BlockTowanda, Illinois
15 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1926 and the latest in 1998. It stands in Towanda Township. It lies in ZIP code area 61776. The Survey maps it on the Normal East quadrangle. 431 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 776 feet above sea level.
On record in Towanda
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 1 record
Duncan Manorlisted 1979
Population over time
2 figuresTowanda fell from 480 to 431 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 480 | |
| 2020 | 431 | -49 (-10%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
9 surveys from 15 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1926 USGS Normal quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1930 USGS Normal quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1958 USGS Peoria quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1961 USGS Peoria quadrangle1:250000
- 1963 USGS Peoria quadrangle1:250000
- 1981 USGS Normal East quadrangle1:24000
- 1985 USGS Fairbury quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
- 1990 USGS Peoria quadrangle1:250000
- 1998 USGS Normal East quadrangle1:24000
In the county-history sources
15,602 words on this townshipThe Good Old Times in McLean County, Illinois : Containing Two Hundred and Sixty-one Sketches of Old Settlers, a Complete Historical Sketch of the Black Hawk War and Descriptions of All Matters of Interest Relating to McLean County, published 1874 names this settlement in its chapter on Towanda Township. These are the passages that mention it, exactly as the scans read.
Since this wTork has been in preparation, five old settlers have passed away. Their names are : James C. Harbord, of Bloomington township ; Alexander P. Craig, of Downs township ; Dr. John F. Henry, late of Burlington, Iowa; Patrick Hopkins, of Lexington ; and Daniel Crumbaugh, of Empire township. Peace to their ashes !
Passage source: The Good Old Times in McLean County, Illinois : Containing Two Hundred and Sixty-one Sketches of Old Settlers, a Complete Historical Sketch of the Black Hawk War and Descriptions of All Matters of Interest Relating to McLean County, published 1874.
The present generation of McLean County is so near, in point of time, to the old settlers, that, as a rule, sufficient importance is not attached to their early struggles, their fortitude, and selfsacrifice, which has resulted in the astonishing progress of the county. While the pioneers are deservedly held in high esteem by all who study the local history of Illinois, it will remain for future generations to bestow upon them the full degree of gratitude and veneration to which they are entitled. In the same manner we now look back to Revolutionary sires with a pride we do not care to conceal.
Passage source: The Good Old Times in McLean County, Illinois : Containing Two Hundred and Sixty-one Sketches of Old Settlers, a Complete Historical Sketch of the Black Hawk War and Descriptions of All Matters of Interest Relating to McLean County, published 1874.
The old settlers were ardent believers in the future greatn of Illinois, where they had found a rich soil, a beautiful country, and everything that could promise a wonderful development. How well their anticipations have been fulfilled need not be told. Doubtless they did not believe that the very next generation after them would reap such golden returns from the original investments, but thev knew too well that such returns could not be delayed many years after the first inhabitants should pass away.
Passage source: The Good Old Times in McLean County, Illinois : Containing Two Hundred and Sixty-one Sketches of Old Settlers, a Complete Historical Sketch of the Black Hawk War and Descriptions of All Matters of Interest Relating to McLean County, published 1874.
Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.
Read the whole chapter on Towanda Township - it names this place 8 more 8 times.
Storms near this place
12 since 1994Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Towanda in 12 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 6 thunderstorm wind, 5 hail, 1 tornado. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Towanda | $80,000 | Numerous trees and tree branches were blown down, including a branch that brought power lines down and caused a fire at a house on North Street. Crops were flattened by strong thunderstorm winds as well. |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Towanda | $20,000 | A large tree was blown onto a house. |
| May 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Towanda | $7,000 | Several healthy 12 inch diameter trees were blown down.| |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Towanda | $2,000 | A large maple tree was blown down. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Towanda | - | Heavy tree damage occurred in Towanda. County Highway 29 was blocked off from tree debris. |
| November 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Towanda | - | A 65mph thunderstorm wind gust was measured near Towanda. |
| May 2014 | Hail | Towanda | - | Hail lasted for 3 minutes. |
| April 2006 | Tornado (F0) | Towanda | - | The tornado briefly touched down in a field. No damage was reported. |
| May 2014 | Hail | Towanda | - | no account filed |
| June 2009 | Hail | Towanda | - | no account filed |
| July 2004 | Hail | Towanda | - | no account filed |
| April 1994 | Hail | Towanda | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eagle Ridge | 3.7 miles | 15 | |
| Greenbriar | 4.0 miles | 15 | |
| North Pointe | 4.0 miles | 15 | |
| Hawthorne Hills | 4.1 miles | 15 | |
| Barnes | 4.2 miles | 15 | |
| Hedgewood | 4.4 miles | 15 | |
| Kerrick | 4.8 miles | 15 | |
| Merna | 5.1 miles | 14 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Towanda | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q1988166 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 419790. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.