Toluca is a city in Marshall County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,340 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Peoria, Illinois, Metropolitan Statistical Area. Geography Toluca is located in eastern Marshall County at (41.003368, -89.133244). Illinois Route 117 passes through the city as Main Street and Santa Fe Avenue, leading north to Illinois Route 17 and south to Roanoke. Via Route 17, Wenona is to the northeast and Lacon, the Marshall county seat, is to the west. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Toluca has a total area of , all land. The North Branch of Crow Creek runs through the south side of the city, flowing west to Crow Creek and eventually the Illinois River. History Toluca was established in 1887 as a stop on the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway, on land owned by Marshall County native William Twist. In that year, local farmers led by Twist requested that the railroad make Toluca a regular stop. Their request was granted. With the backing of a Chicago firm, a grain elevator was built and maintained by Thomas Colehower of Long Point, Illinois. Colehower built the first house in the area of Toluca now called Old Town. In 1892, the Devlin Coal Company began mining coal at Toluca. The population of Toluca increased, and by 1894 it was incorporated as a city. Its growth continued, fueled by immigrants from Poland, Italy, and Lithuania who came to work in the coal mines. In 1900, it had approximately 2,629 inhabitants. But by 1924, the coal mines were unprofitable and they closed down. The population shrank drastically as a result. Miners from Toluca led a mob for the lynching of F. W. Stewart at Lacon on November 7, 1898. Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 1,339 people, 581 households, and 343 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 633 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.13% White, 5.07% African American, 0.07% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 0.60% from other races, and 0.75% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0% of the population. There were 581 households, out of which 25.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and