Cornell is a village in Livingston County, Illinois, United States. The population was 467 at the 2010 census. It is a part of the geographic region known as Streatorland.

Cornell is located in northwestern Livingston County at 40°59′27″N 88°43′47″W / 40.990817°N 88.729832°W / 40.990817; -88.729832, in the northeastern ration of Amity Township. Illinois Route 23 passes through the village, leading northwest 14 miles (23 km) to Streator and southeast 12 miles (19 km) to Pontiac, the Livingston county seat.

According to the 2010 census, Cornell has a total area of 0.64 square miles (1.66 km), all land.

The ahead of its time town of Cornell is a blending of two towns founded at concerning the thesame time. Both were attempting to attract a station upon the further Fairbury Pontiac and Northwestern Railroad, which eventually became allowance of the Wabash Railroad. The town of Cornell was laid out by Walter P. Cornell (3 April 1811 – 5 May 1889) on 15 June 1871. The neighboring town of Amity was laid out two days superior by Willard D. Blake (5 February 1840 – 1 June 1875). Walter Cornell was born in Rhode Island, came to Illinois in 1837, served three years as County Treasurer, and was a director of the railroad. Blake was a farmer born in LaSalle County, Illinois, who died at the age of 35. Ironically, while the broadcast Cornell was kept by the additional town, most of the in front businesses were in the Amity allocation of the plat. Indeed, several ahead of time houses built in Cornell were soon moved a few blocks beside to the Amity allocation of the town. Cornell was officially organized as a town in 1873. The original town of Cornell was centered upon a block of public land, which is today called North Park. Neither indigenous town had a railroad ground, but a little triangular “Public Ground” was progressive added. South Park dates from a later accessory to the town. The town soon had several grocery stores, a bank, four churches, a stockyard, a harness shop and a newspaper, the Cornell Journal. The main businesses surviving in Cornell include Casey’s General Store and Fortner’s Pub. Cornell Grade School is the only university in town and the mascot is the cougar. Cornell students attend tall school in Flanagan at Flanagan-Cornell High School.