Download the high-resolution A3 JPG Tazewell County Illinois Map ZIP directly from this page. Tazewell County is organized around a dense northwestern group of communities—Pekin, East Peoria, Creve Coeur, Morton, and Washington—while the southern half becomes much more open around Tremont, Hopedale, and Delavan. The terrain changes just as clearly: low land follows the Illinois River side of the county, the Mackinaw River cuts across the middle, and high ground rises sharply toward the northeast.
The WebP maps embedded below are sized for quick browser viewing, while the matching original JPG files are better for enlarging small road and creek labels or printing. A useful reading order is to find Pekin and East Peoria first, then move east toward Morton and northeast toward Washington. After that, compare the Illinois River lowland with the Mackinaw River corridor and the much higher northeastern terrain on the elevation map.
Table of Contents
Pekin, East Peoria, and Washington concentrate the northwestern map
The general county map is most detailed around Pekin and East Peoria. Pekin occupies a large built-up area near the west-central edge, with North Pekin and Creve Coeur directly to the north. East Peoria lies farther north along the river side of the county, opposite the Peoria area. Washington is separated to the northeast, while Morton sits east of the Pekin–East Peoria cluster. These four anchors make the county’s strongest settlement concentration immediately visible.
The numbered roads reinforce the same pattern. The map shows 24 and 116 around the East Peoria–Washington side, 74 and 150 near Morton, 98 and 9 around the Pekin–Tremont corridor, and 155 continuing south through the interior. Route number 29 appears along the southern side of the western corridor. Rather than reading each number in isolation, it is easier to connect the roads to Pekin, East Peoria, Morton, and Washington first and then follow them into the more rural southern half.
The county’s official history page describes Tazewell County as an Illinois River county adjacent to Peoria and identifies Pekin as the county seat. That context matches the map well: Pekin and East Peoria sit close to the broad western river corridor, and nearby names such as Peoria, West Peoria, and Bartonville appear just outside the county boundary. The western edge is therefore both a physical river boundary and part of a larger urban region.
South of Morton, the spacing between communities grows quickly
Morton marks a useful transition from the dense northwestern cluster into the more open interior. Roads 74 and 150 pass close to the town, while 155 continues south toward Tremont and Hopedale. Tremont lies near road 9, and farther south Delavan becomes another isolated reference. Mackinaw and Minier sit to the east, so the southern communities are distributed in several directions rather than forming one continuous corridor.
The southwest looks different again. South Pekin marks the last large named place on the western side before the map opens into a broad lowland projection with many drainage lines but few major community labels. Moving east toward Delavan and Hopedale, local roads and creeks become more prominent than urban footprints. Comparing this area with East Peoria and Morton shows how much the settlement density changes within the same county.
The six-city index shows how strongly the largest centers favor the northwest
The city-index map simplifies the county and highlights six major places. The supplied ranking places Pekin first with 31,781, East Peoria second with 22,324, Morton third with 16,595, Washington fourth with 15,919, Creve Coeur fifth with 4,621, and Marquette Heights sixth with 2,492. These are values printed on the supplied map and are not presented here as newly verified current population counts.
All six markers occupy the northern or northwestern part of Tazewell County. Pekin is the southernmost of the group, with Creve Coeur and Marquette Heights between the Pekin and East Peoria areas. Morton extends the cluster eastward, and Washington lies even farther northeast. The southern half of the county is nearly empty on this simplified view even though Tremont, Hopedale, Delavan, and other communities remain important on the full map.
This is why the city index and general map work best together. The index clearly communicates the northwestern concentration of the larger communities, while the general map restores the southern towns, road network, and county outline. Using only the index would make the county appear much more urban and compact than it actually is.
Illinois River lowlands and Mackinaw River organize the water system
The county’s western edge follows the Illinois River, a fact also noted on the official Tazewell County history page. Inside the county, Mackinaw River is the strongest named waterway, crossing the middle of the map from east toward west. Little Mackinaw River forms a separate eastern corridor, while Prairie Creek and Dillon Creek run southward into the Mackinaw system. These larger channels provide a simple framework for understanding the many smaller tributaries.
Farm Creek is prominent in the northern part of the county near the East Peoria–Washington side. Lake Arlann, Sunset Lake, Lutticken Lake, and Northern Oaks Lake appear in the west-central interior, while Spring Lake and Horseshoe Lake lie in the broad southwestern lowland. Heritage Lake is separated to the east. The standing-water features are therefore spread across several different terrain settings rather than concentrated around one reservoir.
