both Fondulac and Bluetown held a referendum at the public school- they proposed both towns be incorporated as one. This proposition passed by a vote of 30-12, and the two towns were merged into the Village of Hilton. There is no official origin behind the new name, but there is a connection with the Hilton Coal & Iron Mining Co. at the eastern end of town. On August 4th, the first village Board of Trustees was elected. Nicholas Slagle was named the first president, and he appointed Thomas J. Floyd and Joseph Moseman as the village clerk and treasurer, respectively. Peter Schertz, H.F. Cappo, J.G. Vogelgesang, Samuel Allen Sr., and Edward Lange Sr. were elected to the board as well. The village existed as Hilton for five years. In October, 1889, the name was changed to the "Village of East Peoria", since it was east of the city of Peoria. The name underwent a final change in April of 1919, when it became the "City of East Peoria". Geography East Peoria is located at (40.669075, -89.545533). According to the 2020 census, East Peoria has a total area of , of which (or 90.13%) is land and (or 9.87%) is water. Climate Demographics Within East Peoria, there are 22,484 people, 9,658 households, and 5,975 families residing in the city. The population density is . There are 10,804 housing units. The racial makeup of the city is 90% White, 1.6% African American, 0.25% Native American or Alaska Native, 0.97% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian, 1.1% from other races, and 6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race are 2.2% of the population. There are 9,658 households, out of which 25.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.6% are married couples living together, 5.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 38.1% are non-families. 31.3% of all households are made up of individuals, and 13.5% have someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.31 and the average family size is 2.89. The population is spread out, with 20.1% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 26.9% from 45 to 64, and 19.6% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 41.9 years. For every 100 females, there are 103.3 males.