Champaign is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, in the United States. The city is located south of Chicago and west of Indianapolis, Indiana. Though surrounded by farm communities, Champaign is notable for sharing the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with its sibling city of Urbana. Thanks to the university and a number of well known technology startups (see below), it is often referred to as the hub of, or at least a significant landmark of, the Silicon Prairie.

As reported in the 2000 U.S. Census, the city was home to 67,518 people. The city held a special census in 2007 that showed that its population had grown to 75,254. The mayor is Gerald Schweighart, whose term will expire in 2011.

History

Champaign was founded in 1855, when the Illinois Central Railroad laid its rail track two miles west of downtown Urbana. Originally called "West Urbana," it was renamed Champaign when it acquired a city charter in 1860. Both the city and county name were derived from Champaign County, Ohio.

On September 22, 1985, Champaign hosted the first Farm Aid concert at the University of Illinois' Memorial Stadium. The concert drew a crowd of 80,000 people and raised over $7 million for American family farmers.

In 2005, Champaign-Urbana (specifically the University of Illinois) was the location of the National Science Olympiad Tournament, attracting young scientists from all 50 states. The city also hosts the state Science Olympiad competition every year. The University of Illinois is next expected to host the National competition in 2010.

Geography

Champaign is located at (40.112981, -88.261227)GR: 1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 17.0 square miles (44.1 km²), of which, 17.0 square miles (44.0 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.12%) is water.

Champaign shares a border with the neighboring city of Urbana; together they are home to the University of Illinois. Champaign, Urbana, and the bordering village of Savoy form the Champaign-Urbana Metropolitan Area also known as Urbana-Champaign or Champaign-Urbana. It may also be colloquially known as the "Twin Cities" or Chambana.

Demographics

As of the censusGR: 2 of 2000, there were 67,518 people, 27,071 households, and 12,452 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,974.6 people per square mile (1,534.4/km²). There were 28,556 housing units at an average density of 1,681.0/sq mi (648.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 73.16% White, 15.62% African American, 0.24% Native American, 6.83% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.94% from other races, and 2.19% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.03% of the population.