The largest city in Champaign County, Illinois, many of the sporting venues of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) are located here; however, most of the school is located in Champaign's neighbor to the immediate east, Urbana, Illinois.
In the 2000 Census, Champaign's population was 67,518. Champaign is at a crossroads for both rail traffic and highways. Candian National has an Illinois Central branded rail line which runs north-south through Champaign, and there Norfolk Southern lines connecting Champaign to Bloomington and Decatur. Interstate 57, Interstate 72, and Interstate 74 all provide service to Champaign.