Staunton, Illinois

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Staunton is a city in Macoupin County, Illinois, United States. The population was 5,030 at the 2000 census.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 History
4 Sources
5 External links

[edit] Geography

Staunton is located at 39°0′39″N, 89°47′16″W (39.010777, -89.787711).^GR1

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.0 km² (2.3 mi²). 5.9 km² (2.3 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (1.30%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 5,030 people, 2,020 households, and 1,383 families residing in the city. The population density was 851.8/km² (2,204.6/mi²). There were 2,153 housing units at an average density of 364.6/km² (943.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.77% White, 0.10% African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.08% from other races, and 0.46% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.74% of the population.

There were 2,020 households out of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.6% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.5% were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.6% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 91.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,893, and the median income for a family was $44,630. Males had a median income of $35,000 versus $21,121 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,905. About 4.0% of families and 6.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.0% of those under age 18 and 4.0% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] History

Staunton was one of the first areas settled in Macoupin County. The settlement of the area initially involved people moving up from Southern Illinois. Staunton became organized as a village in 1846, and was recognized as a city in 1898.

Initially, farming was a major industry. Around the turn of the century, coal mining reshaped Staunton and communities around it. The coal mining industry began to decline after the Second World War. Coal in central Illinois has high levels of sulfur. The cost to scrub sulfur from coal is prohibitive. Most of the mines in the region had closed in the 1950s.

The largest employer in Staunton is the local school district. The second largest employer is Community Memorial Hospital, founded in 1950. Many other people in the area work in the St. Louis metropolitan area.

Staunton has a rich tradition of sports, notably the 2001 Staunton graduates. The Class of 2001 dominated their opponents in football and basketball. To name a few of those outstanding individuals: Brandon Fletcher, Mark Sievers, Johnny Moore, Justin Winslow, Zack Rigoni, Mike Coalson, Little Wayne Semanek, Cory McCunney, Larry Senaldi, and Danny Feldman.