Eureka is a city in Woodford County, Illinois, United States. The population was 4,871 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Woodford County. The city was founded in the year 1855. Eureka is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area. Eureka is a small community centered around the intersection of what is now U.S. 24 and Illinois 117. It is also one of the towns along the Ronald Reagan Trail, a series of roads that connect towns in northern Illinois that were of importance to Reagan's early life. It is known for being the location of Eureka College, a private college associated with the Christian Church and the alma mater of former president Ronald Reagan. Reagan graduated from Eureka College in 1932. Eureka styled itself the "pumpkin capital of the world" until its pumpkin-processing plant moved to nearby Morton, Illinois.