The southwest around Spring Lake has a particularly low, open appearance with many small channels. The northeast is very different: Farm Creek and smaller tributaries cut through much higher terrain. Between them, the Mackinaw River valley forms a lower corridor across the central county. This contrast becomes much clearer when the water map is compared directly with the elevation layer.
This layer is intended for general geographic reference rather than flood-hazard, water-quality, navigation, parcel, or legal-boundary decisions. A stream or lake label shows relative location, not public access, navigability, or a current regulatory condition. Specific flood or water-use questions require the appropriate current official source.
From 130 to 258 meters, the land rises sharply away from the river
The supplied elevation map reports an actual range of about 130 to 258 meters and a mean near 188 meters. The lowest dark-green terrain follows the western Illinois River side and spreads across the broad southwestern lowland. Just east of the river, the land climbs quickly through green and tan into higher brown terrain. The northeastern Washington side contains some of the broadest high ground on the map, creating a strong contrast with Pekin and East Peoria near the river.
Mackinaw River forms a long lower corridor through the middle of the county. Prairie Creek and Dillon Creek also occupy lower valleys, and Little Mackinaw River creates another green band in the east. Comparing the water and elevation maps makes the relationship clear: many of the named waterways follow the same low corridors that cut through the otherwise higher interior.
Relating the terrain back to the settlements makes the elevation pattern easy to use. Pekin, Creve Coeur, and East Peoria sit close to the low river side, while Morton and Washington are on substantially higher interior ground. Tremont and Hopedale lie between the Mackinaw River valley and gentler southern terrain. Delavan remains higher than the western river lowland but does not reach the same broad high elevations as the northeastern part of the county.
The elevation surface is intended for county-scale comparison, not parcel surveying or engineering design. The 130–258 m range is useful for identifying the Illinois River lowland, Mackinaw River valley, and northeastern upland, but it does not provide a survey-grade elevation for a specific property. Construction, drainage, flood, and legal decisions require more precise and current data.
A practical way to read Tazewell County from city to terrain
For towns and roads, begin with Pekin and East Peoria, then add Morton to the east and Washington to the northeast. Use the city index when the main question is simply where the six highlighted major communities are concentrated. For water, start with the Illinois River edge and Mackinaw River, then add Farm Creek, Dillon Creek, Prairie Creek, and Little Mackinaw River. The elevation map is most useful after those waterways are familiar because it shows how rapidly the county rises away from the western river lowlands.
The ZIP below contains four high-resolution JPG files matching the county-and-road, city-index, terrain-and-water, and elevation views on this page. Each image is 3638 × 2572 pixels in landscape orientation, making small road and stream labels easier to enlarge or print than in the browser-sized WebP versions. These maps are general reference products, so current traffic, legal parcel boundaries, flood determinations, water rules, and survey-grade elevations should be checked against the appropriate official source.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where are the largest highlighted communities concentrated in Tazewell County?
The six communities in the supplied city index are all in the northern or northwestern part of the county. Pekin and East Peoria are the two largest printed entries, with Creve Coeur and Marquette Heights between them and Morton and Washington extending the cluster east and northeast.
Which map best shows the Illinois River and Mackinaw River together?
The terrain-and-water map is the clearest choice. It shows the Illinois River side of the county, Mackinaw River through the center, Little Mackinaw River in the east, and tributaries such as Farm Creek, Dillon Creek, and Prairie Creek, along with several small lakes.
What is the main elevation contrast in Tazewell County?
The strongest contrast is between the low Illinois River side in the west and southwest and the much higher northeastern interior. The supplied layer reports an actual range of about 130 to 258 meters and a mean near 188 meters, with Mackinaw River and tributary valleys cutting lower corridors through the uplands.
Map File Information
The ZIP contains high-resolution A3 JPG versions of the Tazewell County road-and-boundary map, major-city index, terrain-and-water map, and elevation map.
- Printable Size: 3638 × 2572 pixels each
- File Type: ZIP containing 4 JPG files
Related Maps
Sources and references
- Official Tazewell County website – county government and local information
- Official Tazewell County history – Illinois River, Pekin, and county background
- U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line Shapefiles – county boundaries, roads, and place references
- USGS National Hydrography – rivers, streams, and lakes
- USGS 3D Elevation Program – elevation and terrain reference
Green Map creates custom-edited map images using open geographic data sources such as geoBoundaries, Natural Earth, OpenStreetMap, and government open data.
These maps are edited visual materials, not raw data files, and are provided for education, documents, presentations, and graphic reference.
