Urbana ( ) is a city in
Champaign County, Illinois, United States, and its
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
.
As of the 2020 census, Urbana had a population of 38,336. It is a principal city of the
Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, which had 236,000 residents in 2020. Urbana is notable for sharing the main campus of the
University of Illinois
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...
with its twin city of
Champaign.
History
The Urbana area was first settled by Europeans in 1822,
when it was called "Big Grove".
[McGinty, Alice]
"The Story of Champaign-Urbana"
Champaign Public Library When the county of
Champaign was organized in 1833, the county seat was located on 40 acres of land, 20 acres donated by William T. Webber and 20 acres by M. W. Busey, considered to be the city's founder, and the name "Urbana" was adopted
after
Urbana, Ohio
Urbana is a city in Champaign County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located about northeast of Dayton, Ohio, Dayton and west of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus. The population was 11,115 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...
, the hometown of State Senator John W. Vance, who authored the Enabling Act creating Champaign County. The creation of the new town was celebrated for the first time on July 4, 1833.
Stores began opening in 1834. The first mills were founded in -50. The town's first church, the Methodist Episcopal Church, and the parsonage, was built in 1840 by the Rev. A. Bradshaw, with the Baptist Church following in 1855. The Presbyterian Church was founded in 1856. The city's first school was built in 1854.
Urbana suffered a setback when the
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
branch of the
Illinois Central Railroad
The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the Central United States. Its primary routes connected Chicago, Illinois, with New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama, and thus, ...
, which had been expected to pass through town, was instead laid down two miles west, where the land was flatter. The town of West Urbana grew up around the train depot built there in 1854; further, in 1861 its name was changed to
Champaign. The competition between the two cities provoked Urbana to tear down the ten-year-old County Courthouse and replace it with a much larger and fancier structure, to ensure that the county seat would remain in Urbana.
Champaign-Urbana was selected as the site for a new state agricultural school, thanks to the efforts of
Clark Griggs. Illinois Industrial University, which would evolve into the
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...
, opened in 1868 with 77 students.
A number of efforts to merge Urbana and Champaign have failed at the polls.
On October 9, 1871, a fire burned much of downtown Urbana. Children playing with matches started the fire. (It is unrelated to the
Great Chicago Fire
The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned in the American city of Chicago, Illinois during October 8–10, 1871. The fire killed approximately 300 people, destroyed roughly of the city including over 17,000 structures, and left mor ...
that started the day before, though both fires occurred during severe drought and were spread by high winds.)
Geography
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Urbana has a total area of , of which (or 99.40%) is land and (or 0.60%) is water.
Urbana borders the city of
Champaign. The main campus of the
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...
is situated on this border. Together, these two cities are often referred to as ''Urbana-Champaign'' (the designation used by the university) or ''Champaign-Urbana'' (the more common usage, due to the larger size of Champaign). With the nearby village of
Savoy
Savoy (; ) is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south and west and to the Aosta Vall ...
, they form the
Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the
2020 census there were 38,336 people, 17,295 households, and 6,680 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 18,321 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city including Hispanics in the racial counts was 51.61%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 18.86%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.30%
Native American, 18.26%
Asian, 0.03%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 3.57% from
other races, and 7.37% from two or more races. Separately,
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race were 8.52% of the population.
There were 17,295 households, out of which 17.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 25.57% were married couples living together, 8.99% had a female householder with no husband present, and 61.38% were non-families. 44.42% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 2.06.
The city's age distribution consisted of 11.7% under the age of 18, 38.2% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 13.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $35,984, and the median income for a family was $66,955. Males had a median income of $27,150 versus $25,511 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the city was $25,365. About 11.4% of families and 29.1% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 19.1% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.
