Biohazard and Pathogen Disinfection in Morton, IL

Morton is a village in Tazewell County, Illinois, in the Peoria metropolitan area, famous worldwide as the "Pumpkin Capital of the World."

In 1978 the Governor of Illinois formally proclaimed Morton the Pumpkin Capital of the World, a title based on the Libby's pumpkin cannery in the village, which packs about 85 percent of the world's canned pumpkin.

The Morton cannery was built in 1925 by the Dickinson Canning Company and has processed pumpkin exclusively since about 1970 under the Libby's label, now owned by Nestlé; roughly 5,000 acres of farmland around Morton are planted in pumpkins for the plant each year.

The annual Morton Pumpkin Festival has been held for four days every September since 1967 and draws an estimated 75,000 visitors - more than four times the village's own population.

The 2020 census counted 17,117 people in Morton, and Census Bureau data shows about 6,800 households, of which roughly 80 percent are owner-occupied.

Morton sits at a major interstate crossroads - I-74, I-155 and nearby I-55 and I-474 - between Peoria and Bloomington, which has made it a logistics hub.

Beyond pumpkins, Morton is home to a large Caterpillar Inc. parts distribution facility and the corporate headquarters of Morton Buildings, Inc.

Morton's village population grew steadily through the late 20th century, rising from about 15,200 in 2000 to 16,267 in 2010 and 17,117 in 2020.

A giant pumpkin serves as the "o" in Morton on the village's water tower along I-74, and the local chamber of commerce runs the website pumpkincapital.com.

Morton is known for keeping a small-town feel despite its highway access and industry, and its median home value of about $239,000 in recent Census Bureau data sits well above the central Illinois norm.