Decatur, IL

Decatur is a central Illinois city on the Sangamon River, named for naval hero Stephen Decatur. It has long been an industrial and agricultural processing center, with a regional economy tied to manufacturing, grain, and food production. Millikin University gives the city a college presence, and the Decatur Municipal Band dates back to 1857. Decatur feels like a working Midwestern city: substantial, practical, and shaped by factories, rail lines, lakefront recreation, and older neighborhoods.