Western Illinois

Western Illinois is a region of Illinois generally bounded by the Mississippi River to the west, I-80 to the north and I-39/I-55 to the east. It has two major anchors: Peoria and the Illinois side of the Quad Cities.

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Essential Destinations

Top destinations include Peoria and Nauvoo.

Peoria

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Peoria is a city in Illinois and the county seat of Peoria County. It serves as a regional hub for the primarily rural and agricultural center of the state.

Nauvoo

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Nauvoo is a small city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States, on the Mississippi River near Fort Madison, Iowa. The population of Nauvoo was 950 at the 2020 census.

Galesburg

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Galesburg is a city in Knox County, Illinois, United States. The city is 45 miles northwest of Peoria. At the 2020 census, its population was 30,052. Galesburg is the home of Knox College, a private four-year liberal arts college, and Carl Sandburg College, a community college named for native-born poet Carl Sandburg.

Destinations to Discover

Explore places such as Rock Island and Quincy.

Rock Island

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Rock Island is one of the Quad Cities in Western Illinois. Downtown Rock Island has art galleries and theaters, nightclubs and coffee shops, and restaurants of all flavors.

Quincy

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Quincy is a small city of 40,000 in Adams County, Western Illinois. It is near the westernmost point in Illinois on the Mississippi River, and is home to some of the most impressive historic architecture in the region.

Moline

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Moline is one of the Quad Cities in Western Illinois. Moline's downtown serves as one of the civic and recreational hubs of the Quad Cities; many events take place at the 12,000-seat TaxSlayer Center and at John Deere Commons.

Jacksonville

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Jacksonville is in western Illinois. It's a small town but packed with history, exuding an inexplicable charm captured in the eponymous song "Jacksonville" by Sufjan Stevens.

Macomb

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Macomb is a city in and the county seat of McDonough County, Illinois, United States. It is situated in western Illinois, about 75 miles southwest of Peoria.

East Peoria

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East Peoria is a city in Western Illinois. It is a suburb of Peoria tied closely to Caterpillar Inc. and has a growing population of about 23,000.

Cherry

Cherry is a town of 435 people in the state of Illinois. In 1909 Cherry was the scene of one of the worst mining fires in US history.

Bradford

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Bradford is a village in Stark County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 census, Bradford had a population of 676. Bradford is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.