Your Guide to Buying a Home in Peoria, IL

Buying a Home in Peoria, Illinois

(Peoria Alive!
Copyright 1997 - photo by Joe Couri)

Peoria is located in Peoria County

Peoria is a three time winner of the prestigious All America City Award. Peoria will charm you with its hospitality. First-time visitors will be startled to see a full-fledged city, complete with towering, buildings, rising from the lands that stretch from the banks of the Illinois River.

Peoria is approximately 130 miles from Chicago. Three U.S. highways and four state highways crisscross the community providing easy access to neighboring cities and towns. Interstate 74 passes through the heart of Peoria, while I-474 serves as a bypass. I-74 links with I-55 and I-39 at Bloomington, about 30 miles east.

Peoria Skyline Photo Courtesy of CILCO

Peoria is the oldest civilized settlement in the state of Illinois. The city and county take their names from the Peorian Indians, one of the tribes who inhabited the Illinois River Valley. The name "Peoria" has been translated to mean "Prairie Fire that Wanders About". The Peoria area has continued to prosper and grow since its early beginnings. The natural riches that lured Indians and pioneers here contributed greatly to the later development of industry. Today the Peoria area is an industrial/agricultural community that takes pride in its historic past and progressive future.