Clinton was founded in 1835 and was known as the "Crossroads of the Midwest". Abraham Lincoln practiced law in the town before moving into politics.

The town is located in central Illinois in De Witt County (of which it is the county seat) northeast of Springfield between Decatur and Bloomington along U.S. Highway 51 near Clinton Lake. The population estimate for July 1, 1998 was 7,314, a decrease of 123 since 1990.

Weldon Springs State Park southeast of town and the Clinton Lake State Park on the north side of the lake, offer convenient facilities for campers, boaters, fishermen and others.

Clinton has two major festivals during the year--the "MayDays Festival" during the 3rd weekend in May and the "Apple 'n' Pork Festival" held the last weekend in September. The latter event attracts over 300 vendors and over 100,000 attendees.