Peoria (/piˈÉ"Ë riÉ™/ pee-OR-ee-É™) is the county seat of Peoria
County, Illinois, and the largest city on the Illinois River. As of
the 2010 census, the city had a population of 115,007. It is the
principal city of the Peoria Metropolitan Area in Central Illinois,
consisting of the counties of Marshall, Peoria, Stark, Tazewell, and
Woodford, which had a population of 373,590 in 2011.Established in
1691 by the French explorer Henri de Tonti, Peoria was later labeled
by the Peoria Historical Society to be the oldest European settlement
in Illinois. Originally known as Fort Clark, it received its current
name when the County of Peoria organized in 1825. The city was named
after the Peoria tribe, a member of the Illinois Confederation. On
October 16, 1854, Abraham Lincoln made his Peoria speech against the
Kansas-Nebraska Act.Established in 1691 by the French explorer Henri
de Tonti, Peoria was later labeled by the Peoria Historical Society to
be the oldest European settlement in Illinois. Originally known as
Fort Clark, it received its current name when the County of Peoria
organized in 1825. The city was named after the Peoria tribe, a member
of the Illinois Confederation. On October 16, 1854, Abraham Lincoln
made his Peoria speech against the Kansas-Nebraska Act.A major port on
the Illinois River, Peoria is a trading and shipping center for a
large agricultural area that produces maize, soybeans, and livestock.
Although the economy is well diversified, the city's traditional
manufacturing industries remain important and produce earthmoving
equipment, metal products, lawn-care equipment, labels, steel towers,
farm equipment, building materials, steel, wire, and chemicals. Until
2018, Peoria was the global and national headquarters for heavy
equipment and engine manufacturer Caterpillar Inc., one of the 30
companies composing the Dow Jones Industrial Average, and listed on
the Fortune 100; in the latter year, the company relocated its
headquarters to Deerfield, Illinois.The city is associated with the
phrase "Will it play in Peoria?", which originated from the vaudeville
era and was popularized by Groucho Marx. Museums in the city include
the Pettengill-Morron House, the John C. Flanagan House, and the
Peoria Riverfront Museum. Peoria, Illinois Top Movies & Young Movies