Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes ProCon History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture Money Videos
Urbana
Table of Contents
Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics
Images
Urbana: Carle Park University of Illinois
Read Next
The United States Supreme Court building, Washington, D.C.
14 Questions About Government in the United States Answered
Bar graph of the United States Death Toll during major events. Infogram chart.
U.S. Death Toll During Major Events
The Battle of New Orleans, by E. Percy Moran, c. 1910. Andrew Jackson, War of 1812.
26 Decade-Defining Events in U.S. History
Groups of depositors in front of the closed American Union Bank, New York City. April 26, 1932. Great Depression run on bank crowd
Causes of the Great Depression
President's bingo. Guess and select to correct president based on images.
Britannica’s U.S. Presidents Bingo
Discover
An ancient egyptian hieroglyphic painted carving showing the falcon headed god Horus seated on a throne and holding a golden fly whisk. Before him are the Pharoah Seti and the goddess Isis. Interior wall of the temple to Osiris at Abydos, Egypt.
11 Egyptian Gods and Goddesses
Rural Irish landscape, Sligo, Ireland.
Why Is Ireland Two Countries?
A human Inuit skull in a stone chambered cairn in Ilulissat in Greenland. These ancient graves are pre christian and are at least 2000
14 Tough Questions Answered
Thumbnail for flags that look alike quiz Russia, Slovenia, Iceland, Norway
Flags That Look Alike
New York NY/ USA- November 23, 2018 Hordes of shoppers throng the Macy's Herald Square flagship store in New York looking for bargains on the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday.
Why Is It Called Black Friday?
Iraqi Army Soldiers from the 9th Mechanized Division learning to operate and maintain M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tanks at Besmaya Combat Training Center, Baghdad, Iraq, 2011. Military training. Iraq war. U.S. Army
8 Deadliest Wars of the 21st Century
Thanksgiving Celebration Traditional Dinner Setting Food Concept
Why Is Thanksgiving in the U.S. Celebrated on a Thursday?
Urbana: Carle Park
Urbana: Carle Park Statue of Abraham Lincoln by Lorado Taft, Carle Park, Urbana, Ill.

Urbana

Illinois, United States
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/place/Urbana-Illinois
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Britannica Websites
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Article History

Urbana, city, seat (1833) of Champaign county, east-central Illinois, U.S. Urbana is contiguous with Champaign (west), about 135 miles (220 km) southwest of Chicago. The two cities are often called Champaign-Urbana. The area was first settled in 1822, and in 1833 the city was founded as the county seat and named for Urbana, Ohio. It shares with Champaign the main campus of the University of Illinois (established in 1867 as Illinois Industrial University). On October 9, 1871, much of the city was destroyed by fire—one day after the huge fires in Chicago and in Peshtigo, Wisconsin.

The university is the primary factor in Urbana’s economy. The city lies in a rich agricultural area (corn [maize] and soybeans), and services (including health care and finance), high-technology industries, distribution, and manufacturing (including paper and plastic products and automotive parts) are also important. A tablet in the Champaign County Court House commemorates the occasion when Abraham Lincoln spoke there against the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854). Lorado Taft’s statue depicting Lincoln as a young lawyer is in Carle Park. Several museums, including those devoted to art, science, and natural history, are in the area. Inc. 1855. Pop. (2000) 36,395; Champaign-Urbana Metro Area, 210,275; (2010) 41,250; Champaign-Urbana Metro Area, 231,891.

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