Urbana, city, seat (1833) of Champaign county, east-central Illinois, U.S. Urbana is contiguous with Champaign (west), about 135 miles (220 km) southwest of Chicago. The two cities are often called Champaign-Urbana. The area was first settled in 1822, and in 1833 the city was founded as the county seat and named for Urbana, Ohio. It shares with Champaign the main campus of the University of Illinois (established in 1867 as Illinois Industrial University). On October 9, 1871, much of the city was destroyed by fire—one day after the huge fires in Chicago and in Peshtigo, Wisconsin.
The university is the primary factor in Urbana’s economy. The city lies in a rich agricultural area (corn [maize] and soybeans), and services (including health care and finance), high-technology industries, distribution, and manufacturing (including paper and plastic products and automotive parts) are also important. A tablet in the Champaign County Court House commemorates the occasion when Abraham Lincoln spoke there against the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854). Lorado Taft’s statue depicting Lincoln as a young lawyer is in Carle Park. Several museums, including those devoted to art, science, and natural history, are in the area. Inc. 1855. Pop. (2000) 36,395; Champaign-Urbana Metro Area, 210,275; (2010) 41,250; Champaign-Urbana Metro Area, 231,891.