Villa Grove, Illinois

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Villa Grove
City
none
Country United States
State Illinois
County Douglas
Coordinates 39°51′49″N 88°9′34″W / 39.86361, -88.15944
Area 1.5 sq mi (4 km²)
 - land 1.5 sq mi (4 km²)
Population 2,553 (2000)
Density 1,711.1 /sq mi (661 /km²)
Timezone CST (UTC-6)
 - summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
Postal code 61956
Area code 217
Location of Villa Grove within Illinois
Location of Villa Grove within Illinois
Location of Villa Grove within Illinois
Wikimedia Commons: Villa Grove, Illinois

Villa Grove is a city in Douglas County, Illinois, along the Embarras River. The population was 2,553 at the 2000 census.

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[edit] History

Villa Grove was chartered in 1903. It was first utilized by the Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad for being exactly halfway between Chicago and St. Louis. It was also known for its Pancake Festivals, which have since been replaced by the Ag Days celebration. In 1923, Villa Grove's high school basketball team, the Blue Devils, defeated Rockford 32-29 to win the Illinois state high school basketball championship, a remarkable feat for such a small community.

[edit] Geography

Villa Grove is located at 39°51′49″N, 88°9′34″W (39.863667, -88.159579)[1].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.5 square miles (3.9 km²), of which, 1.5 square miles (3.9 km²) of it is land and 0.67% is water.

[edit] Current Administration

Villa Grove Post Office with police station at right.
Villa Grove Post Office with police station at right.

Ronald Hunt is the current mayor of Villa Grove. Dennis Gire serves as Chief of Police. Ross Elston is the elected Fire Chief.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 2,553 people, 1,033 households, and 727 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,711.1 people per square mile (661.6/km²). There were 1,084 housing units at an average density of 726.5/sq mi (280.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.08% White, 0.31% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.12% from other races, and 1.25% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.86% of the population.

There were 1,033 households out of which 33.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.4% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.6% were non-families. 26.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.1% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 95.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,912, and the median income for a family was $41,722. Males had a median income of $35,099 versus $21,453 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,504. About 5.0% of families and 7.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.4% of those under age 18 and 15.7% of those age 65 or over.

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[edit] External links