- Parkland College Home Page
- Downtown Champaign
- Champaign County Convention and Visitors Bureau
- Early History of Champaign
- City of Champaign Maps
- History of Champaign
- Champaign County Top Employers Directory