Peoria(/piːˈɔəriə/)isthelargestcityontheIllinoisRiverandthecountyseatofPeoriaCounty,[1]Illinois,intheUnitedStates.ItisnamedafterthePeoriatribe.Asofthe2010census,thecitywastheseventh-mostpopulatedinIllinois,withapopulationof115,007,andisthethird-mostpopulatedmetropolitanareainIllinoisoutsideoftheChicagoMetropolitanArea.[2]ThePeoriaMetropolitanStatisticalAreahadapopulationof372,487in2008,makingitthethirdlargestmetropolitanareainthestateaftertheChicagometropolitanareaandtheMetro-EastportionoftheSt.Louismetropolitanarea.[3]
PeoriahasbecomefamousasarepresentationoftheaverageAmericancitybecauseofitsdemographicsanditsperceivedmainstreamMidwesternculture.OntheVaudevillecircuit,itwassaidthatifanactwouldsucceedinPeoria,itwouldworkanywhere.Thequestion"WillitplayinPeoria?"hasnowbecomeametaphorforwhethersomethingappealstotheAmericanmainstreampublic.PeoriaisthehomeofRayLaHood,nowservingasSecretaryofTransportationinPresidentObama'scabinet.[4]ItisalsoheadquartersforCaterpillarInc.,oneofthe30companiescomposingtheDowJonesIndustrialAverage.