Founded in 1855, with the coming of the railroad, Champaign is a commercial and industrial center in a productive farm area. Champaign has become a desired area with enriched prairie plantings. In 1978, the Urbana Park District planted prairie seeds on a small piece of former farm field at Meadowbrook Park in southeast Urbana. Since 1984, the Champaign County Audubon Society has worked with the Park District to maintain and enrich the prairie plantings. The large 130 acre park is predominantly a natural area that provides habitat for a wide range of plants and animals.
