Streator, Illinois
Streator is a city of 12,330 people in LaSalle County, Illinois, founded in 1861.
Why visit Streator
Townapedia lists 6 museums and landmarks, 11 parks and trails, 21 places to eat, 2 places to stay and 2 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Streator Eagle 6, Engle Lane Theater, Ruffin Drew Fletcher House and Silas Williams House.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 88°F; January lows average 16°F, and about 26 inches of snow fall in a normal year.
Weather in Streator
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Streator
Streator is a city in LaSalle and Livingston counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. The city is situated on the Vermilion River approximately 81 miles (130 km) southwest of Chicago in the prairie and farm land of north-central Illinois. As of the 2020 census, the population of Streator was 12,500.
From the Wikipedia article Streator, Illinois (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do2
Museums and landmarks6
Ruffin Drew Fletcher House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places
Historic house in Illinois, United States
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Silas Williams House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places
Queen Anne-style house
Streatorland Historical Museum
Museum
109 East Elm Street, Streator
Tu-Fr 10:00-15:00
Parks, trails and playgrounds11
Restaurants and cafes21
Gaetano's Vault
Restaurant · Steak House
200 East Main Street, Streator
We 16:00-21:00; Th 11:00-14:00, 16:00-21:00; Fr-Sa 11:00-14:00,...
Joe's Station House Pizzeria
Restaurant · Pizza
617 East Main Street, Streator
Mo-Th 16:00-21:00; Fr-Sa 16:00-22:00; Su 16:00-20:00
Chippers Grill
Diner · American · 1.2 mi
1733 North Bloomington Street, Streator
Mo-Th 08:00-20:00; Fr-Sa 07:00-21:00; Su 07:00-20:00
Dig Dougs BBQ
Restaurant · Barbecue · 1.6 mi
2322 North Bloomington Street, Streator
Th 11:00-19:00; Fr-Sa 11:00-20:00
La Casa Jalisco
Restaurant · Mexican · 0.5 mi
101 East Bridge Street, Streator
Mo-Fr 11:00-22:00; Sa 11:30-22:00; Su 11:30-21:00
New China
Restaurant · Chinese · 1.3 mi
1 Northpoint Drive, Streator
Tu-Su 11:00-21:00
Time-Out Ice Cream
Ice cream · 0.4 mi
915 East Main Street, Streator
Mo-Fr 14:00-22:00; Sa-Su 13:00-22:00
9 more on the map.
History
Although settlements had occasionally existed in the area, they were not permanent. In 1824, surveyors for the Illinois and Michigan Canal which would extend from Chicago's Bridgeport neighborhood to the Illinois River, a tributary of the Mississippi River, arrived in this area of the Vermilion River, followed by homesteaders by the 1830s. In 1861, miner John O'Neill established a trading post called "Hardscrabble" (ironically an early name for the Bridgeport neighborhood), supposedly because he watched loaded animals struggle up the river's banks. Another name for the new settlement was "Unionville".
Streator received its current name to honor Worthy S. Streator, an Ohio industrialist who financed the region's first coal mining operation. Streator received a town charter in 1868 and incorporated as a city in 1882. In 1882 Col. Ralph Plumb was elected as its first mayor. Streator's early growth was due to the coal mine, as well as a major glass manufacturer and its status as a Midwestern railroad hub. Today Streator's economy is led by heavy-equipment manufacturer Vactor and food distributor U.S. Foodservice.
The city is the hometown of Clyde Tombaugh, who in 1930 discovered the dwarf planet Pluto, the first object to be discovered in what would later be identified as the Kuiper belt; and George "Honey Boy" Evans, who wrote "In the Good Old Summer Time."
From the History section of Streator, Illinois on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay2
AmericInn by Wyndham Streator
Motel and hotel · 1.1 mi
1705 North Bloomington Street, Streator
Starved Rock Motor Inn - Hotels in Starved Rock Area
Motel and hotel · 1.4 mi
2110 North Bloomington Street, Streator
Churches and places of worship12
Christ Episcopal Church
Church · Episcopal · 0.4 mi
132 South Vermillion Street, Streator
First United Methodist Church
Church · United Methodist · 0.4 mi
201 South Monroe Street, Streator
Park Presbyterian Church
Church · Presbyterian
201 North Vermillion Street, Streator
Saint Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church
Church · Evangelical Lutheran
509 East Broadway Street, Streator
Shopping3
Gas and EV charging2
Schools, colleges and libraries14
Streator Public Library
Library · National Register of Historic Places · 0.4 mi
130 South Park Street, Streator
Healthcare2
Map of Streator
75 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32°F | 16°F | 2.6 in | 9.6 in |
| Feb | 37°F | 19°F | 1.9 in | 4.8 in |
| Mar | 49°F | 29°F | 2.8 in | 3.7 in |
| Apr | 62°F | 40°F | 3.7 in | 0.7 in |
| May | 74°F | 52°F | 4.7 in | 0.0 in |
| Jun | 84°F | 62°F | 4.7 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 88°F | 66°F | 4.1 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 84°F | 64°F | 3.7 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 78°F | 55°F | 3.6 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 65°F | 44°F | 3.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Nov | 49°F | 32°F | 2.6 in | 0.8 in |
| Dec | 37°F | 22°F | 2.2 in | 6.8 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Streator 3 Se (2 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
LaSalle County has had 11 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for snowstorms.
- 2020-03-26: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
- 2013-11-26: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornadoes (Tornado)
- 2013-05-10: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding (Flood)
- 2011-03-17: Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm (Snowstorm)
- 2008-10-03: Severe Storms And Flooding (Severe Storm)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Illinois Valley Regional Airport (VYS) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 23 miles away.
- Ottawa 16 mi north, about 25 min by car
- Marseilles 16 mi northeast, about 25 min by car
- Seneca 17 mi northeast, about 27 min by car
- Oglesby 17 mi northwest, about 28 min by car
- Minonk 18 mi southwest, about 30 min by car
- Pontiac 19 mi southeast, about 31 min by car
- North Utica 19 mi northwest, about 30 min by car
- LaSalle 20 mi northwest, about 32 min by car
- Dwight 21 mi east, about 34 min by car
- Peru 23 mi northwest, about 37 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Streator IL Downtown1, IvoShandor, CC BY-SA 3.0
- 20141108 07 BNSF Streator, Illinois (24709386690), David Wilson from Oak Park, Illinois, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Major residential damage in Streator, Illinois, following an EF3 tornado on June 11, 2026, NWS Chicago, Public domain
- Streator IL Streator Public Library1, IvoShandor, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Streator IL Silas Williams House1, IvoShandor, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Streator Il Ruffin Drew Fletcher House1, IvoShandor, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Original b1fbfc33-3316-40f0-b536-8c387b04c37d 20230511 112154, Wphelan82, CC0
- ISS067-E-172704 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS067-E-172703 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS045-E-98351 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS067-E-164181 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS054-E-56348 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS045-E-98350 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS067-E-164178 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS067-E-164180 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS067-E-172706 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS067-E-164179 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS067-E-172705 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS054-E-56349 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center, Public domain
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