Princeton

Located at the heart of Bureau County, Princeton, the county seat, is an active and growing community of 7600. A visit to historic Princeton offers something for everyone. Map of Princeton.

Architectural and local history

See beautiful homes in the Prairie, Gothic Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne, and other styles, several of which are on the National Register of Historic Places. A self-guided tour brochure is available from the Chamber of Commerce. The Bureau County Historical Society Museum and the Lovejoy Homestead are a must see. Rev. Lovejoy became a congressman and helped in the preparation of the famous Emancipation Proclamation. This year marks Owen Lovejoy's 200th Anniversary. Also visit the Bureau County Geneologial Society.

Festivals and events

Check the Calendar of Events for city-wide events like Beef & Ag Days, the annual Bureau County Fair, and the big Homestead Festival and Civil War Reenactment in the Fall. The Bureau County Fairgrounds hosts indoor and outdoor shows and fairs on a monthly basis.

Performing arts

If you're a fan of theater, plan on being in Princeton in late June through early August for Festival 56, Illinois' largest summer theater festival. The Festival 56 company of professional actors will offer Broadway musicals, contemporary drama, American literary classics, and FREE Shakespeare in Soldiers and Sailors Park. Princeton also has the Prairie Arts Council located in the Prairie Arts Center building on the southeast end of Courthouse Square. Numerous art and music shows related to the performing arts are ongoing throughout the year.

Transportation and accessability

Princeton is ideally located along the I-80 corridor through north central Illinois between the Quad-Cities, Rockford, and Peoria. Amtrak train service makes several stops throughout the day with trains to and from Chicago. Amtrak ridership has increased steadily from the Princeton Depot (which has been restored and is worth a visit whether you take the train or not). The trip into or out of Chicago is pleasant and relaxing. Baseball fans use it often to get into Chicago and back home from the game.

Business opportunities

Princeton is also a business friendly community that has an equalized assessed valuation of approximately $133 million. It operates its own thirty-six megawatt power plant with an electric distribution system, a 2.5 million/gallon/day water treatment plant, and a new wastewater treatment facility. Princeton operates its own solid-waste collection program as well as a paid full-time fire and ambulance department. The City of Princeton offers a full range of economic incentives to attract and retain business. Property and sales tax rebates and low-interest revolving loans are just a few of the incentives available to qualifying businesses. Princeton's Technology Park has a number of desirable lots to build or relocate a company.