Nauvoo (/ˈnɔːvuː/ NAW-voo; from the Hebrew: נָאווּ, Modern: Navu, Tiberian: Nâwû, 'they are beautiful') is a small city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States, on the Mississippi River near Fort Madison, Iowa.

The area of Nauvoo was first called Quashquema, named in honor of the Native American chief who headed a Sauk and Meskwaki settlement numbering nearly 500 lodges.

While journeying in exile, Barlow would separate from the group and eventually make the acquaintance of Dr. Isaac Galland, the owner of land near Montrose, Iowa, and Commerce, Illinois.

The Church purchased the property from Galland in 1839 and the dispersed Saints once again began to gather together, particularly along the Mississippi River at Commerce.

[citation needed] In April 1840 Commerce was renamed Nauvoo[3] by Joseph Smith, who led the Latter-day Saints there to escape conflict with the state government in Missouri.

The word comes from Isaiah 52:7, "How beautiful upon the mountains..." By 1844 "Nauvoo's population had swollen to 12,000, rivaling the size of Chicago" at the time.

After Smith's death two years later, continued violence from surrounding non-LDS members forced most Latter-day Saints to leave Nauvoo.

In 1849, Icarians moved to the Nauvoo area to implement a utopian socialist commune based on the ideals of French philosopher Étienne Cabet.

[citation needed] After the departure of the Icarians, Nauvoo became the largest German-speaking community in Illinois and remained so for fifty years.

[8] On the city's higher ground are the temple, residential areas, and the business district along Mulholland Street (Illinois Route 96), much of it devoted to the needs of tourists and those interested in Latter-day Saint history.

[citation needed] The Community of Christ previously owned much of the southern end of the flatlands as well as several key historic sites in and around Nauvoo, including the Joseph Smith Homestead, the Nauvoo House, the Red Brick Store, the Mansion House, and the Smith Family Cemetery.

[citation needed] The creation of Nauvoo as a historical tourism destination was largely a result of the work of J. LeRoy Kimball (1901–1992).

[11][12] A Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints congregation was established in Nauvoo in 1956, from its inception consisting largely of elderly LDS couples serving as missionaries and historical guides.

[10] The City of Joseph pageant, an outdoor musical produced by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, began to run each summer in 1976.

[13] In addition to the many homes that had been restored, the Relief Society Memorial Garden was dedicated in 1978, featuring statues designed by Dennis Smith and Florence Hansen.

The exterior matches the original exactly except in three ways: The temple was positioned 12.5 feet (3.8 m) south to allow for parking on the north side, there are two new exterior doors (with an entrance on the north for disabled persons and emergency exits in the basement on the east) and there is a standing Angel Moroni as is seen on most modern temples; the original was an unspecified flying angel, also with a horn in hand but in a horizontal position with the compass, square and flame above.

[15] The rebuilding of the Nauvoo Temple was an occasion of great joy and enthusiasm for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Tacy Nelson is the acting mayor with the councilmen as follows: Jim Boyles, Brenda Adkisson, Barb Schafer, Ron Grant and Scott Sumner.

In 1991 the Nauvoo FPD became a BLS non-transporting agency, relying on the county ambulance service to transport patients to local hospitals.

The Nauvoo FPD completed its fundraising efforts on November 30, 2007, to purchase its ambulance, which entered service in January 2008.

Peter & Paul Catholic School, which provides a faith based education for students from preschool through 6th grade.