Prairie farmland encircles this twin-city metro of 88,000, where University of Illinois's 56,000 students dominate demographics and economy in east-central Illinois. Continental climate delivers harsh winters—January lows around 15°F with lake-effect snow from Chicago area—and humid summers in the mid-80s. Flat terrain stretches endlessly, broken only by campus buildings and cornfields reaching every horizon. The university's research prowess creates high-tech industry clusters unusual for a city this size, while agricultural heritage remains visible in surrounding countryside.