Arts and culture
Candlestick Lane

Candlestick Lane is the name of a neighborhood in eastern Urbana. This neighborhood consists of Grant Place and adjacent properties on Fairlawn and Eastern Drives. It is called Candlestick Lane because every year the residents decorate their yards for Christmas with a lot of lights and figures. The tradition began in 1961 (maybe 1960) as a house-decorating contest sponsored by the Illinois Power Company. The neighborhood used its prize money to purchase electric candlesticks for each home. The City of Urbana installs special red and green street signs, reading "Candlestick Lane" and "Grant Place" during the Holiday season. The lights are turned on from around 5:00 to 10:00 p.m. from the third Saturday in December through New Years Day.
Market at the Square
The Market at the Square, also known as the Farmers' Market, has been a community event in Urbana since 1979. Every Saturday morning from some time in May to some time in November, dozens of vendors set up shop in the Lincoln Square parking lot in downtown Urbana. They primarily sell local produce (including corn, tomatoes, lettuce and watermelons), but one can also find local crafts, music, kettle corn and booths for various community and political organizations.
Urbana Sweetcorn Festival
The Urbana Sweetcorn Festival is an annual festival in Urbana. It was first held in August 1975 in the Busey Bank parking lot in downtown Urbana. It was a community event put on by employees of Busey Bank. Since then the Sweetcorn Festival has continued to grow. The Urbana Business Association is now responsible for the planning of the festival, over the years adding a local car show, an expanded family area, live music on multiple stages, food, vendors, beer, in the heart of downtown Urbana.
In addition to corn and beverages, the festival has offered a range of activities and events, including a display of antique and other collectors' cars and
volksmarches, arts events, a dog show, and a book sale organized by the Friends of the Urbana Free Library.
Urbana Lincoln Hotel
The
Urbana Lincoln Hotel is connected to Lincoln Square Mall, an indoor walking mall, in the center of Urbana. The hotel was designed by famed Urbana architect
Joseph Royer in 1923 and opened several rooms on November 1, 1923, to accommodate guests for the university's Homecoming game. The original building was built in the Tudor Revival style. A convention center was added in the 1970s in the Bavarian style. While being forced to close twice between 1990 and 2009, the hotel was purchased by a private developer in 2010 and underwent major rehabilitation. The hotel opened under new management and with a new name, Urbana Landmark Hotel, on December 1, 2012, but it closed in July 2015 and sold January 2020 for redevelopment as a Hilton Tapestry hotel.
Points of interest
*
American Football House
*
University of Illinois Arboretum
*
University of Illinois Conservatory and Plant Collection
*
Krannert Center for the Performing Arts
*
Spurlock Museum
*
Station Theatre
Parks and recreation

Carle Park, established in 1909, is located at Indiana and Garfield, just west of Urbana High School in central Urbana. Measuring , it contains a statue entitled ''
Lincoln the Lawyer'' by
Lorado Taft
Lorado Zadok Taft (April 29, 1860 – October 30, 1936) was an American sculptor, writer and educator. Part of the American Renaissance movement, his monumental pieces include, ''Fountain of Time'', ''Spirit of the Great Lakes'', and ''The ...
and more than 50 well-established trees that are part of the Hickman Tree Walk. The Lincoln statue was previously sited in front of the Urbana Lincoln Hotel, but was moved after only a few months.
Meadowbrook Park is located southeast of the Race Street and Windsor Road intersection. The park covers , including 80 of recreated Illinois
tallgrass prairie
The tallgrass prairie is an ecosystem native to central North America. Historically, natural and Historical ecology#Anthropogenic fire, anthropogenic fire, as well as grazing by large mammals (primarily bison) provided periodic disturbances to th ...
. Around the prairie restoration center of the park loops three miles of wide concrete path suitable for walking, running, and bicycling. In addition, for an off the beaten path experience, the park offers two miles of unpaved trails which wind through the prairie grass. Several small hills make the path unsuitable for inexperienced inline skaters. The path is adorned by about twenty large sculptures from local artists. A playground, shelter, and parking lot are located near the Windsor Road entrance. A
community garden, an herbal garden, the Timpone Ornamental Tree Grove and a shelter are located near the Race Street entrance. The park also contains many streams which are among the first tributaries of the
Embarras River.

