Our Location

Peoria, Illinois offers a community full of surprises! With an approximate metropolitan area population of 350,000, Peoria is large enough to provide a wide range of cultural, recreational, and educational opportunities. View a map of Methodist College's location within the city of Peoria. 

Arts

Arts organizations include the Peoria Symphony, Peoria Ballet, and Peoria Art Guild.

The Peoria Riverfront Museum, affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution, is one of the only museums in the U.S. that features both arts and sciences.  

The Peoria Civic Center offers a Broadway theater series featuring various traveling theatrical productions. The community is also rich in local productions. The Peoria Players is the oldest continuously-running community theater in Illinois. 

Sports

Professional sports teams include: Class A Peoria Chiefs baseball and Peoria Rivermen hockey. 

Peoria is home to March Madness - the annual Illinois High School Association Class A and AA boys' state basketball tournaments. 

Golfers will appreciate the area's many outstanding public golf courses (and low greens fees), including the championship course at Weaver Ridge Golf Club. Outdoor Activity Summer brings out boaters and skiers on the Illinois River. The Peoria Park District ranks first in Illinois and is one of the top public park systems in the nation based on its ratio of open-space holdings to population. It offers hiking and biking trails, tennis courts, swimming, water parks, ice skating, camping and picnic areas, recreation and wellness centers, and a wide range of classes and programs for all ages. 

The Peoria Park District also operates the Glen Oak Zoo, Luthy Memorial Botanical Garden, and Grand View Drive - called the "world's most beautiful drive" by Theodore Roosevelt. 

Education

Peoria offers a wide variety of public and private schools. Peoria Public Schools' special programs include health, business, and technology academies as well as the prestigious International Baccalaureate program, designed to meet the highest standards required of any high school in the world. 

Higher education includes:

Illinois Central College (2-year community college)

Bradley University (4-year private university and graduate school)

University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria

Illinois State University is an easy commute away

Housing

Peoria ranks in the top five nationwide for housing affordability (National Association of Home Builders' Housing Opportunity Index). We've got what you're looking for, from beautiful new subdivisions to older neighborhoods with tree-lined streets and welcoming front porches, and converted loft apartments overlooking Peoria's eclectic riverfront.

Climate

The climate is mild, ranging from an average high of 85 degrees in July to 29 degrees in January.

Transportation

The Peoria area is served by the Greater Peoria Regional Airport and interstates I-74, I-474, I-155 and I-39.

Links

For more information, check out these Peoria-area links: 

http://www.explorepeoria.com/

http://www.peoria.org/

http://www.peoriachamber.org/

http://greaterpeoriaedc.org/

http://www.peoriaparks.org/

http://www.peoriapubliclibrary.org/

http://www.peoriapublicschools.org/

http://www.dunlapcusd.net/

http://peorianotredame.com/

http://www.peoriachristian.org/