Driving Around Downtown Decatur, IL in 4k Video

Filmed on Sunday, March 6, 2023, I drive around the downtown area of the city of Decatur, Illinois to see what's going on. On the way out of town I drive past the ADM processing plant. I really wish you could SMELL a video.

Decatur is the largest city and the county seat of Macon County in the U.S. state of Illinois, with a population of 70,522 as of the 2020 Census. The city was founded in 1829 and is situated along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in Central Illinois. Decatur is the seventeenth-most populous city in Illinois.

The city is home of private Millikin University and public Richland Community College. Decatur has an economy based on industrial and agricultural commodity processing and production, including the North American headquarters of agricultural conglomerate Archer Daniels Midland, international agribusiness Tate & Lyle's largest corn-processing plant, and the designing and manufacturing facilities for Caterpillar Inc.'s wheel-tractor scrapers, compactors, large wheel loaders, mining class motor grader, off-highway trucks, and large mining trucks.

The city is named after War of 1812 naval hero Stephen Decatur.

Decatur is an affiliate of the U.S. Main Street program, in conjunction with the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The Potawatomi Trail of Death passed through here in 1838.

Decatur was the first home in Illinois of Abraham Lincoln, who settled just west of Decatur with his family in 1830. At the age of 21, Lincoln gave his first political speech in Decatur about the importance of Sangamon River navigation that caught the attention of Illinois political leaders. As a lawyer on the 8th Judicial Circuit, Lincoln made frequent stops in Decatur. The original courthouse is now on the grounds of the Macon County Historical Museum on North Fork Road. John Hanks, first cousin of Abraham Lincoln, lived in Decatur.

Decatur was the original home of the Chicago Bears, from 1919 to 1920. The football team was then known as the Decatur Staleys and played at Staley Field, both named after the local food-products manufacturer.

Caterpillar Inc. has one of its largest manufacturing plants in the U.S. in Decatur. This plant produces Caterpillar's off highway trucks, wheel-tractor scrapers, compactors, large wheel loaders, mining-class motorgraders, and their ultra-class mining trucks (including the Caterpillar 797). Archer Daniels Midland processes corn and soybeans, Mueller produces water distribution products and Tate & Lyle processes corn in Decatur.

Decatur has been ranked third in the nation as an Emerging Logistics and Distribution Center by Business Facilities: The Location Advisor, and was named a Top 25 Trade City by Global Trade. In 2013 the Economic Development Corporation of Decatur & Macon County established the Midwest Inland Port, a multi-modal transportation hub with market proximity to 95 million customers in a 500-mile radius. The port includes the Archer Daniels Midland intermodal container ramp, the two class I railroads that service the ramp and the city (the Canadian National Railway, and the Norfolk Southern Railway), five major roadways and the Decatur Airport. The Midwest Inland Port also has a foreign trade zone and customs clearing, and the area is both an enterprise zone and tax increment financing district.

In August 2019, Mueller Company announced plans to construct a "state-of-the-art" brass foundry in Decatur on a 30 acre site in the 2700 block of North Jasper Street. The facility is expected to employ 250 personnel.

In November 2020, ADM and InnovaFeed announced plans to construct the world's largest insect protein facility targeted to begin in 2021. The facility will be owned and operated by InnovaFeed and will co-locate with ADM's Decatur corn processing complex. This new project represents innovative, sustainable production to meet growing demand for insect protein in animal feed, a market that has potential to reach 1 million tons in 2027.

Millikin University, a four-year institution of higher education, has a 75-acre campus founded by James Millikin and was originally affiliated with the Presbyterian Church.

Decatur has been mentioned in several movies, including the 1984 movie Bachelor Party, the 1986 movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and the 2008 movie Leatherheads. #driving #travel #drivingtour

[RichardBinder-dxfk]

I was born and raised in Decatur. Haven't been back since 1985. Grew up across from the ADM plant on Faries Parkway in a trailer court that is no longer there. It was a poor but decent neighborhood back in the 60's and 70's. Took guitar lessons at a shop called Axe in Hand. The former building can be seen in the thumbnail across from Del's Popcorn shop. Also worked at the movie theatres and drive inns.

