Grand Tower, Illinois

Grand Tower
City
Country United States
State Illinois
County Jackson
Coordinates 37°37′57″N 89°30′7″W / 37.63250°N 89.50194°WCoordinates: 37°37′57″N 89°30′7″W / 37.63250°N 89.50194°W
Area 1.25 sq mi (3 km2)
 - land 1.25 sq mi (3 km2)
 - water 0.00 sq mi (0 km2)
Population 624 (2000)
Density 496.0 / sq mi (192 / km2)
Timezone CST (UTC-6)
 - summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
Postal code 62942
Area code 618
Location of Grand Tower within Illinois
Wikimedia Commons: Grand Tower, Illinois

Grand Tower is a city in Jackson County, Illinois, United States. The population was 624 at the 2000 census. The town gets its name from Tower Rock, a landmark island in the Mississippi River.[1]

Geography

Grand Tower is located at 37°37′57″N 89°30′7″W / 37.63250°N 89.50194°W (37.632599, -89.501944).[2]

According to the 2010 census, the city has a total area of 1.25 square miles (3.2 km2), all land.[3]

Immediately to the south of the city is a small portion of Perry County, Missouri, which is known as "Grand Tower Island". The island's sole road connection terminates in Grand Tower.[4]

History

Former names of this town include La Tour ("The Tower"), Jenkins Landing, Cochran's Woodyard Landing, and Evans' Landing.

The earliest inhabitants were a band of river pirates, who settled here after being driven off of Spanish soil west of the Mississippi River. This outlaw settlement was destroyed by the United States Army dragoons in 1803. A subsequent settler was a man named Walker who is the namesake of Walker Hill.

Demographics

As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 624 people, 268 households, and 169 families residing in the city. The population density was 496.0 people per square mile (191.2/km²). There were 309 housing units at an average density of 245.6 per square mile (94.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.24% White, 0.16% African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.64% from other races, and 0.64% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.96% of the population.

There were 268 households out of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.3% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.9% were non-families. 33.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.1% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,135, and the median income for a family was $40,000. Males had a median income of $34,375 versus $23,750 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,525. About 11.3% of families and 20.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.4% of those under age 18 and 16.1% of those age 65 or over.

Notable People

Popular Culture

References

  1. ↑ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p. 141.
  2. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  3. ↑ "2010 Census U.S. Gazetteer Files for Places – Illinois". United States Census. Retrieved 2012-05-03.
  4. ↑ DeLorme. Illinois Atlas & Gazetteer. 6th ed. Yarmouth: DeLorme, 2010, 88. ISBN 978-0-89933-321-2.
  5. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.

External links