Pontiac, Illinois

Pontiac is a city in Livingston County, Illinois, United States. The population was 11,931 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Livingston County. The town is also the setting of the 1984 movie, Grandview, U.S.A.

Geography

Pontiac is located at 40°52′48″N 88°37′49″W / 40.88000°N 88.63028°W / 40.88000; -88.63028.

According to the 2010 census, Pontiac has a total area of 7.87 square miles (20.38 km²), of which 7.73 square miles (20.02 km²) (or 98.22%) is land and 0.14 square miles (0.36 km²) (or 1.78%) is water.

Most of the land adjacent to Pontiac is farm ground.

Pontiac lies on the Vermilion River. On December 4, 1982, Pontiac had the worst flood in the town's history, cresting at 19.16 feet. The most recent flooding occurred on January 9, 2008, cresting at 18.85 feet, the second worst in the town history.

History

Slow beginnings

Pontiac

Pontiac was a brand of automobiles manufactured and sold by General Motors (GM); though production ended in 2009, Pontiac remains a registered and active trademark of GM. The Pontiac automobile brand was established in 1926 as a companion make for GM's more expensive line of Oakland automobiles.

The Pontiac cars overtook its Oakland parent in popularity and supplanted the Oakland brand entirely by 1933. Pontiac became a companion make for Chevrolet. Pontiac was sold in the United States, Canada, and Mexico by GM. Pontiac was advertised as the performance division of General Motors for many years, while specializing in mainstream vehicles. Pontiac was relatively more popular in Canada, where for much of its history it was marketed as a low-priced vehicle.

In early-2009, amid financial problems and restructuring efforts, GM announced it would discontinue manufacturing and marketing vehicles under the Pontiac brand by the end of 2010 and focus on four core brands in North America: Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac, and GMC. The last Pontiac badged cars were built in December 2009, with one final vehicle built in January, 2010. Franchise agreements for Pontiac dealers expired October 31, 2010.

Route 66

Route 66 often refers to U.S. Route 66. It also may refer to:

Highways

Organizations and places related to U.S. Route 66

Businesses

Entertainment