Geneseo, Illinois

Geneseo
City
Country United States
State Illinois
County Henry
Coordinates
Population 6,586 (2010)
Density 1,607.0 / sq mi (620 / km2)
Founded 1836
Timezone CST (UTC-6)
 - summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
Postal code 61254
Area code 309
Location of Geneseo within Illinois
Wikimedia Commons: Geneseo, Illinois

Geneseo is a city in Henry County, Illinois, United States. The population was 6,586 at the 2010 census, up from 6,571 at the 2000 census. Geneseo is located 20 miles east of The Quad Cities and Geneseo is part of the Quad Cities Metro Area.

Contents

Notable attractions

Geneseo is known for its Victorian style homes and its "Rockwellian quaintness." It is often compared to the Andy Griffith Show and its town, Mayberry.

During the month of December, Geneseo hosts an annual "Christmas Walk." Until 2008 the annual "Christmas Walk" was known as the "Victorian Walk."[1] Downtown businesses offer in store hospitality and feature live window displays depicting holiday traditions from different decades, 2008 will feature the 1940s.

This town is also home to the famous gun manufacturing company, Springfield Armory, Inc. which is located on Main Street. It employs many of the town's citizens and is a vital part of the economy. Springfield Armory, Inc. is currently operated by the Reese family.

For recreation, just north of Geneseo,IL runs the historic 104.5 mile Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park spreading through five counties.[2]

Politics

The city government is organized under an Aldermanic form. The Mayor is elected at large for a two year term. The Mayor (Linda Van Der Leest) serves as Chief Executive Officer and also Presiding Officer over the City Council of Geneseo. The City Council consists of eight aldermen representing four individual wards. (Ward 1, Justin Snodgrass and Lowell Ewert - Ward 2, Jeanne Hartsock and Robert Wachtel - Ward 3, Keith Kennett and Howard Beck - Ward 4, Derek Betcher and Douglas Crow)

Demographics

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1970 5,538
1980 5,780 4.4%
1990 5,995 3.7%
2000 6,480 8.1%
2010 6,586 1.6%

As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 6,480 people, 2,707 households, and 1,810 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,607.0 people per square mile (620.8/km²). There were 2,854 housing units at an average density of 707.8 per square mile (273.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.56% White, 0.19% African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.28% from other races, and 0.51% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.94% of the population.

There were 2,707 households out of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.3% were married couples living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.1% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.4% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 21.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 89.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $40,760, and the median income for a family was $51,455. Males had a median income of $38,990 versus $22,794 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,115. About 3.3% of families and 5.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.3% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

Local media

References

External links