The Urbana Dog Park, located on East Perkins Road, is a place to walk one's dog without a leash.
The Anita Purves Nature Center, located on the north end of Crystal Lake Park, offers nature education programs.
The "Art in the Park", just north of the Urbana City Hall (400 S. Vine St.) dedicated October 2012, took 22 years of struggle and efforts of three mayors. The environmental and sculptural artists/curator of the park, John David Mooney designed the plantings, walkways, a 12-foot high fountain sculpture (Falling Leaf), and a 33-foot high light sculpture (Spirit Tree). The Spirit Tree specifically gives new meaning to Urbana's designation as a "Tree City" and to trees as landmarks or beacons. Mooney, an internationally acclaimed artist, is a native to Champaign-Urbana.
Swimming pools
The Urbana Indoor Aquatic Center is a public indoor pool operated by the Urbana Park District and Urbana School District. It is located between Urbana High School and Urbana Middle School.
Crystal Lake Pool is a public outdoor pool. It is located on Broadway Street, across from the Anita Purves Nature Center. It was closed after the summer 2008 season due to deteriorating conditions and concomitant safety issues, it was rebuilt and reopened in 2013.
Campus Recreation Center East (CRCE) has an indoor leisure pool with a hot tub. CRCE is owned by the
University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign. In Urbana, the pools in Freer Hall, formerly a 25-yard and 6-lane lap pool, and
Kenney Gym have been closed and filled, the former redeveloped as research and teaching spaces.
Sports
Illinois Fighting Illini
The
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...
fields ten men and eleven women varsity sports.
Minor league
Urbana has been home to several separate minor league baseball clubs in conjunction with Champagin. The Champaign-Urbana Velvets played in the
Illinois–Missouri League from 1911 until the league disbanded after 1914. The city's most recent minor league team was the
Champaign-Urbana Bandits who played during the single 1994 season of the
Great Central League. The Bandits played at
Illinois Field. Prior to holding postseason play, the league folded. The Champaign-Urbana Colts played in the
Central Illinois Collegiate League from 1990 until the team folded in 1996.
Government
Urbana has
Mayor–council government
A mayor–council government is a system of local government in which a mayor who is directly elected by the voters acts as chief executive, while a separately elected city council constitutes the legislative body. It is one of the two most comm ...
, of the strong-mayor form. The city council has seven members, each elected from a different ward. The mayor is elected in a citywide vote.
Education
Primary and secondary
Urbana High School's current building was built in 1914. It was designed by architect Joseph Royer who also designed many other area buildings such as the Urbana Free Library and the Champaign County Court House. The architecture is of the
Tudor style defined primarily by the towers over the main entrance and flattened point arches over the doors.
Not part of the Urbana School District,
University Laboratory High School, locally known as Uni High, is a publicly funded
laboratory school
A laboratory school or demonstration school is an elementary or secondary school operated in association with a university, college, or other teacher education institution and used for the training of future teachers, educational experimentatio ...
located on the campus of the
University of Illinois
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...
in Urbana. It was founded in 1921. It is a research project of the University of Illinois College of Education.
Urbana Middle School was first known as Urbana Junior High School in 1953. In 2003 the school was renovated for space. The school currently serves 954 students from grades 6 to 8.
The Elementary schools in Urbana are Leal, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Dr. Preston L. Williams Jr., Thomas Paine, and Yankee Ridge. Urbana Early Childhood School is the former Washington Early Childhood Center and is located on the Prairie Campus next to Dr. Preston L. Williams Elementary.
Colleges and universities
Most of the
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...
campus lies in this city. It is a
public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...
land-grant
A land grant is a gift of real estate—land or its use privileges—made by a government or other authority as an incentive, means of enabling works, or as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service. Grants ...
research university
A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are "the key sites of Knowledge production modes, knowledge production", along with "intergenerational ...
and the
flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of navy, naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically ...
institution of the
University of Illinois system. It is one of the
largest public universities by enrollment in the United States with over 50,000 students enrolled annually, giving Urbana a large student population throughout the year.
