| City of Plano | |
| City | |
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Buildings in downtown Plano, Illinois
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| Country | United States |
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| State | Illinois |
| County | Kendall |
| Township | Little Rock |
| Coordinates | |
| Population | 5,633 (2000) |
| Founded | April 10, 1872 |
| Mayor | Bob Hausler |
| Timezone | CST (UTC-6) |
| - summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 60545 |
| Area code | 630 and 331 |
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Location of Plano within Illinois
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| Wikimedia Commons: Plano, Illinois | |
| Website: www.cityofplanoil.com | |
Plano is a city in Kendall County, Illinois, United States near Aurora, with a population of 5,633 at the 2000 census. The city is rapidly growing with new subdivisions such as Lakewood Springs completed and several other developments under construction or in the planning stages. Former Speaker of the House of Representatives Dennis Hastert lives at a farm north of Plano.[1] According to the Beacon News, a local newspaper in nearby Aurora, Warner Bros. decided to use Plano during 2011 for filming the new Superman reboot Man of Steel, scheduled for release in June 14, 2013.[2]
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Plano is the birthplace of the Reaper. In July, 1831, Cyrus Hall McCormick invented the mechanical reaper, known as the Plano Harvester. This harvester combined all the steps included in earlier harvesting machines, and McCormick's time-saving invention allowed farmers to more than double their crop size and spurred innovations in farm machinery.[3]
Plano was the one-time headquarters for the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (now known as Community of Christ). Joseph Smith III, son of slain LDS movement founder Joseph Smith, Jr., moved to Plano in 1866 and ran the church's printing operation from there.
The historic Mies van der Rohe-designed Farnsworth House is located on the Fox River, south of Plano.
Community development has centered around a strong agricultural setting, with the city situated along a major arm of the AMTRAK Rail System and its location along US Route 34, which runs from Chicago out through Plano and neighboring Sandwich and continues out to the west. The Plano Molding Company, manufacturer of fishing tackle equipment, as well as other plastic domestic containment units, has its headquarters in Plano. Both of its original factories are still within Plano, but the main bulk of the production is now in Sandwich, Illinois as well as in Mendota, Illinois. Plano and Sandwich have had a sibling-like relationship in the way they developed. Both deeply agricultural cities were situated along a major trading route and are along a major rail artery. Behavior between the communities developed into a rivalry betwixt the two respective high schools and is referred to in the press as the "War on 34" due to their location on US 34. The annual game is referred to as the "War of the Line" since Sandwich resides at an awkward juncture of LaSalle, DeKalb, and Kendall counties. Plano is only feet away, within Kendall County. Plano has also been the site of much construction and housing developments. Due to a housing crisis, most of the new developments, as well as many of the houses in town, experienced foreclosures. Nonetheless, at this juncture Waubonsee Community College decided to better serve the people of the immediate area and slated the Plano satellite campus to open November 1, 2010. Students at the Plano campus can complete an Associate's degree as well as take personal enrichment courses. Another planned development, with a bank, grocery store, and a couple of strip malls, is planned on the western side of town, near the border with Sandwich. There are plans to build an indoor water park next to a hotel within the development, which is shared between the communities. The city also has many beautiful forest preserves and a State Wildlife Preserve in the immediate area.
Master Architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe had worked on a retreat for Dr. Edith Farnsworth, a doctor from Chicago, whose complicated relationship with the architect soured the project. Cost overruns as well as questions on the house's actual usefulness led to a lawsuit between the two parties, with van der Rohe winning the suit. In latter years, the County Board decided to buy some of Farnsworth's land in order to straighten Fox River Drive (Ben Street in Plano), which would need a new bridge as well. Farnsworth pleaded her case to the County Board, citing evidence that the Board would be doing construction on an old Indian Site, but to no avail. The road was straightened and the new bridge built; but, to this day, the old bridge piers are still visible. Ironically, roughly around the same time, Silver Springs State Park and Wildlife Area was designated, down the road and across the river from Farnsworth's house, forever protecting the land from development. According to the preservation trust, if the land across from the house was not turned into a park or preserve of some kind, the area would have certainly been developed, and the house possibly destroyed to make room for future development.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.6 square miles (9.3 km2), of which 3.5 square miles (9.1 km2) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) (1.12%) is water.
As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 5,633 people, 1,901 households, and 1,437 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,603.3 people per square mile (619.6/km²). There were 1,973 housing units at an average density of 561.6 per square mile (217.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 82.34% White, 0.37% African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 14.59% from other races, and 2.13% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 25.79% of the population.
There were 1,901 households, from which 41.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them; 60.0% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.4% were non-families; 20.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.96 and the average family size was 3.46.
In the city the population was spread out with 31.4% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 18.3% from 45 to 64, and 9.5% age 65 years or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 97.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $46,526, and the median income for a family was $50,950. Males had a median income of $35,938 versus $23,409 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,837. About 4.6% of families and 5.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.1% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.
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