By the mid 1950s, Peorians were already noting the significant changes in the city — lauding the success of the reform movement.
This article is part of a series run by the Peoria Journal Star in April of 1956:
Peoria
A digital companion to the biography Becoming Richard Pryor
This Was Peoria
Date: 4/15/56
Citation:
"This Was Peoria," Peoria Journal Star, Apr. 15, 1956, p. 8.
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Portraits of the City
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Peoria Busier Than Ever But Much Drier
–9/8/26–Early on, Peoria was “the city of high spirits,” a center for the distillery business
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Divorce in a City of 100,000 Population
–1939–Peoria had a divorce rate nearly twice the US average; a sociologist surveyed Peoria from all angles to discover why
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The Cities of America: Peoria
–2/12/1949–The Saturday Evening Post's panoramic view of Peoria, from its “valley” to its “bluff”
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Is it True What They Say About Peoria?
–mid-1950s–Whisper Magazine punctured Peoria's reputation as an All-American city
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Now They’re Proud of Peoria
–8/55–Feminist pioneer Betty Friedan praised World War II veterans for turning around Peoria.
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Old Peoria: As Wide Open As The Gateway To Hell
–4/14/1956–From the newspaper of the All-American city, a guided tour of the old “Empire of Vice”
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This Was Peoria
–4/15/56–Editorial looking back to the “liberal” days of Peoria
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The View From Peoria: It’s Not Playing Well
–6/30/1974–The Washington Post traveled to Peoria to take the pulse of the nation during the Watergate crisis
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‘The Good Old Woodruff Days’
–6/26/76–Three decades after the decline of Roarin' Peoria, some still missed “the Good Old Days”
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City’s Woes Reflect Budget Conflict
–2/17/1984–A portrait of Peoria's economic struggles during Reagan's first term
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How the Shutdown Plays in Peoria
–10/12/2013–A portrait of Peoria, "Anytown USA," during the 2013 federal budget battles
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