Canton, Illinois

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Canton is the largest city in Fulton County, Illinois in the USA. The population was 15,288 at the 2000 census.

1 Geography
2 History
3 Demographics
4 External links

[edit] Geography

Canton is located at 40°33′28″N, 90°2′3″W (40.557737, -90.034264)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 20.7 km² (8.0 mi²). 20.3 km² (7.8 mi²) of it is land and 0.4 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (2.00%) is water.

[edit] History

Canton was founded in 1825 by settler Isaac Swan, who mistakenly believed his new town and Canton, China were antipodes. Abundant coal and labor, and the proximity of railroads and the Illinois River made Canton a factory town. The major manufacturing plant in town was the International Harvester, which closed in the early 1980s. In 1997, the 30-acre plant was destroyed by an arson fire, leaving the former industrial heart of the city a smoldering ruin, which has since been leveled. The town's employers now include a State Prison, a hospital, and retail stores.

Founder Isaac Swan, his infant child, and three other people died in a devastating tornado of June 1835.The city was hit by another F-3 tornado on July 23, 1975. Two people were killed and the storm caused major damage to the downtown area.

Much of the city, particularly the northern portion, has been undermined by room-and-pillar extraction of coal that took place in the 1800s.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 15,288 people, 5,677 households, and 3,616 families residing in the city. The population density was 751.9/km² (1,947.8/mi²). There were 6,098 housing units at an average density of 299.9/km² (776.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 89.59% White, 8.85% African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.44% from other races, and 0.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.09% of the population.

There were 5,677 households out of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.3% were non-families. 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the city the population was spread out with 20.3% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 31.2% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 18.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 115.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 119.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,011, and the median income for a family was $39,910. Males had a median income of $30,519 versus $20,891 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,012. About 10.1% of families and 13.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.9% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.