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Danville

Illinois, United States
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Article History

Danville, city, seat (1827) of Vermilion county, eastern Illinois, U.S. It lies on the junction of forks of the Vermilion River (there bridged) near the Indiana border, about 35 miles (55 km) east of Champaign. Early inhabitants of the area included Miami, Kickapoo, and Potawatomi Indians, and a number of trails passed through or terminated there. The location of salt deposits a few miles west of the village provided the primary incentive for early settlement. Shortly after Vermilion county was organized in 1826, Dan Beckwith and Guy W. Smith, two early settlers who were interested in the saltworks, offered to donate a tract of land for a county seat. The offer was accepted, and the new county seat was named Danville in honour of Beckwith. Abraham Lincoln practiced law in the city in the 1840s and ’50s.

The area was formerly a coal-mining centre, and a few mines remain in operation. Danville’s economy is based on agriculture (especially corn [maize] and soybeans) and diversified industry, notably metal products, heavy machinery, food processing, packaging, and heat transfer equipment. The city is the seat of Danville Area Community College (1946). The Vermilion County Museum contains Lincoln memorabilia. Also notable is the World War I Victory Memorial (1922), sculpted by Lorado Taft. Kickapoo State Park (built on restored strip-mining land), Middle Fork State Fish and Wildlife Area (including Illinois’s only national scenic river), Harry “Babe” Woodyard State Natural Area, and Lake Vermilion are nearby. Inc. 1869. Pop. (2000) 33,904; Danville Metro Area, 83,919; (2010) 33,027; Danville Metro Area, 81,625.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kenneth Pletcher.