Peoria: America's test city

On the Illinois River in the heart of the Midwest, Peoria has historically become synonymous with 'Middle America' in the famous theatrical expression 'Will it play in Peoria?'

The city center can be comfortably walked on foot in little time.

The headquarters of Caterpillar, a global heavy machinery giant, made Peoria a key industrial centre for the entire American Midwest.

A few minutes away, the Peoria Riverfront Museum combines art, science, natural history and a modern planetarium in a single expansive complex overlooking the Illinois River.

Continuing along the river, you walk the wide Riverfront, a departure point for pleasant summer river cruises on the Illinois River.

Towards evening, the Warehouse District neighbourhood comes alive with various restaurants and bars in converted industrial buildings in the heart of the downtown.

The phrase 'will it succeed in Peoria?' originated during the vaudeville era as a way to describe the average American audience, making the city an enduring informal synonym for the sensibilities of the typical American citizen of any era.

Caterpillar, founded in Peoria in 1925 through the merger of two competing companies, remains one of the world's leading manufacturers of construction machinery, wielding enormous economic influence over the city and entire surrounding region.