Le Roy, Illinois
| Le Roy | |
| City | |
 Downtown Le Roy, Illinois
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| Motto: "Creating our past by investing in our future" | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | Illinois |
| County | McLean |
| Township | Empire |
| Elevation | 784 ft (239 m) |
| Coordinates | 40°20′50″N 88°45′44″W / 40.34722°N 88.76222°WCoordinates: 40°20′50″N 88°45′44″W / 40.34722°N 88.76222°W |
| Area | 2.34 sq mi (6 km2) |
| - land | 2.32 sq mi (6 km2) |
| - water | 0.02 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Population | 3,560 (2010) |
| Density | 1,500.3/sq mi (579/km2) |
| Government | Mayor and council, with a full-time city administrator. |
| - location | City Hall: 207 South East Street |
| Mayor | Steven M. Dean |
| Timezone | CST (UTC-6) |
| - summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| Postal code | 61752 |
| Area code | 309 |
   Location of Le Roy within Illinois
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Website: www |
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Le Roy (also styled "LeRoy") is a city in McLean County, Illinois, United States. The population was 3,560 at the 2010 census.
Le Roy is located at 40°20′50″N 88°45′44″W / 40.34722°N 88.76222°W (40.347168, -88.762293).
According to the 2010 census, Le Roy has a total area of 2.336 square miles (6.05 km2), of which 2.32 square miles (6.01 km2) (or 99.32%) is land and 0.016 square miles (0.04 km2) (or 0.68%) is water.
LeRoy was laid out on 28 November 1835 by Asahel Gridley (26 April 1810 – 25 January 1881) and Merritt L. Covell (30 January 1808 – 17 September 1847). The founders were Bloomington businessmen. They had served together in the Black Hawk War, Covell as a captain and Gridley as a lieutenant. Because of their brief service both men were popularly called "General". Both would later serve in the Illinois General Assembly, and Gridley would eventually become McLean County's first millionaire.
LeRoy was the first of eight towns to be laid out within the present boundaries of McLean County during the great Illinois town-founding boom which peaked in the summer of 1836. LeRoy was located on a low mound, on prairie land, where the Bloomington to Danville state road crossed the road from Shelbyville to Chicago. The chief problem confronting Gridley and Covell was a place called Munroe, which consisted of a single store run by John W. Baddeley (24 June 1794 – 19 February 1871). It was located a mile and a half southwest of the new town. Although generally said to have been laid out in 1834 or 1836, no plat of the town has yet been found. Baddeley had been born in Whitchurch, Shropshire, England, and had come to the United States with his family in 1832. He had quickly entered a thousand acres (4 km²) of land in Empire Township and seemed on his way to becoming a wealthy and important man. Baddeley was offered twenty-seven prime lots in LeRoy if he would move his store to the newly established town. Baddeley agreed. He lost most of his fortune in 1837 but continued to do business in LeRoy for many years.
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