Rantoul, Illinois

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For the Illinois village previously known as Rantoul see Alma, Illinois

Rantoul is a village in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 12,918 at the 2000 census. The present mayor is Neal Williams, whose term will expire in 2009. The community was named after Robert Rantoul, director of the Illinois Central Railroad.

In 1917, Rantoul was chosen to be the site of the Chanute Field due to its proximity to the Illinois Central railroad and the War Department’s ground school housed at the University of Illinois. In the 1930s, Chanute grew, dominating the local economy as thousands of Airmen were stationed there to train new recruits who cycled in and out. Renamed Chanute Air Force Base after World War II, the base was closed in 1993.

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[edit] Geography

Rantoul is located at 40°18′17″N, 88°9′7″W (40.304600, -88.152070)GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 19.0 km² (7.3 mi²). 18.8 km² (7.2 mi²) of it is land and 0.3 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (1.50%) is water.

[edit] Partial List of Mayors

  • Joseph T. Brown (1997-2001)
  • Charles Irvin (1996-1997)
  • Katy Podagrosi (1984-1996)
  • Jack McJilton (1969-1984)
  • C.O. Hobson (1965-1969)
  • Ellis Zook (1961-1965)
  • Byron Gates (1957-1961)

[edit] Demographics

As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 12,918 people, 5,330 households, and 3,368 families residing in the village. The population density was 685.7/km² (1,776.5/mi²). There were 6,161 housing units at an average density of 328.6/km² (851.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the village was 76.69% White, 16.88% African American, 0.47% Native American, 1.75% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.89% from other races, and 3.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.69% of the population.

There were 5,330 households out of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.9% were married couples living together, 15.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.8% were non-families. 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the village the population was spread out with 28.6% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 32.2% from 25 to 44, 18.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.7 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $36,904, and the median income for a family was $43,543. Males had a median income of $32,440 versus $22,382 for females. The per capita income for the village was $17,948. About 8.5% of families and 10.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.7% of those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Rail Transportation

Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Rantoul. Amtrak Train 391, the southbound Saluki, is scheduled to depart Rantoul at 11:10am daily with service to Champaign-Urbana, Mattoon, Effingham, Centralia, Du Quoin, and Carbondale. Amtrak Train 393, the southbound Illini, is scheduled to depart Rantoul at 6:00pm daily serving the same points as the southbound Saluki. Amtrak Train 390, the northbound Saluki, is scheduled to depart Rantoul at 10:27am daily with service to Gilman, Kankakee, Homewood, and Chicago. Amtrak Train 392, the northbound Illini, is scheduled to depart Gilman at 7:02pm daily serving the same points as the northbound Saluki.

[edit] Activities

[edit] External links

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