Cornell, IL

Cornell is a village in Livingston County, Illinois, United States. The 2020 census counted 446 residents. The modern town of Cornell is a blending of two towns founded at almost the same time. Both were attempting to attract a station on the new Fairbury Pontiac and Northwestern Railroad, which eventually became part of the Wabash Railroad. A newcomer can read Cornell through the overlap of its older landmarks, surrounding geography, and current places. For a newcomer, Cornell comes into focus through those concrete links among its past, landscape, and current routines. Cornell is located in northwestern Livingston County in the northeastern part of Amity Township. Illinois Route 23 passes through the village, leading northwest 14 miles to Streator and southeast 12 miles to Pontiac, the Livingston county seat.