Most of North Pekin was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1965. Below: maps from 1905 on and the census since 1950.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, North Pekin is more historic than 9% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of North Pekin’s overall grade.
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 North Pekin’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (28% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D− to C−. The pre-1940 share (±2.8 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: the first census (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 North Pekin’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Peaked at 2,025 in 1960; 1,478 people lived here in 2020.
8 censuses, 1950–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on North Pekin’s Wikipedia page.
On the map
North Pekin on the map, 1905 to 1996
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of North Pekin. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1905Peoria 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 North Pekin.
The story so far
North Pekin, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of North Pekin yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
North Pekin is a village in Tazewell County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 census, North Pekin had a population of 1,478. North Pekin is a suburb of Peoria and is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Its first post office opened in 1950. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 1,573 to 1,478 (-6%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
By decade
No old photos in the archives yet
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
The North Pekin post office opened in 1950, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does North Pekin rank for history?
North Pekin is more historic than 9% of U.S. towns. 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 North Pekin?
5% of North Pekin’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.8 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1965.
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 U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
