Peru, IL Road Trips
Plan drives from Peru, IL with practical route pages for distance, drive time, fuel cost, road character, and places to stop along the way.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Trip Routes
1
Longest Drive
128.7 mi
Waukegan, IL
Quickest Drive
2h 37m
Waukegan, IL
Plan Around Peru, IL
Popular Incoming Routes
Useful if Peru, IL is the arrival point and you want the strongest routes into the city first.
Peru, IL by the Numbers
Recent demographic snapshot from the US Census Bureau's American Community Survey.
Population
9,863
Median Income
$68,147
Median Home Value
$155,600
Median Age
45.4
Source: US Census Bureau ACS 5-year (public domain). See our methodology for details.
Peru, IL at a Glance
Founded
1838
Elevation
1,959 ft
Area
6 mi²
Notable People from Peru, IL
A sampling of people born in Peru, IL.
Zez Confrey
1895–1971
American composer and pianist (1895–1971)
J. A. Happ
1982
American baseball player
Nora Kirkpatrick
1984
American actress
Katharine Bushnell
1855–1946
American physician and missionary
Florence Holbrook
1860–1932
American educator and author (1860–1932)
Russ Meyer
1923–1997
American baseball player
William E. Metzger
1868–1933
American automotive pioneer (1868-1933)
City data from Wikidata (Q576648), available under CC0. Photos from Wikimedia Commons under their respective licenses. See our methodology for details.
Traveler Guide to Peru, IL
Peru and LaSalle are adjacent towns in Northern Illinois.
Peru is the more prominent of the two cities with a stronger economy, more modern businesses and the Peru Mall. LaSalle (often called La Salle) has lots of historic sites such as a replica canal boat, the Hegeler-Carus Mansion and the Hotel Kaskaskia. The towns have a combined population of 19,896 and a combined area of more than 20 square miles.
I&M Canal Boat, 1307 7th St (A St &, Illinois and Michigan Canal Trail), ☏ +1 815-220-1848. A portion of the Illinois and Michigan Canal that was built to connect the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River. Here you can ride on the Volunteer barge pulled by a mule to relive what it was like. Hegeler Carus Mansion, 1307 7th St, ☏ +1 815-224-6543. lavish mansion built for the Hegeler family in 1874, then inhabited by Paul Carus, said to have the oldest private gym in America. Wild Bill Hickok State Memorial, 207 Peru St, Troy Grove (north of La Salle by a few miles), ☏ +1 815-224-6543. marks the site of where the Civil War and western frontier scout was born. Matthiessen State Park, 2500 IL-178, Oglesby, ☏ +1 815-667-4726. sandstone weathered canyons, prairie forest, nature study. Don't forget the highlight of the area, Starved Rock State Park along Hwy 71 on the south side of the Illinois River, where Europeans and Indians crossed long ago on an ancient geologic bluff (see Northern Illinois page for map pin).
Interstate 39, Interstate 80, U.S. Highway 6
Travel tips adapted from LaSalle-Peru on Wikivoyage, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Content summarized; visit the source for the full article. See our methodology for how we use it.
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