Homer, Illinois
| Homer | |
| Village | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | Illinois |
| County | Champaign |
| Elevation | 676 ft (206 m) |
| Coordinates | 40°2′6″N 87°57′32″W / 40.03500°N 87.95889°W |
| Area | 0.98 sq mi (3 km2) |
| - land | 0.98 sq mi (3 km2) |
| - water | 0.00 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Population | 1,193 (2010) |
| Density | 1,169.3 / sq mi (451 / km2) |
| Founded | 1855 |
| Mayor | Raymond Cunningham |
| Timezone | CST (UTC-6) |
| - summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| Postal code | 61849 |
| Area code | 217 |
  Location within Champaign County
| |
 Location within Illinois
| |
| Wikimedia Commons: Homer, Illinois | |
Homer is a village in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. Its population was 1,193 at the 2010 census.
History
Homer grew from a settlement named Union, which was on the Fort Clark or State Road running between Danville and Urbana, nearly three miles north of the present town. Union was little more than several cabins built in 1829-30, but it served as a post office and meeting place in what was Vermilion County prior to the creation of Champaign County in 1833. Moses Thomas, a native of Pennsylvania, built a mill on the Salt Fork creek southeast of Union in 1834 and began to mill grain. A young merchant traveling from Indiana, Michael Doctor Coffeen, built a store adjacent to the mill, and with Thomas created the village of Homer on January 26, 1837. The post office was moved to Homer with M. D. Coffeen as postmaster in 1841.
Homer grew to 120 people in 1850, and the coming of the Great Western Railroad to the south of the town prompted the village to move to its present location. In February 1855, the town's 32 buildings were dragged 1.5 miles south by 18 teams of oxen. The village became a stop on the railway, later named the Wabash Railroad, becoming the center of agriculture in eastern Champaign County.
In 1905, the town became the location for Homer Park, an amusement park on the Illinois Traction System interurban line. Homer Park, north of the village on the Salt Fork creek, offered swimming, food, baseball, movies and even a small zoo. The park closed in 1937 after flooding and poor management.
Geography
Homer is located at 40°2′6″N 87°57′32″W / 40.03500°N 87.95889°W (40.034972, -87.958986).[1]
According to the 2010 census, the village has a total area of 0.98 square miles (2.5 km2), all land.[2]
This Homer should not be confused with the former village of Homer, now called Troy Grove nor the Homer Glen area of Will County in Homer Township.
Demographics
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 1,200 people, 489 households, and 339 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,169.3 people per square mile (449.8/km²). There were 511 housing units at an average density of 497.9 per square mile (191.6/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 98.83% White, 0.08% African American, 0.50% Asian, and 0.58% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.25% of the population.
There were 489 households out of which 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.7% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.5% were non-families. 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.1% 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 2.99.
In the village the population was spread out with 26.5% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 98.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.5 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $37,429, and the median income for a family was $43,170. Males had a median income of $33,021 versus $23,897 for females. The per capita income for the village was $18,788. About 7.3% of families and 9.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.6% of those under age 18 and 5.9% of those age 65 or over.
Notable People
Anthony J Bensken; an American Airman
References
- ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ↑ "2010 Census U.S. Gazetteer Files for Places – Illinois". United States Census. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
- ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
External links
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