Urbana Free Library

The Urbana Free Library, one of the first public libraries in Illinois, was founded in 1874 and is located in the downtown area.
The historic building which houses the library was built in 1918. A major new addition was opened in 2005.
The library houses historical archives of Champaign County, which can be used for genealogical research. Established in 1956, the Champaign County Historical Archives
is a department of the Urbana Free Library that maintains a research-level collection on the history and genealogy of Champaign County. In 1987 it was designated the official repository for non-current Champaign County records. Although it focuses on Champaign County, the Archives holds extensive collections of works dealing with the rest of Illinois and those states that document the significant migration routes of the communities that comprise Champaign County.
The CCHA is also home to the Local History Online database. Local History Online gives access to holdings (books and journals, Champaign County records, City of Urbana municipal records, newspapers, directories, school yearbooks, images, maps, oral histories, local organization newsletters, and other special collections) of the Champaign County Historical Archives, including digital content. The catalog is frequently updated.
The library is publicly funded and receives additional support from about 600 people who have joined the Friends of the Urbana Free Library.
Media
FM radio
* 88.1 W201CK (Translates 90.7
KHRI) "
Air 1",
Christian CHR
* 88.7
WPCD,
College Radio
Campus radio (also known as college radio, university radio or student radio) is a type of radio station that is run by the students of a college, university or other educational institution. Programming may be exclusively created or produced ...
* 89.3
WGNJ, Religious
* 90.1
WEFT
In the manufacture of cloth, warp and weft are the two basic components in weaving to transform thread (yarn), thread and yarn into textile fabrics. The vertical ''warp'' yarns are held stationary in tension on a loom (frame) while the horizo ...
,
Community Radio
Community radio is a radio service offering a third model of radio broadcasting in addition to commercial broadcasting, commercial and public broadcasting.
Community broadcasting, Community stations serve geographic communities and communities o ...
,
Variety
* 90.9
WILL-FM
WILL-FM ( 90.9 MHz) is a public, listener-supported radio station owned by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and licensed to Urbana, Illinois, United States. It is operated by Illinois Public Media, with studios located at Campbel ...
,
Classical music
Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...
,
Public Radio
Public broadcasting (or public service broadcasting) is radio, television, and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service with a commitment to avoiding political and commercial influence. Public broadcasters receive ...
, (
RDS), broadcasting from Urbana
* 91.7
WBGL,
Christian AC (RDS)
* 92.5
WREE "Rewind 92.5",
Classic Hits (RDS – Artist/Title)
* 93.5
WSJK "ESPN Radio"
Sports
Sport is a physical activity or game, often competitive and organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The number of participants in ...
(RDS)
* 94.5
WLRW
WLRW (94.5 FM broadcasting, FM) is a radio station broadcasting a hot adult contemporary radio format. It is licensed to Champaign, Illinois, and serves Central Illinois. The station is owned by Saga Communications, and operates as part of its I ...
"Mix 94.5"
Hot AC
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, ...
(RDS – Artist/Title) (
HD Radio
HD Radio (HDR) is a trademark for in-band on-channel (IBOC) digital radio broadcast technology. HD radio generally simulcast, simulcasts an existing analog radio station in digital format with less noise and with additional text information. HD R ...
)
* 95.3
WJEK
WJEK (95.3 FM broadcasting, FM) is a commercial radio, commercial radio station broadcasting a Christian Adult Contemporary radio format, known as "Christian FM 95.3." city of license, Licensed to Rantoul, Illinois, United States, the station s ...
"Sunny 95.3"
Adult contemporary
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...
(RDS)
* 96.1
WQQB "Q 96",
CHR/Pop (RDS)
* 97.5
WHMS-FM "Lite Rock 97.5"
Adult Contemporary
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...
* 99.1
WYXY "Extra 99.1"
Rock (RDS – Artist/Title)
* 99.7
WQQBbr>
"Hits 99.7" Popular and Hip hop
* 100.3
WIXY "WIXY 100.3"
Country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...
