Located at the heart of Bureau County, Princeton, the county seat, is an active and growing community of 7600. A visit to historic Princeton offers something for everyone. Map of Princeton.

Architectural and local history

Take a leisurely stroll down the many tree-lined brick streets and enjoy the rich architectural heritage. See beautiful homes in the Prairie, Gothic Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne, and other styles, several of which are on the National Register of Historic Places. A self-guided tour brochure is available from the Chamber of Commerce. Princeton's rich historical legacy is further revealed by touring the Bureau County Historical Society Museum and the Lovejoy Homestead, the latter of which is a National Historic Landmark due to its importance as a station on the Underground Railroad. Rev. Lovejoy became a congressman and helped in the preparation of the famous Emancipation Proclamation. Also visit the Bureau County Geneologial Society.

Festivals and events

Check the Calendar for city-wide events like Beef & Ag Days, the annual Bureau Couty Fair, and the big Homestead Festival in the Fall.

Performing arts

If you're a fan of theater, plan on being in Princeton in late June thru early August for Festival 56, Illinois' largest summer theater festival. The Festival 56 company of professional actors will offer Broadway musicals, contemporary drama, American literary classics, and FREE Shakespeare in Soldiers and Sailors Park. Princeton also has the Prairie Arts Council located in the Prairie Arts Center building on the south end of Courthouse Square. Numerous shows related to the performing arts and art shows are ongoing throughout the year.

Transportation and accessability

Princeton is ideally located along the I-80 corridor through north central Illinois between the Quad-Cities, Rockford, and Peoria. Amtrak train service makes several stops thruout the day with trains heading west and through Chicago. Newly added was the Carl Sandburg train. Amtrak ridership has increased steadily from the Princeton Depot (which has been restored and is worth a visit whether you take the train or not). If you come from Chicago or other points and need service to one of the local motels, a local taxi service is available. They'll pick you up at the station and transport you to wherever your destination is in Bureau County.

Business opportunities

Princeton is also a business friendly community that has an equalized assessed valuation of approximately $120 million. It operates its own thirty-six megawatt power plant with an electric distribution system, a 2.5 million/gallon/day water treatment plant, and a new wastewater treatment facility. Princeton also operates its own solid waste collection program as well as a paid full-time fire and ambulance department. The city of Princeton offers a full range of economic incentives to attract and retain business. Property and sales tax rebates and low-interest revolving loans are just a few of these incentives available to qualifying businesses. Princeton's new Technology Park has a number of desirable lots to build or relocate a company.