What Happened to Kewanee, Illinois?

What happened to Kewanee, Illinois? Once known as the Hog Capital of the World and home to the massive Kewanee Boiler Company, this small town in Henry County was a place where industry thrived, downtown was alive, and Hog Days brought in crowds of 50,000.

Today, much of that is gone. The boiler factory that once employed 4,000 people has been abandoned for over two decades. Brownfield sites, empty storefronts and fewer homes mark the decline. Even the prison had to reinvent itself into a “Life Skills Reentry Center” just to keep jobs in town.

In this video, we’ll look at Kewanee’s rise and fall — from railroad boomtown to industrial powerhouse to a community struggling with low wages, population decline, and an uncertain future. We’ll also dig into Hog Days, local history, and of course… the Chris Livability Score. Spoiler: when we get to the economy, things don’t exactly improve.

📍 Highlights in this video:

Kewanee Boiler Company: from 4,000 jobs to fire-ravaged ruins

Hog Days Festival: Kewanee’s biggest event and why it still matters

Education, crime, economy, environment, and more in the Chris Livability Score

How Kewanee compares to other small Illinois towns

💬👇 What do you think — is Kewanee the kind of place that could ever bounce back, or is it stuck waiting for something that isn’t coming? Drop your thoughts in the comments.



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