(RDS – Artist/Title)
* 100.9
WHPO "100.9 WHPO"
Country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...
* 101.1 W266AF (Translates 90.9
WILL-FM
WILL-FM ( 90.9 MHz) is a public, listener-supported radio station owned by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and licensed to Urbana, Illinois, United States. It is operated by Illinois Public Media, with studios located at Campbel ...
HD2), 24-hour
Classical music
Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...
* 102.5
WGNN, Religious
* 103.9 W280DE (Translates 102.5
WGNN), Religious
* 104.5
WRFU-LP "Radio Free Urbana", Community/Political Activism(
Low-power 100 watts FM)
* 105.5
WCZQ "Hot 105.5"
Hip Hop
Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
and
R&B
* 105.9
WGKC "Classic Rock 105.9 WGKC" Classic Rock
* 107.1
WPGU
WPGU (107.1 FM) is a fully commercial, student-run college radio station on the campus of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in Champaign, Illinois. It broadcasts an alternative rock radio format and other programming throughout Champ ...
College Radio
Campus radio (also known as college radio, university radio or student radio) is a type of radio station that is run by the students of a college, university or other educational institution. Programming may be exclusively created or produced ...
Alternative
* 107.9
WKIO "Classic Rock 107 9"
Classic rock
Classic rock is a radio format that developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, it comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the early-1990s, primarily focusing on comm ...
AM radio
* 580
WILL
Will may refer to:
Common meanings
* Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death
* Will (philosophy), or willpower
* Will (sociology)
* Will, volition (psychology)
* Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will
...
,
Public Radio
Public broadcasting (or public service broadcasting) is radio, television, and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service with a commitment to avoiding political and commercial influence. Public broadcasters receive ...
, broadcasting from Urbana
* 1400
WDWS,
News/Talk
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. They may feature monologues, dialogues between the hosts, interviews ...
(
AM Stereo
AM stereo is a term given to a series of mutually incompatible techniques for radio broadcasting stereo audio in the AM band in a manner that is compatible with standard AM receivers. There are two main classes of systems: independent sideban ...
)
* 1460
WJCI,
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
Analog television
* 3
WCIA,
CBS
* 7 W07DD,
Three Angels Network
* 12
WILL-TV
WILL-TV (channel 12) is a PBS member television station licensed to Urbana, Illinois, United States, serving the Central Illinois region. Owned by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign as part of Illinois Public Media, it is sister t ...
,
PBS
* 15
WICD "NewsChannel 15",
ABC
* 17
WAND
A wand is a thin, light-weight rod that is held with one hand, and is traditionally made of wood, but may also be made of other materials, such as metal, bone or stone. Long versions of wands are often styled in forms of staves or sceptres, whi ...
,
NBC
* 23
WBUI,
The CW
The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the firs ...
* 27
WCCU "Fox 55/27"
* 34 W33AY,
Trinity Broadcast Network
* 44 WBXC-CA,
MTV 2
* 49
WCIX "My WCFN TV",
My Network TV
* 51
WEIU,
PBS
Digital television (DTV)
* 9 WILL-DT, PBS
* 18 WAND-DT, NBC
* 22 WBUI-DT, WB
* 26 WCCU-DT, Fox
* 41 WICD-DT, ABC
* 48 WCIA-DT, CBS
* 50 WEIU-DT, PBS
Print
*
The News-Gazette, daily local newspaper
*
Daily Illini
Daily or The Daily may refer to:
Journalism
* Daily newspaper, newspaper issued on five to seven day of most weeks
* ''The Daily'' (podcast), a podcast by ''The New York Times''
* ''The Daily'' (News Corporation), a defunct US-based iPad new ...
* Buzz Weekly
* The Public I indie media newspaper
Transportation

Downtown Urbana is located southwest of the intersection of its two busiest streets: U.S. Route 150, U.S. 150 (University Avenue) and U.S. Route 45, U.S. 45 (Vine Street-Cunningham Avenue).
