Pekin, city, seat of Tazewell County and also in Peoria County, central Illinois, a port on the Illinois River; incorporated 1839. It is a shipping and processing center for a productive grain-farming region; manufactures include alcohol, sugar, corn syrup, earth-moving equipment, and steel wire. The community, settled in 1824, was named in 1830 under the assumption (incorrect) that its location on the earth was opposite Beijing, China. Abraham Lincoln argued cases here as a young lawyer, and U.S. Senator Everett Dirksen was born and lived in Pekin. Population 33,967 (1980); 32,254 (1990); 33,857 (2000).Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Pekin Information info
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