and Troy Grove. When looking at job interdependence, these communities form a single whole. The population of LaSalle-Peru and its suburbs is over 42,000. Due to the fragmentation of the community across municipal, township, and county borders, the true size of the community is rarely measured. LaSalle-Peru and its suburbs form the largest community (20,696 jobs) in the Ottawa, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area where they compete with Ottawa-Marseilles and its suburbs (19,095 jobs) and the smaller trade centers of Streator (8,224 jobs), Princeton (9,322 jobs), and Mendota (5,813 jobs). The trade area of LaSalle-Peru also extends into Marshall County and the eastern portion of Lee County. The Ottawa Micropolitan Statistical Area is the 9th Largest Statistical Area in Illinois. Downtown LaSalle is the hub of the community. The principal shopping streets are First Street, Marquette Street, and Gooding Street. It is one of the largest employment centers in the area with over 1,400 jobs. Downtown LaSalle hosts approximately 248 active businesses These small Downtown businesses cumulatively represent approximately and $419 million in gross annual sales. La Salle is located at (41.341056, −89.090834). According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, LaSalle has a total area of , of which (or 99.15%) is land and (or 0.85%) is water. Climate Culture Entertainment and the Arts La Salle is part of an extensive arts network including the Illinois Valley Symphony Orchestra, Illinois Valley Youth Symphony Orchestra, and Stage 212 community theater. The Dance Center, Music Suite 408, and Maestro & Mi provide dance and music lessons to students of all ages. North Central Illinois ARTworks is a regional non-profit arts advocacy organization dedicated to supporting and expanding the arts community in the area; local visual artists often display their works in the gallery in the historic Westclox building. Matthiessen Auditorium at La Salle-Peru Township High School hosts many performing arts groups, including the LaSalle-Peru Township High School band, jazz band, choir, musical, and local junior high bands The Jazz in the Street festival has been held annually since 2006 in mid- September. Most years, there have been appearances by locally popular bands, including the Illinois Valley Community College and even Northern Illinois University jazz bands. Tourism Tourism in the area is driven by Starved Rock State Park, Matthiessen State Park, Buffalo Rock State Park & I&M Canal National Heritage Area. There are several museums in and near LaSalle: I&M Canal National Heritage Area