The oldest community in Illinois with a population of 112,936, Peoria is equal distance from Chicago and St. Louis. Here we have an enviable standard of living, exciting venues within a 15-20 minute drive from our homes, safe streets, quality and quantity shopping, our own symphony, our own ballet, Broadway Theater League, museums, art guilds, first-class medical facilities that are a regional draw, the Nation’s oldest community theater and the Nation’s oldest Santa Claus parade. We are a City that cares, home to many charity agencies and organizations. Peoria is well known for giving more per capita than many cities of its size. We are the Heart in the Heart of the Nation.