Awards

• Peoria has been awarded the All-America City Award three times (1953, 1966, and 1989).
• In 2007, Forbes ranked Peoria #47 out of the largest 150 metropolitan areas in its annual "Best Places for Business and Careers." Peoria was evaluated on the cost of doing business, cost of living, entertainment opportunities, and income growth.^[44]
• In 2005, Sperling and Sanders Best Places to Live Rankings among 331 metropolitan areas placed Peoria #51, citing "low cost of living, low cost of housing, and attractive residential areas" as the main pros to the area.^{[citation needed][45]}
• Peoria was ranked a 5 Star Logistics City by Expansion Management Magazine in 2007^[46]
• Peoria consistently ranks in the Top 10 Best Mannered Cities in America as compiled by etiquette expert Marjabelle Young Stewart.^[47]
• Peoria was ranked as one of the "50 Next Great Adventure Towns" in the US in the September 2008 issue of National Geographic Adventure magazine. This was mainly based on the extensive mountain biking trails in and around the city and the live entertainment options found on the RiverFront.^[48]
• In 2009, Peoria was ranked 16th best city with a population of 100,000–200,000 ("Mighty Micros") in the U.S. Next Cities List. The list was compiled by Next Generation Consulting, a firm which studies and consults on hiring trends and workplace issues nationwide, and the indexes used were divided into earning, learning, vitality, around town, after hours, cost of lifestyle and social capital. Top Mighty Micro was Fort Collins, Colorado; the other Mighty Micro in Illinois was Springfield at #5.^[49]
• In 2009, Peoria was ranked #5 best mid sized city to launch a small business by CNN Money and Fortune Small Business.^[50]
• Milken Institute released its Best Performing Metropolitan Areas listing for 2008 and the Peoria Area ranked #33 among the top 200 largest metropolitan areas in the country. It was the highest ranking area in Illinois with Chicago coming in next at #148.^[51]

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peoria,_Illinois

Pinta and the Nina Visit Peoria

Discover Columbus' Ships 

Welcome to The Columbus Foundation and our two Columbus replica ships - our original Niña, the most historically accurate replica of a Columbus Ship ever built, and our recently-built Pinta. 

Deck length - 65', Beam - 18', Draft - 7' Tonnage - 75, Sail Area - 1919 sq ft

Deck length - 85', Beam - 23', Draft - 7.5' Tonnage - 101, Sail Area - 3800 sq ft

The Niña - Most Historically Accurate Columbus Replica Ship Ever Built  The Niña is a replica of the ship on which Columbus sailed across the Atlantic on his three voyages of discovery to the new world beginning in 1492.  Columbus sailed the tiny ship over 25,000 miles.  That ship was last heard of in 1501, but the new Niña has a different mission.  We are a floating museum, and we visit ports all over the Western Hemisphere. Pinta - Our Second Columbus Replica Ship  Pinta was recently built in Brazil to accompany the Nina on all of her travels. She is a larger version of the archetypal caravel and offers larger deck space for walk-aboard tours and has a 40 ft air conditioned main cabin down below with seating. Pinta is available for private parties and charters.  NEW!  The City of Dubuque, Iowa, produced a great video of The Niña and Pinta, featuring an informative interview with Captain Morgan Sanger.   CLICK HERE to view the movie. Both The Niña and Pinta will be touring together as a new and enhanced ‘sailing museum’, for the purpose of educating the public and school children on the ‘caravel’, a Portuguese ship used by Columbus and many early explorers to discover the world.

BUILDING THE NIÑA	BUILDING PINTA
MISS ELLIE & THE NIÑA	THE ORIGINAL NIÑA
3 REASONS TO VISIT	DOCKSIDE CHARTERS
GIFT SHOP	PHOTO ALBUM
SCHEDULE	INFORMACIÓN EN ESPAÑOL
HOME	E-MAIL US

Interested in becoming a CREW MEMBER?  Click here.

The Columbus Foundation, British Virgin Islands
Phone: (284) 495-4618    Fax: (284) 495-9935 

Wind Powered Car Journey

Wind-Powered Car Completes an Epic 5,000km Journey Across Australia

Television host Dirk Gion and engineer 

Stefan Simmerer recently completed a 

5,000 km (3,107 mile) journey in the

The Wind Explorer, a lightweight 

electric vehicle powered by electricity

generating wind turbines and kites.

Click to Read More

Worst Timing Award

In 2009 I was fortunate enough to win the coveted Worst Timing Award for my support for an Enterprise Zone incentive for a new building on Main Street in Peoria.  The Peoria Journal Star and the Peoria Chronicle opposed the incentive.

To successfully lead redevelopment city officials must take some risks even though they know they will be criticized in the media and on blogs. Local governments provided a limited four year incentive on property taxes to help obtain a permanent tax paying development.

The building is now completed, adding jobs, property tax, utility tax and hopefully sales tax to our economy. It was built during this tough economy in part because of the incentives provided.  It stimulates an older neighborhood in the Heart of Peoria. It brings life and vitality to an area that had been in decline for many years and shows that our older neighborhoods can be renewed.

I thought it was the right thing to do then and now and I am proud to have won the award.

 http://peoriachronicle.com/2009/05/05/2009-worst-timing-award-craig-hullinger/

http://www.liveatmain.com/

http://peoriaenterprisezone.blogspot.com/2008/09/main-street-commons-proposed-building.html

http://peoriaenterprisezone.blogspot.com/