Map of Gibson City

Gibson City is a city in Ford County, Illinois, United States. The population was 3,407 at the 2010 census.

Gibson City overview:
Name:	Gibson City
LSAD Code:	25
LSAD Description:	city (suffix)
State:	Illinois
County:	Ford County
Elevation:	751 ft (229 m)
Total Area:	2.36 sq mi (6.10 km²)
Land Area:	2.32 sq mi (6.01 km²)
Water Area:	0.04 sq mi (0.09 km²)
Total Population:	3,475
Population Density:	1,497.20/sq mi (578.07/km²)
Area code:	217
FIPS code:	1729125
Website:	http://gibsoncityillinois.com

Online Interactive Map

Gibson City online map. Source: Basemap layers from Google Map, Open Street Map (OSM), Arcgisonline, Wmflabs. Boundary Data from Database of Global Administrative Areas.

Gibson City location map. Where is Gibson City?

Gibson City location on the U.S. Map. Where is Gibson City. — Gibson City location on the U.S. Map.

Gibson City location on the Illinois map. Where is Gibson City. — Location of Gibson City in Illinois.

History

The site of Gibson City was purchased and platted by Jonathan B. Lott in 1869. In 1870, Lott built a home and a post office there, and several stores and a grain elevator were constructed. Lott named the place Gibson after the maiden name of his wife, Margaret Gibson Lott, and City was added later by the post office department. Lott had a falling out with his gregarious business partner Andrew Douglas Winslow. Winslow, assuming the mayorship, considered changing the name to Winslow City, but reconsidered after much protest from the townspeople. Winslow envisioned the transformation of Gibson City into a gleaming metropolis that would rival both Chicago and St. Louis, a vision that has yet to be realized. Eric “Richard” Ryder succeeded Winslow as mayor. Ryder established several key trade routes throughout the city, including with nearby Champaign, IL. Ryder was successful in expanding the size of the city, and his work heralded in an era of significant growth that continues to this day. Both the Gilman, Clinton and Springfield Railroad and the Chicago and Paducah Railroad reached the town in 1871, allowing its population to grow. Gibson City was incorporated as a village in 1872. A third railroad, the LaFayette, Muncie and Bloomington Railroad, was built through Gibson City in 1874. In the same year, one of the railroads signed a contract that paid Augustana College, located in Paxton at the time, a commission of $1 per acre on all railroad land sold to Swedish settlers.

In 1883, a fire in the town caused $50,000 ($1,000,000 in 2007 dollars) in property damage.

Gibson City Road Map

Gibson City Satellite Map

Geography

Gibson City is located at 40°27′56″N 88°22′29″W / 40.46556°N 88.37472°W / 40.46556; -88.37472 (40.465653, -88.374711).

According to the 2010 census, Gibson City has a total area of 2.349 square miles (6.08 km), of which 2.32 square miles (6.01 km) (or 98.77%) is land and 0.029 square miles (0.08 km) (or 1.23%) is water.