The largest small town in Central Illinois

As Mayor Ed Wollet said, "Clinton is the largest small town in Central Illinois."

Located less than 10 miles from the geographic center of Illinois, Clinton is a Lincoln town with a ton of history. The town is located at the center of a diamond of big cities on the map. To the east is Champaign, Decatur lies 26 miles to the south, Lincoln is about a half hour drive west on Rt. 10 and Bloomington-Normal is just a short drive up 51.

Clinton has over 7,000 residents, but the feel of a small town. Historically, it is most known for being the site of President Lincoln's famous speech where he said "You can fool some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time."

The center of the town is a square that reminded me of the set they used to film the 1950s scenes in Back to the Future. Clintonians know it as the downtown square, or just "the square."

The Square is the center for many prominent businesses such as Watkins Jewelry, The Yak Shak, The Loft, Brady Realtors and Snapper's Bar and Grill. The old courthouse was located at the center of the square.

Snappers is the most popular bar in Clinton, catering to sports fans. Snappers is a nice place, but I prefer Breaker's, a bar on Madison Street. Instead of sports, they often have Headline News on television. But the most appealing part of the place is the fact that it is the only place in Clinton that serves breakfast all day.

It has a beautiful lake and state park within miles of the town. It is also home of the central Illinois landfill.

Many contraversies have come through Clinton over the years. It was the DeWitt County prison that escapee Clayton Lee Waagner made his break in 2002. It is also the home of Amanda Hamm, a local woman that served 5 years in prison after being found guilty of child endangerment when her three children were drowned in Clinton Lake.

Although it may be known as a small town, Clinton has produced people who went on to accomplish great things. Gene Armstrong worked for NASA, Gene Vance played in the NBA and was one of the University of Illinois "Whiz Kids," Joe Axelson, Jr. became general manager of the NBA's Sacramento Kings and was named the first ever NBA Executive of the Year in 1973.

In the mid 20-th century, Clinton was a booming railroad town. It's famed Clintonia movie theatre was destroyed in 1989 after an abundance of snow forced the roof to collapse. The town just recently built a new theatre in 2008.

It seems like no matter where you go in Clinton, you will run into someone you know. The atmosphere is much more laid back than in Chicago or the suburbs. Friendlier for sure.