Renaissance Park is a place in the heart of Peoria, Illinois, where you can enjoy a culture of creativity and receive strong support for the development of ideas. There are interesting and affordable places to live, diverse neighborhoods with historic, affordable homes, a growing business district and a multitude of things to do. There is a remarkable confluence of R&D resources in Renaissance Park—like the nation’s largest agricultural research lab, a nationally recognized university, two regional medical centers and a world-renowned college of medicine. In Renaissance Park, you’ll also find an urban lifestyle that enables you to both work and play within a short walk from your home. And it’s diverse—more than 6,000 students mingle with thousands of residents, poets, artists and more than 300 research Ph.Ds. The History Renaissance Park has been the vision of countless leaders from business, government and neighborhood service. Approximately 40 area community leaders formed a steering committee in 2000 to discuss the role of Peoria in the 21st century knowledge economy. They engaged the Battelle Institute to assess our assets and resources. That information led to the formation of Peoria NEXT, which is now actively working to help scientists, researchers and entrepreneurs develop start-up companies that will generate strong economic growth in The Greater Peoria Region. In May 2003, the Peoria City Council passed an ordinance creating the 773-acre Peoria Medical and Technology District. Since then, the progress of the district has been shepherded by a commission of representatives from the neighborhoods, businesses and anchor institutions (Bradley University, Methodist Medical Center, OSF Saint Francis Medical Center, the University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria, and the National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research). The commission developed a comprehensive master plan, and in 2005 voted to adopt the name Renaissance Park.