Decatur, County seat in Macon County, Illinois.
The city sits along the Sangamon River in central Illinois and spreads across residential, commercial, and recreational areas with green spaces along the riverbanks. Lake Decatur divides the town and forms a large reservoir with shoreline paths and public boat docks.
The settlement was founded in 1829 and named after Stephen Decatur, an American naval commander from the Barbary Wars era. Abraham Lincoln gave his first political speech here in the 1830s and began his legal career in the region.
The name honors an early 19th-century American naval officer. Residents today gather in parks along the Sangamon River and attend performances by local music groups and theater productions.
The city serves as the administrative center for Macon County and sits at a highway junction between Chicago and St. Louis. Visitors find lodging options downtown and in the outskirts, with restaurants and gas stations along the main roads.
In the early 1920s, local facilities processed more than one-third of the world's soybean output. The town became a center for the emerging soy industry in the United States.
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