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The Champaign-Urbana Metropolitan Area, also known as Champaign-Urbana and colloquially known as Chambana or Urbaign, is a region in east central Illinois. The region is home to roughly 210,275 residents[1] and encompasses the cities of Champaign, Urbana, and the village of Savoy. Students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are included in this estimate of residents although they are typically discounted from the official city census as they are not permanent residents.
Champaign-Urbana is home to University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system, as well as the University of Illinois Research Park. It has become a major research center and houses many companies and research entities, including: Wolfram Research; iCyt (a biotechnology company); the Illinois Natural History Survey; the Illinois State Geological Survey; Yahoo!; the National Center for Supercomputing Applications; Phonak; PowerWorld; State Farm; and the Science Applications International Corporation.
Demographics overview
The CU Metro area has a total area of 106.3 km² (41.0 mi²) and a population of 124,000 (as of the 2000 census) giving it a population density of roughly 1,200/km² (3,000/mi²). Exact numbers are typically inaccurate due to the fluctuating student population and inconsistent practices used when discounting students as residents. However, official estimates place the population of the entire metro area at approximately 150,000.
Roughly 27% of the residents in the CU Metro area are students at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Additionally, while exact figures are not possible, a large number of residents are graduates of the University, many of them graduates in Science and Engineering who have stayed because of the booming science and technology sectors in the metro area.
Colleges and Universities
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is distinguished by the breadth of its programs, broad academic excellence and internationally renowned faculty, U of I has become a world leader in research, teaching, and public interaction. The campus offers rich experiences beyond the classroom, from the best in performing arts at Krannert Center to the thrills of competition with Big Ten sports. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has been consistently ranked as one to the top 10 public universities in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, and is currently ranked 8th best public university and 38th best national university.
Since 1966, Parkland College has provided affordable vocational-technical and academic education to area residents in District 505's community and business life. Today, more than 11,900 credit and noncredit students attend Parkland for career and transfer programs, community classes and workshops, and online courses. Parkland Theatre and Planetarium are two spectacular points of interest and house many shows each year. The Parkland Art Gallery, founded in 1981, displays work by contemporary artists of regional and national status.
Arts and Culture
Urbana-Champaign presents a rich variety of cultural programs for entertainment and education. Performance centers such as Krannert Center, the Assembly Hall, and Foellinger Auditorium host popular performers of music and shows. The Boardman's Art Theatre, the Virginia Theatre, and the Station Theatre present the world's finest operas, ballets, and plays. Great museums, lectures, and presentations by the world's top scholars enrich our community at the Spurlock Museum, the Orpheum Children's Science Museum, and the Champaign County Historical Museum. These and many more venues provide a diverse array of artistic and cultural opportunites in the Champaign-Urbana area.
Health Care
Two major regional healthcare systems offer Champaign-Urbana the most advanced medical services and physicians to meet the growing needs of the community. With nearly 300 physicians working together in more than 50 medical/surgical specialties, Carle Clinic Association serves Champaign-Urbana and the surrounding communities. Carle Foundation Hospital provides a 300-bed, not-for-profit teaching hospital and the region's only Level 1 Trauma Center.
Provena Health is an integrated Catholic health care system, including 6 area hospitals, 5 home health care agencies, 28 clinics, 16 long-term care and residential centers that provide a continuum of care. Provena Covenant Medical Center offers a 254-bed regional hospital, with over 250 physicians representing 37 areas of specialized healthcare.