St. Charles, Illinois
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
St. Charles is a city in Kane and DuPage counties of Illinois, United States, and is roughly 40 miles west of Chicago on Illinois Route 64. According to a 2004 census estimate, the city has a total population of 32,134. The official city slogan is Pride of the Fox, after the Fox River that runs through the center of town. St. Charles is part of a tri-city area along with Geneva and Batavia, all far-western suburbs of similar size and relative socioeconomic condition.
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[edit] History
[edit] Early history
After the Black Hawk War in 1832 opened the Fox River valley to white settlement, Evan Shelby and William Franklin staked the first claim in what is now St. Charles in 1833. They came back in 1834 with their families from Indiana, and were joined by over a dozen other families later that year. The township was initially known as Charleston, but this name was already taken by the city of Charleston, Illinois so the name of Saint Charles (suggested by S. S. Jones, a lawyer) was adopted in 1839. St. Charles became incorporated as a city in 1874.
Several "stations" of the slavery-era Underground Railroad were in St. Charles homes, complete with tunnels and false doorways; there was also an open abolitionist group called the Kane County Anti-Slavery Society, founded in 1842, with about 180 members.
[edit] Transportation History
St. Charles was a very isolated place early on in its existence. The village was located three days away from Chicago, and the Fox River was not navigable for large boats. By the 1850s, St. Charles had begun construction of a plank road to Sycamore but turned down an offer by the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad to construct a line through the town, which was eventually built in nearby Elgin. Lack of regional connections in the early years kept the town relatively small. St. Charles was without a railroad until 1871 when a branch line from Geneva was constructed, and was without a direct connection to Chicago until the 1880s with the coming of the Chicago Great Western Railway. Streetcar lines along the Fox River between Elgin and Aurora were built through the city in 1896. A direct automobile route to Chicago, which eventually became Route 64, was constructed in 1920.
[edit] Immigration History
St. Charles was also the place of settlement for diverse groups of European immigrants, including those from Ireland and Sweden during the 1840s and '50s, and later, groups from Belgium and Lithuania.
Selected census results for St. Charles over time are:
- 1850: 2,132
- 1860: 1,822
- 1880: 1,533
- 1890: 1,690
- 1900: 2,675
- 1910: 4,046
- 1920: 4,099
- 1930: 5,377
- 1940: 5,870
- 1950: 6,709
- 1960: 9,269 [1]
- 1970: 12,928
- 1972: 14,239
- 1977: 16,145
- 1980: 17,492
- 1985: 18,266
- 1987: 20,383
- 1989: 21,992
- 1990: 22,620
- 1992: 23,847
- 1994: 25,282
- 1997: 26,286
- 2000: 27,896
- 2004 (est.): 32,134 [2]
Source through 1950: John Clayton, The Illinois Fact Book and Historical Almanac, 1673-1968 (S. Ill. Univ. Press: Carbondale IL, 1970), p. 39-44. See links for later data.
[edit] Geography
St. Charles is located at 41°54'49" North, 88°18'39" West (41.913744, -88.31085)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 36.6 km² (14.1 mi²). 36.2 km² (14.0 mi²) of it is land and 0.4 km² (0.2 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.13% water.
[edit] Demographics
The following data is from the 2000 census:
The population density is 769.9/km² (1,993.9/mi²). There are 11,072 housing units at an average density of 305.6/km² (791.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 93.81% White, 1.66% African American, 0.14% Native American, 1.79% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 1.66% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. 5.50% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 10,351 households out of which 36.4% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.1% are married couples living together, 8.0% have a female householder with no husband present, and 28.3% are non-families. 23.5% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.0% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.62 and the average family size is 3.13.
In the city the population is spread out with 27.8% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 25.0% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 37 years. For every 100 females there are 99.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 94.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $69,424, and the median income for a family is $82,828. Males have a median income of $55,864 versus $35,134 for females. The per capita income for the city is $33,969. 3.4% of the population and 2.1% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 3.4% of those under the age of 18 and 3.9% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
[edit] Education
The public education system in St. Charles is operated by the Community Unit School District 303.
District 303 currently has twelve elementary schools: Anderson, Bell-Graham, Corron, Davis, Ferson Creek, Fox Ridge, Lincoln, Munhall, Norton Creek, Richmond, Wasco, and Wild Rose; three middle schools: Haines, Thompson and Wredling; and two high schools: St. Charles East, and St. Charles North.
[edit] Culture
St. Charles is the home of the Kane County Fair [3] in July and the Kane County Flea Market [4] the first Sunday and preceding Saturday of every month (Never cancels). Downtown St. Charles' Lincoln Park serves as the central location for two annual citywide events: the Pride of the Fox RiverFest[5] in June, and the Scarecrow Festival[6] in October. St. Charles is also home to the Fox Valley Concert Band.
Downtown St. Charles was named one of the region's "Top 10" by the Chicago Tribune for fine dining, arts and entertainment, recreational opportunities, unique shopping, and a lively nighttime personality [7].
The St. Charles Heritage Center maintains two small museums in historic local buildings.
[edit] External links
- The city of Saint Charles Homepage
- St. Charles Community Web Site
- School District 303's Web Site
- St. Charles Public Library Web Site
- Downtown St. Charles Partnership
- Kane County Flea Market site
- The St. Charles Heritage Center
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
| Metropolitan area of Chicagoland |  |
|---|---|
| Central City: Chicago Largest cities (over 30,000 in 2000): Aurora • Berwyn • Calumet City • Chicago Heights • Crystal Lake • DeKalb • Des Plaines • East Chicago • Elgin • Elmhurst • Evanston • Gary • Hammond • Harvey • Highland Park • Joliet • Kenosha • Naperville • North Chicago • Park Ridge • Portage • Waukegan • Wheaton Largest towns and villages (over 30,000 in 2000): Addison • Arlington Heights • Bartlett • Bolingbrook • Buffalo Grove • Carol Stream • Carpentersville • Cicero • Downers Grove • Elk Grove Village • Glendale Heights • Glenview • Hanover Park • Hoffman Estates • Lombard • Merrillville • Mount Prospect • Mundelein • Niles • Northbrook • Oak Lawn • Oak Park • Orland Park • Palatine • Schaumburg • Skokie • Streamwood • Tinley Park • Wheeling • Woodridge Counties: Cook • DeKalb • DuPage • Grundy • Jasper • Kane • Kankakee • Kendall • Kenosha • Lake (Illinois) • Lake (Indiana) • LaPorte • McHenry • Newton • Porter • Will |
