Quincy is located in western Illinois in Adams County (of which it is the county seat) about 90 miles west of Springfield on the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River. In fact, the original name of the town was "Bluffs".<br> The city and county were formed in 1825 and named for John Quincy Adams, the U.S. President at the time. Early on in its development as a community, Quincy welcomed a large contingent of Germans - killed artisans and highly respected as upstanding citizens.<br> Stephen A. Douglas was elected to Congress from this District and, in 1858, the town hosted the 6th of 8 Abraham Lincoln-Douglas debates which was attended by about 15,000 area residents.<br> The Quincy of today has twice been selected as an "All American City". The population estimate for July 1, 1998 was 39,918, an increase of 236 since 1990.<br> The headquarters of the Mark Twain NWR is located here. In addition, Quincy University, Gem City College and John Wood Community College serve the public's need for continuing education.