Decatur (Illinois)

Macon County

17-18823

Decatur is a city and county seat of Macon County in the U.S. state of Illinois. In 2000, Decatur had 81,860 inhabitants.

As part of the transformation from an industrial society to a service society is the city in the process of population decline.

Geographical location

Decatur is located about 182 miles or 293 kilometers southwest of Chicago, Illinois.

Sons and daughters of the town

  • Stephen Ambrose (1936-2002), historian, biographer of U.S. Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and Richard Nixon
  • William H. Clothier (1903-1996), Oscar- nominated cinematographer
  • Helen Ferguson (1900-1977), actress of the silent film and early sound era, later publicist and press agent
  • Red Hamilton ( born 1926 ), race car driver
  • Alison Krauss (born 1971 ), singer and Fiddlespielerin
  • Hugh Myers (1930-2008), chess players and opening theoreticians
  • Edwin B. Willis (1893-1963), Production Designer

Twin Cities

Since 1975, Decatur has been twinned with the town of Seevetal in Lower Saxony. 1998, a partnership with Tokorozawa in Japan has been agreed.

Economy

Decatur is predominantly industrial. So have for example the AE Staley Company and Archer Daniels Midland large factories for the processing of corn and soy products. Also a production facility of Caterpillar is here. The tire manufacturer Firestone, which was acquired in 1988 by Bridgestone, entertained by 2001, a tire factory in Decatur.

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