Street to the upper bluff. Clock City (1884–1980) In 1884, Stahlberg started the United Clock Company in Peru. Shortly afterward, it went bankrupt and was reorganized with the help of Frederick William Matthiessen as the Western Clock Company. By 1905 it had grown into a national company, producing over 1 million alarm clocks per year. In 1909, they trademarked "Westclox". In 1917 they became a model for workers' benefits, one of the early companies to pay life insurance and have a safety committee. Later on, they limited the work week, constructed a company park with a tennis court and horseshoe courts, developed workers' housing, and established a school for watchmakers with provision for scholarships. In 1935 it was the safest company in the nation, with 11 million hours without a lost time accident. During World War II the company made mechanical fuses for the government and had more than 600 of its employees enter the armed forces. At its height it manufactured nearly 2 million clocks and watches annually and employed over 4,000 persons. It closed the Peru factory in 1980; the loss of jobs caused a rapid decline in population in LaSalle and Peru. Today the old Westclox Administration Building is now the headquarter for the Carus Corporation and the rest of the Westclox complex is being redeveloped into a commercial center. The building is also home to the Westclox Museum. Geography As of 2021, Peru has a total area of , of which (or 98.68%) is land and (or 1.32%) is water. Located on the Illinois River, Peru lies west of the intersection of two major interstate highways: Interstate 39 and Interstate 80. The city is also the western terminus of the historic Illinois and Michigan Canal. Before the Illinois Waterway was constructed, the Illinois River was navigable only up to Peru. Starved Rock State Park, a regional tourist attraction, is located south-east of the community. Peru has a twin city on its eastern edge, LaSalle. Climate Demographics As of the 2020 census, there were 9,896 people, 4,482 households, and 2,760 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 4,825 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 86.86% White, 1.31% African American, 0.21% Native American, 1.75% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 2.68% from other races, and 7.15% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any