According to the 2010 census data, Champaign jetted past Decatur (plus Arlington Heights, Evanston and Schaumburg) to become the 11th most populous town in Illinois with 81,055 people. Next, we’ll need to pass Cicero to enter the top ten. Many other local towns saw big growth in the last ten years including Savoy, St. Joseph and Mahomet. Both Mahomet and St. Joseph are over 95% white, while Champaign and Urbana both got more diverse. Seems like a classic case of white flight.
I guess it’s all about perspective, but having lived in Toronto before moving here, I find this quote by Mahomet’s village administrator in a News-Gazette article pretty hilarious:
“We have a slower pace here, which is attractive to people. Our residents get to enjoy the amenities of Champaign-Urbana and the university without having to deal with the traffic issues.”
Champaign County is also now the 10th largest county in the state.