The city of Urbana has grown and changed a lot over the years. There always seems to be something new and different. One thing that hasn’t changed is that Urbana has a lot of parks with fun activities for families and individuals to enjoy.
In 1957, The Parks of Urbana, Illinois listed only five parks, Crystal Lake, Leal, Carle, Victory, and Blair. Today, in 2018, the Urbana Park District has over 20 parks. As for the parks that existed in 1957, they are still around and most have grown in size.
Crystal Lake Park, which was 90 acres in 1957 is now 144 acres according to the Urbana Park District’s website. Leal Park grew from 1.97 acres to 3 acres. Carle Park, at 8.3 acres in 1957, now sits at 11 acres, and Victory Park at 5 acres has more than doubled in size from its initial 2.24 acres. Blair Park still maintains its original 11 acres, but boasts the only lighted tennis court in the Urbana Park District.
61 years have passed since 1957 and while many things in Urbana have changed, the city’s love for parks has not.
If you would like to see more pictures from Urbana’s parks check out our Flickr album.
Shalini
Archives Assistant