172 years in pictures
6 postcards, papers and photographs from public archives.
- 1854Chenoa is settled
- 1869Bird's eye view of Chenoa, McLean County, Illinois 1869
- 1900Station at Chenoa, Ill's
- 2007Chenoa Crossroads
A town of 1,996, settled in 1854. A typical home worth about $174K.
The 3 things Chenoa does most differently from other towns.
Where Chenoa’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Be the first to start the conversation.
Ordered by what stands out in Chenoa. Another town gets a different order.
The typical Chenoa home is worth about $174,000, up 7.8% in a year, 41% below the Illinois typical home.
Most working residents leave Chenoa for work: only 4% work in town. The top destinations are Bloomington (25%), Normal (13%) and Lexington (7%). Half commute less than 22 miles.
Chenoa beats the Illinois average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2.
| What stands out | Chenoa | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.1% | 13.2% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 11% | 15.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.7% | 7.6% |
The public schools Chenoa’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, outperform 68% of Illinois’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they rank near the top.
| School | Grades | Students | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prairie Central Primary West | PK–1 | 244 | Not graded |
Chenoa has chilly winters and warm summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 20 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 60% of U.S. communities.
1.5 miles of trails across 5 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Silliman Lake | 0.6 mi | 22 |
| 2. George B. Ferree Field | — | 6 |
| 3. Main City Park | — | 4 |
6 postcards, papers and photographs from public archives.
11 notable people were born in Chenoa.





City in Illinois, United States
Chenoa is a city in McLean County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,695 at the 2020 census. The city is located at the intersections of Interstate 55, Historic Route 66, and U.S. Route 24. Founded in 1854 by Matthew T. Scott, Chenoa was created to provide a retail and trade center for his farm tenants as well as a grain shipping facility. The Chenoa Centennial was celebrated in 1954. The town is situated in a highly productive agricultural area. The town school system closed at the end of the 2004 school year, consolidating with the nearby Prairie Central school district.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Chenoa.