Godfrey, Illinois

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Godfrey is a village in Madison County, Illinois, United States. The population was 16,286 at the 2000 census.

1 Geography
2 History
3 Events and Features
4 Demographics
5 External links

[edit] Geography

Godfrey is located at 38°56′53″N, 90°12′10″W (38.948097, -90.202886)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 93.7 km² (36.2 mi²). 89.3 km² (34.5 mi²) of it is land and 4.4 km² (1.7 mi²) of it (4.67%) is water.

The southwestern boundary of the village is a wall of picturesqe limestone bluffs along the Mississippi River. Approximately 20 miles upstream is the mouth of the Illinois River where it joins the Mississippi. The Missouri River empties into the Mississippi ten miles downstream. Godfrey remains today the status of a village. The Village of Godfrey is a mixture of small business, agriculture, and upper middle class housing developments.

[edit] History

The village is named for Captain Benjamin Godfrey, a native New Englander, who arrived in the area in 1832. 1838 saw the establisment of the Monticello Female Seminary, later renamed Monticello College. Captain Godfrey, the father of eight daughters, was an advocate of higher education for women and made a large donation of funds and land for the college. Monticello operated as a two year college for women until the campus was sold in 1970 to establish Lewis and Clark Community College. Monticello's final class graduated in 1971.

Nearby, at the mouth of the Missouri River, is the starting point for the expedition of Lewis and Clark.

[edit] Events and Features

Godfrey hosts, each fall, an event called the Godfrey Maze (occasionally referred to as The Godfrey Maize), in which a cornfield planted in the local park has a large maze pattern cut into it, which visitors may explore. While entry into the maize maze costs money, some other events and attractions also set up in the park during this time, like a huge sandbox full of dry corn kernels, are free. Other features include the "cow train", a train of cut-out two-wheel vehicles painted like cattle; the corn cannon, a pneumatic cannon which fires corn cobs, and occasional special events like helicoptor rides.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 16,286 people, 6,427 households, and 4,698 families residing in the village. The population density was 182.4/km² (472.3/mi²). There were 6,694 housing units at an average density of 75.0/km² (194.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the village was 94.06% White, 4.04% African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.65% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races, and 0.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.98% of the population.

There were 6,427 households out of which 29.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.2% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.9% were non-families. 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the village the population was spread out with 22.6% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 26.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.1 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $50,342, and the median income for a family was $57,971. Males had a median income of $43,017 versus $27,870 for females. The per capita income for the village was $25,292. About 3.2% of families and 5.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.1% of those under age 18 and 2.5% of those age 65 or over.