City (pop., 2000: 150,111), northern Illinois, U.S. Located on the Rock River , it is the state's second largest city and was founded by New Englanders in 1834.
Originally called Midway, it was renamed for the ford across the river and incorporated as a city in 1852. Waterpower supplied by a dam built in 1844 led to its development as a manufacturing centre in the middle of an agricultural area. Principal products include machine tools and hardware, farm implements, furniture, and seeds.