 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (July 2015) |
Dixon, Illinois | |
|---|---|
 Aerial view of Dixon, Illinois | |
 Flag  Seal | |
| Nickname: Petunia City | |
 Location of Dixon in Lee County, Illinois | |
  Dixon  Dixon | |
| Coordinates: 41°50′46″N 89°29′6″W / 41.84611°N 89.48500°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Illinois |
| County | Lee |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Glen Hughes |
| Area | |
| • Total | 8.79 sq mi (22.76 km2) |
| • Land | 8.48 sq mi (21.96 km2) |
| • Water | 0.31 sq mi (0.80 km2) |
| Elevation | 712 ft (217 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 15,274 |
| • Density | 1,801.60/sq mi (695.64/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| ZIP Code(s) | 61021, 61022, 61023 |
| Area code | 815 |
| FIPS code | 17-20162 |
| GNIS ID | 2394537 |
| Wikimedia Commons | Dixon, Illinois |
| Website | www |
Dixon is a city and the county seat of Lee County, Illinois, United States.[2] The population was 15,274 as of the 2020 census. The city is named after founder John Dixon, who operated a rope ferry service across the Rock River, which runs through the city.[3] The Illinois General Assembly designated Dixon as "Petunia Capital of Illinois" in 1999 and "The Catfish Capital of Illinois" in 2009.
Dixon was the boyhood home of former U.S. President Ronald Reagan. The city is also the site of the Lincoln Monument State Memorial, marking the spot where Abraham Lincoln joined the Illinois militia at Fort Dixon in 1832 during the Black Hawk War. The memorial is located on the west side of Dixon's main north-south street, Galena Avenue (U.S. Route 52, also Illinois Route 26), north of the Rock River.[4] The city is also the site of the Dixon Bridge Disaster of 1873, the worst road bridge disaster in American history. A marker for the disaster stands near the Lincoln Statue, on the north bank of the river.
- ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
historywas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved July 28, 2015.