[jamesgrandstaff]

I know all about the smell. I always held my breath when crossing the bridge that was near the end of your video. Stunk like hell

[sterling]

My great great grandparents lived there. I hope to visit someday and check out my roots. I'm glad I found this video. Thanks!

[popesweetjesus]

I’ve been in Decatur since 2002. I’m black. The crime has gotten worse when it comes to shootings, specifically East, South, and West. About 30 people are arrested daily. The North is Forsyth and the surrounding areas. The only things we have here is ADM and CAT. The cops power trip, people are flocking the city, and I definitely wouldn’t recommend anyone come here to permanently live.

[jasonlotz]

I was born in that city. Thanks for the video.

[timothy]

I lived there in the 70s but it certainly looks different hardly anyone outside except driving very sad

[mattmiller]

i grew up here and leaving was one of the best decisions i ever made, this place is a dead end city... It's very hard to get out of the struggle when living there.

[JohnnyUtah]

I’ve met a family from Decatur in August 1986 while on vacation in Gulf Shores, Alabama. I hung out with the son and daughter, and also a couple of friends they each invited the entire week we were there. Hello Krista, Mike, Carmen, and Tom if y’all read this! Miss you guys.

There’s also a YouTuber that is from here.

[rickhicks]

Born in late 50's. Macon co. Hospital . Lived on water street went to olgavee grade school to 3rd grade thin moved south . I had 6 aunts 3 uncles from Decatur.

[daughternumber]

There’s no one out walking because it cold or maybe Saturday or Sunday but even now the bus run on weekends and this is only the down town area everything is closed

[ThePaterfamilious]

I grew up in Decatur, had kids here and moved away in 1999... Came back for about a year around 2004, Decatur used to be a Union Town that got hit hard by the Labor Works of the mid 90's... I worked at Staley's for almost 20 years and Tate & Lyle did a Lock Out that Broke their Union... (Cat and Firestone was targeted at about the same time... The Town went down from there with low paying jobs taking over...
Decatur had a vibrant giving community with many active people in it, I was Hit by a Tornado as a volunteer Storm Spotter and actually set off the Warning Sirens for the 2nd of two consecutive Tornado's in 1996... It crushed my pelvis and broke both of my hips and I moved my family out to California after that...
After moving back, it just wasn't the same place and it had turned on harder times... But, the world too wasn't the same place I grew up in either!!! It's not as good a place for Families and the close Friendships neighborhoods once were conducive towards... There is a lot more pitfalls and poverty to Life!!! I hope Decatur is better now... Blessing's on you guys!!! ;-) Lonnie McVaigh SDHS Class of 73' (Last year for the Ole' Building I think) Thank You for the memories!!!

[Chris-tj]

Decatur is stuck in 1987...Mall..Dead. Fun Fair, , , Gone...Celebration..gone. I come to see my parents but after 36 hours...Im ready to go.

[cmax]

That smell is from Tate and Lyle manufacturing company that makes products from soybeans. Not so bad a city and no homeless people so far, thank God.👍

[EmperorLAJ]

Beautiful Original Town with so much room for growth. A slight adjustment in property tax would be nice, but then there would have to be cut backs on the outrages number of casinos. 😂The soybean smell, smells like Cheeze Itz after awhile. If you don’t go looking for trouble you won’t find it. I’m from Dallas Tx and can appreciate the calmness and steady pace of this town. Hopefully more inspiring entrepreneurs will come to live here and help build the city back up to its full potential🤞🏾

[Averlus]

There's no one out walking around because it's cold out. There's no leaves on the trees.

[horseshoemountainprojects]

Decatur, Il. Hurricane ready since 1984!

[harrygoldun]

Where are the people? Another city / town and no one around. Seen this repeated several times in other vlogs. What's wrong with you folks?

[Allertor]

Wow this is your most popular video congratulations

[dthor]

Im planning to move there. Is this a safe place to live?

[madman]

Decatur has a very bad smell if you have never been to decatur do not go there very bad place to live or visit