Golconda, Illinois

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Golconda is a town in Pope County, Illinois, along the Ohio River. The population was 726 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Pope County^GR6.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 History
4 Notable residents
5 References
6 See also
7 External links

[edit] Geography

Golconda is located at 37°21′50″N, 88°29′12″W (37.363844, -88.486792)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.5 km² (0.6 mi²). 1.5 km² (0.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (5.08%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 726 people, 330 households, and 163 families residing in the city. The population density was 500.6/km² (1,287.0/mi²). There were 418 housing units at an average density of 288.2/km² (741.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.45% White, 0.96% African American, 0.41% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.55% from other races, and 2.34% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.41% of the population.

There were 330 households out of which 22.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.2% were married couples living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 50.6% were non-families. 48.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 27.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.98 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the city the population was spread out with 20.4% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 22.7% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 29.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 77.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 72.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $19,000, and the median income for a family was $34,375. Males had a median income of $31,250 versus $16,146 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,698. About 18.3% of families and 25.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 43.1% of those under age 18 and 18.4% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] History

First permanent settlement in Pope County in 1798, operating as a ferry point across the Ohio River. This was sometimes called Lusk's Ferry. The Illinois town was originally named Sarahsville at organization of the county and town in 1816, changed to Golconda January 24, 1817. In 1838-1839 some 13,000 Cherokees crossed on their "Trail of Tears" To Oklahoma.

Among the many historic buildings built in the latter half of the 19th century in town is the First Presbyterian Church (built in 1869). It is the oldest continuous Presbyterian congregation in Illinois. The church was organized in 1819.