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Campustown Scott ParkPhoto: BonkerStonker29 · CC BY-SA 4.0
BHistory
History · Champaign City Township

Champaign City Township dates to 1855, and 11% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 58% of U.S. towns · #347 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it

26 places in town are on the National Register. Below: 22 old photos and papers, maps from 1907 on, and the census since 1860.

1855founded
26on the National Register
11%homes built before 1940
22old photos & papers
64famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Champaign City Township’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Champaign City Township began

When was Champaign City Township founded?

1855

Champaign City Township dates its founding to 1855 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1860.

First census: 1,727 in 18602020 census: 88,302171 years

How historic is Champaign City Township?

B

More historic than 58% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1855.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Champaign City Township’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Champaign City Township is more historic than 58% of U.S. towns, #347 of 768 in Illinois. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.

B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Champaign City Township’s overall grade.
Founding era1855, from Wikidata: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 194011.4% of homes (±1.3) · typical IL town 10.6% · U.S. 8.4%B−National Register26 listings, 27 historic buildings, 3.0 per 10,000 residents · typical IL town 0.5 · U.S. 2.4A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 58%
NewerOlder
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 55%

Few Illinois towns list much on the Register (a typical Illinois town has 0.5 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Champaign City Township’s 3.0 sits above most of its state (70% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 27 historic buildings outnumber those of 81% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1855.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to B+. The pre-1940 share (±1.3 points) is firm at this size.

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Champaign City Township’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Landmarks on the Register26 places on the National Register.A town in old photos22 old photos, postcards and papers, 1869–1987.Famous sons and daughtersSaul Perlmutter, James Tobin and 62 more were born here.On the map since 19074 editions of the USGS map, 1907 to 1998. Watch Champaign City Township change.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

26 historic places in Champaign City Township

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
26
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
27
each building in a district counts

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

By decade

Champaign City Township, decade by decade

6 decades in the archive, from the 1860s to the 1980s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1860s1 item
Bird's eye view of the city of Champaign, Champaign County, Illinois 18691869Bird's eye view of the city of Champaign, Champaign C…
1900s–1950s5 items
First Church of Christ, Scientist1909First Church of Christ, ScientistStudents in corn course, Illinois University1909Students in corn course, Illinois UniversityUnique view of a huddle1930Unique view of a huddleJet 22 Nov 1951 pg PA331951Jet 22 Nov 1951 pg PA33Champaign, Illinois hook echo, 19531953Champaign, Illinois hook echo, 1953
1960s–1980s16 items
Corporal Missilec. 1964Corporal MissileAmtrak 361 (F40PH), the Shawnee1984Amtrak 361 (F40PH), the ShawneeICG Train, Central Illinois1984ICG Train, Central IllinoisIllinois Central Gulf 1504 (SW1400)1984Illinois Central Gulf 1504 (SW1400)Illinois Central Gulf 1507 (SW1400)1984Illinois Central Gulf 1507 (SW1400)Trailer Train Auto Carrier1984Trailer Train Auto CarrierIllinois Central Gulf 1446 (SW14)1985Illinois Central Gulf 1446 (SW14)Covered Hopper, Old Forester1986Covered Hopper, Old ForesterHoppers, Inland Steel1986Hoppers, Inland SteelIllinois Central Gulf 1400 (SW14)1986Illinois Central Gulf 1400 (SW14)Illinois Central Gulf 1504 (SW1400) & 6042 (SD40-2)1986Illinois Central Gulf 1504 (SW1400) & 6042 (SD40-2)Illinois Central Gulf 1509 (SW1400)1986Illinois Central Gulf 1509 (SW1400)Illinois Central Gulf 1509 (SW1400)1986Illinois Central Gulf 1509 (SW1400)Airslide Hopper, ADM1987Airslide Hopper, ADMAirslide Hopper, ATSF1987Airslide Hopper, ATSFAirslide Hopper, BN1987Airslide Hopper, BN
1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Famous people

64 famous people were born in Champaign City Township

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Saul PerlmutterAmerican astrophysicist and Nobel laureate · b. 1959
James TobinAmerican economist · b. 1918
Megyn KellyAmerican journalist · b. 1970
David AyerAmerican filmmaker · b. 1968
Bob RichardsAmerican athletics competitor, pole vaulter · b. 1926
Amy ChuaAmerican law professor and writer · b. 1962
The story

How Champaign City Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Champaign City Township.

Read it all →

Champaign was founded in 1855, when the Illinois Central Railroad laid its rail track two miles (3 km) 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, which took its name from the French word for "open, level country".

Chapters19th century20th century21st century

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Champaign City Township, 1855 to 1984

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1855
    FoundingChampaign City Township is established
  3. 1869In the archiveBird's eye view of the city of Champaign, Champaign County, Illinois 1869
  4. 20th century
  5. 1907On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1909In the archiveFirst Church of Christ, Scientist
  7. 1918Born hereJames Tobin is born here
  8. 1930In the archiveUnique view of a huddle
  9. 1951In the archiveJet 22 Nov 1951 pg PA33
  10. 1959Born hereSaul Perlmutter is born here
  11. 1964In the archiveCorporal Missile
  12. 1968Born hereDavid Ayer is born here
  13. 1970Born hereMegyn Kelly is born here
  14. 1984In the archiveAmtrak 361 (F40PH), the Shawnee
On the map

Champaign City Township on the map, 1907 to 1998

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Champaign City Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Champaign City Township on the 1907 USGS mapChampaign City Township on the 1957 USGS mapChampaign City Township on the 1970 USGS mapChampaign City Township on the 1998 USGS map1907Mahomet sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Champaign City Township.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Bird's eye view of the city of Champaign, Champaign County, Illinois 1869
Retake this viewBird's eye view of the city of Champaign, Champaign County, Illinois 1869, 1869

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Champaign City Township’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Champaign City Township, census by census

020,00040,00060,00080,00019001950200088,302

Grew from 1,727 people in 1860 to 88,302 in 2020, more than tenfold.

17 censuses, 1860–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Champaign City Township’s Wikipedia page.

Help out

Finish Champaign City Township’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
5 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewBird's eye view of the city of Champaig…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Champaign27 historic placesBChampaign TownshipIts storyC−Hensley TownshipIts storyC+Urbana28 historic placesACunningham Township28 historic placesA−Urbana Township1 historic placeB+Somer TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townSavoyIts storyC−

Questions about Champaign City Township’s history

What year was Champaign City Township founded?

In 1855, according to Wikidata. Champaign City Township’s post office opened in 1855, and the census of 1860 counted 1,727 people here.

How does Champaign City Township rank for history?

Champaign City Township is more historic than 58% of U.S. towns, #347 of 768 in Illinois. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

How old are the homes in Champaign City Township?

11% of Champaign City Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.3 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1985.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (19), the Library of Congress (3), Wikidata (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.