Rochester, Illinois

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rochester is a village in Sangamon County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,893 at the 2000 census. The village is part of Rochester township.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 Parks and recreation
4 Schools
5 External links

[edit] Geography

Rochester is located 4.0 miles outside Springfield, Illinois, down Illinois East State Route 29. The village is exit 96A off Interstate 55.

Rochester is located at 39°45′2″N, 89°32′30″W (39.750625, -89.541587)^GR1. According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 5.5 km² (2.1 mi²). 5.5 km² (2.1 mi²) of it is land and 0.47% is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 2,893 people, 1,075 households, and 868 families residing in the village. The population density was 529.4/km² (1,372.9/mi²). There were 1,099 housing units at an average density of 201.1/km² (521.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the village was 98.65% White, 0.28% African American, 0.03% Native American, 0.38% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.10% from other races, and 0.52% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.69% of the population.

There were 1,075 households out of which 39.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.7% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.2% were non-families. 18.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.05.

In the village the population was spread out with 27.5% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 29.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 94.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.3 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $62,891, and the median income for a family was $73,191. Males had a median income of $50,875 versus $35,944 for females. The per capita income for the village was $26,881. About 0.8% of families and 1.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.3% of those under age 18 and 0.9% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Parks and recreation

Rochester is the southeastern end of the Lost Bridge Trail, a 5-mile (8 km) rail-trail in central Illinois.

[edit] Schools

Rochester school's are part of District 3A, headed by district superintendent Dr. Thomas Bertrand. The district lists its enrollment for the 2004-2005 school year at 2,003 students, and 2,070 students for the 2005-2006 year.

Rochester High School's enrollment for the 2004-2005 school year was 617 students, and has increased slightly since. The high school's principal is Dennis Canny, the assistant principal is Tim Katzmark, who weighs well over 300 pounds, and the activities director is Brent Ashbaugh. Rochester High School teachers on average make $47,027, while administrators make $79,897 on average.

Rochester High School students test above the Illinois state averages in all categories on the ACT. The average composite score on the ACT for Rochester is 22.2, which exceeds the state average of 20.1. In Illinois, the ACT is required as part of the state's standardized testing program. This information is provided in the school's Illinois School Report Card, which all schools in Illinois are required to release to the public each year.

Construction on a new wing to the high school was begun in July 2006, finishing in late August 2006. The old junior high building was demolished, and the junior high students are occupying most of the new wing until the new junior high building is completed. The auditorium is scheduled to be completed winter of 2007. Following erection of the auditorium, a new junior high building will be built to accommodate the very crowded "junior high" wing recently built in the high school.