Most of Urbana lies south of Interstate 74 in Illinois, I-74. There are three exits (from west to east): Lincoln (I-74 milepost 183), Cunningham (184) and University (185). The Lincoln exit is closest to the University of Illinois, while the Cunningham exit goes to downtown Urbana. The university exit goes to downtown Urbana as well as Illinois Route 130 to Philo, Illinois, Philo.
Local bus service is primarily provided by the Champaign–Urbana Mass Transit District, although limited service is available from Champaign County Area Rural Transit System and Danville Mass Transit, operators which primarily serve Rantoul, Illinois, Rantoul and Danville, Illinois, Danville respectively.
The Norfolk Southern Railway, Norfolk Southern operates an east to west line through Urbana. The NS line connects industries in eastern Urbana to the Norfolk Southern main line at Mansfield, Illinois, west of Champaign. The line now operated by Norfolk Southern is the former Peoria & Eastern Railway, later operated as part of the Big Four (Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway), New York Central, Penn Central Transportation, Penn Central, and Conrail systems, being sold by Conrail to Norfolk Southern in 1996. Construction of the line was begun by the Danville, Urbana, Bloomington and Pekin Railroad. This short-lived entity became part of the Indianapolis, Bloomington and Western Railway before the railroad was completed. A branch line of the Norfolk and Western Railway (formerly the Wabash Railroad) used to connect Urbana with the main line from Danville to Decatur at Sidney, Illinois, but this was first rerouted and later closed in the early 1990s.
University of Illinois Willard Airport serves the city.
In popular culture
In the 1968 film ''2001: A Space Odyssey (film), 2001: A Space Odyssey'', Urbana was named as the location where the HAL 9000 computer of the ill-fated Discovery Mission to Jupiter was programmed. The 1959 comedy ''Some Like It Hot'' also mentions Urbana. Near the beginning of this film, Jack Lemmon's character, an unemployed bass player, suggests to Tony Curtis, a saxophone player, that the two visit Urbana to play at the University of Illinois. Instead, the two musicians elected to join a women's band in Florida. Urbana provides the setting for Bert I. Gordon's 1957 science fiction film, ''Beginning of the End (film), Beginning of the End''. Parodied on the television program, ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'', this movie features the unintentional creation of dangerous, giant grasshoppers as a result of agricultural research gone awry.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...
English Professor and National Book Award winner Richard Powers set his novel ''Galatea 2.2'' at the multidisciplinary The Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology. Spanish writer Javier Cercas uses Urbana as the geographical background for two of his novels, "La velocidad de la luz" (2005) and "El inquilino" (1989).
The "
American Football House", which is famously pictured on emo band American Football (band), American Football's albums, is located at 704 West High Street.
Sister cities

Urbana is twinned with three sister cities:
* Zomba, Malawi
* Haizhu District, Haizhu, Guangzhou, China
* Thionville, France
The city of Urbana has been awarded a major grant from Sister Cities International to undertake a trilateral pilot project involving Urbana, Zomba, Malawi, and the Haizhu District, Haizhu District, China. The one-year Sister Cities International, Sino-African Initiative grant is for up to $100,000 and will involve a collaborative effort to improve the municipal waste disposal system in Zomba, a city of 88,000 in southeast Africa. Urbana has had a Sister City relationship with Zomba since 2008, another relationship with Haizhu District, Guangzhou, Guangzhou City, China since 2012, and added a third sister city charter with Thionville, France in 2014. Urbana is one of only three cities in the United States to be awarded a Sino-African grant. The others are Denver and an Asheville/Raleigh, N.C., joint team application.
Notable people
References
External links
City of Urbana (official website)Urbana Free LibraryChampaign-Urbana Historic Built Environment Digital Image CollectionUrbana Park District– local parks, pools, and other recreation
Urbana Business Association''Champaign Democrat,''Google news archive.
—PDFs of 1,286 issues, dating from 1887 through 1916.
{{Authority control
Urbana, Illinois,
Cities in Illinois
Cities in Champaign County, Illinois
County seats in Illinois
Populated places established in 1833
1833 establishments in Illinois