Peoria (population around 115,000) is located on the Illinois River within the state of Illinois. It serves as the county seat of Peoria County. The Peoria Metropolitan Statistical Area (population 372,487) is the 3rd-most populated metro area in Illinois State outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area.
"Peoria" was the name of the Peoria people, a key tribe in the Illinois Indian confederacy. The original village was known as Fort Clark, but was afterward renamed in the year 1825. It was more than a decade afterward that Peoria was incorporated as a town. Ten years after that, it became a city. The slavery problem during the Civil War left its mark on Peoria's past. In the year 1854, both Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas spoke about the problem to the people of Peoria on the courthouse steps. In the initial part of the 20th century, the city of Peoria was famous for liquor production and Vaudeville entertainment.
The Peoria Riverfront Museum is situated within the downtown of the city of Peoria. It features a planetarium, interactive displays and exhibits. The city of Peoria is also home to the Wheels o' Time Museum and the Lakeview Museum of the Arts and Sciences. The Peoria Civic Center is an expansive facility hosting conventions and entertainment activities. Bradley Park was established in 1910 and features gardens together with a Japanese Bridge.
There is a strong manufacturing base in Peoria, as over 200 businesses that manufacture over 1,000 various products. A lot of the focus for these businesses is in the production of internal combustion engines and machinery intended for the markets within North America. The city's largest employer is the well-known Caterpillar Inc., a maker of engines and heavy machinery. Peoria even has many distilleries and breweries and a large livestock and grain exporting center. The city of Peoria has burgeoning technology and biotech businesses. The Peoria Next comprises a number of organizations in the fields of life sciences and technology, and engineering and material sciences.
The city of Peoria is home to various national consumer research businesses. The city of Peoria is seen as representing "mainstream America", especially Midwestern America, that makes it perfect for national product and opinion test marketing.