Biohazard Cleanup Near Philo Historic District Philo, IL

Philo is a village in Champaign County, Illinois, about six miles south of Urbana, that proudly calls itself the 'Center of the Universe' — a legend painted, along with its ZIP code, on the village water tower.

Philo is named after Philo Hale, an eastern land speculator who bought the first land in what became Philo Township in 1837, including most of the present village site.

Philo began as a railroad stop called 'Summit' or 'Summit Station,' because its elevation was so high for the prairie that trains sometimes needed two engines to pull through; settlers successfully petitioned to rename the station Philo in 1858.

The village of Philo was laid out in 1864 by E. B. Hale, the founder's son, and the village was incorporated in 1875.

Philo marked the 150th anniversary of its founding with a four-day Sesquicentennial celebration in July 2025, held in Hale Park and downtown.

Hale Park, at the north end of Philo, is the village's main park and is named after founder Philo Hale; it hosts family reunions and community events.

Philo had 1,392 residents in the 2020 census, and the village covers just 0.83 square miles of Champaign County farmland.

Philo is served by the Tolono-based Unit 7 School District, and its students attend Unity High School in Tolono — the 'Unity' name reflecting the district's multi-village makeup.

Philo households are relatively well off for a small farm village, with a median household income of about $91,000 reported in Census figures.