Geneva, Illinois

Geneva
City
Fabyan Windmill
Official name: City of Geneva
Country United States
State Illinois
County Kane
Elevation 725 ft (221 m)
Coordinates 41°53′N 88°19′W / 41.89°N 88.31°W / 41.89; -88.31Coordinates: 41°53′N 88°19′W / 41.89°N 88.31°W / 41.89; -88.31
Area 9.99 sq mi (26 km2)
 - land 9.74 sq mi (25 km2)
 - water 0.24 sq mi (1 km2)
Population 21,707 (2011)
Founded 1835
 - Incorporated (As Village) 1867[1]
 - Incorporated (As City) 1887
Government
 - location 109 James St. Geneva, IL 60134
Mayor Kevin R. Burns
Timezone CST (UTC-6)
 - summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
Postal code 60134
Area code 630 & 331
Location in Kane County and the state of Illinois.
Website: geneva.il.us

Geneva is an affuent city in and the county seat of Kane County, Illinois, United States.[2] It is located on the western fringe of the Chicago suburbs. Geneva is located between Batavia and St. Charles.[3][4] As of a July 2011 official US Census Bureau estimate, the city had a total population of 21,707.[5] Geneva is part of a tri-city area, along with St. Charles and Batavia. The area is currently experiencing a high level of population growth as Chicago's urban sprawl spreads farther west.

Geneva is a popular tourist destination with its scenic location along the Fox River and numerous shops and restaurants. There is an extensive bike trail system in Geneva including portions of the Fox River Trail and the Illinois Prairie Path. Geneva has an active historical society, the Geneva History Center, located in downtown Geneva as well as the Fabyan Windmill, an old Dutch windmill dating back to the 1850s. In 2013 it was nominated by Bloomsberg Business Week as the best place to raise a kid in Illinois.[6] The city is home to the Kane County Cougars baseball club of the Midwest League and the Chicago Steel ice hockey club of the United States Hockey League.

Geography

Geneva is located at 41°53'9" North, 88°18'42" West (41.885722, -88.311771),[7] 36 miles (58 km) west of downtown Chicago.

According to the 2010 census, Geneva has a total area of 9.994 square miles (25.88 km2), of which 9.75 square miles (25.25 km2) (or 97.56%) is land and 0.244 square miles (0.63 km2) (or 2.44%) is water.[8]

History

Geneva was first settled in the 1830s on an important route from Chicago. Daniel Shaw Haight was the first settler in Geneva. Haight sold his claim in 1835 to James and Charity Herrington, who were influential in the creation of the town of Geneva.[9] A local's connections with Col. Richard Hamilton, a prominent Cook County politician, led to the naming of Geneva as county seat in 1836. The town was platted a year later and was probably named after Geneva, New York.[10] Before the name Geneva was chosen, the names LaFox, Big Spring, and Herrington's Ford were used.[11] A courthouse and jail were among the first major works. Geneva was incorporated as a village in 1867. While its site as a county seat attracted attention, the village's location on the Fox River provided the most economic opportunities. Early goods manufactured in Geneva included cheese, butter, milled grains, and packed meat. The connection of the railroad in 1853 provided increased demand for industry, and by 1900, Appleton Manufacturing, Howell Foundry, Bennet Milling Co., and Pope Glucose Co. became major employers. This resulted in major civic improvement projects such as a pumping stations and water mains in 1896. Geneva was particularly noted for its flux of Swedish immigrants, who comprised half of the population by 1900. A year later, Geneva was connected to other Fox Valley communities through the Aurora, Elgin and Fox River Electric Company.

Historical sites

Transportation

Geneva is served by Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW), Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD), and Dupage Airport (DPA). The city also benefits from highways running through the city, including State Routes 25, 31, 38 with easy access to Interstate 88.

Bus

Geneva is also serviced by the PACE bus system run by Chicago's suburbs. The following bus routes run through this city:

Train

As a part of the Chicago metropolitan area, Geneva has a station on the Union Pacific/West line of the Metra commuter rail system; it provides frequent service to downtown Chicago, 36 miles (58 km) away, and extends west to Elburn.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1860997—
18801,239—
18901,69236.6%
19002,44644.6%
19103,00622.9%
19203,32710.7%
19304,60738.5%
19404,101−11.0%
19505,13925.3%
19607,64648.8%
19709,04918.3%
19809,8819.2%
199012,61727.7%
200019,51554.7%
201021,49510.1%
Est. 201421,742[15]1.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[16]
Kane County Courthouse
Kane County Government Center

As of the census[17] of 2000, there were 19,515 people, 6,718 households, and 5,186 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,321.4 people per square mile (895.9/km²). There are 6,895 housing units at an average density of 820.2/sq mi (316.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.50% White, 1.02% African American, 0.06% Native American, 1.25% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.58% from other races, and 0.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.77% of the population.

There were 6,718 households out of which 45.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.0% were married couples living together, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.8% are non-families. 19.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.31.

In the city the population was spread out with 31.8% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 31.6% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 8.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 99.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.2 males.

As of 2011 the median income for a household in the city is $95,467. Males had a median income of $65,103 versus $38,520 for females. The per capita income for the city was $42,995. About 1.6% of families and 2.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.6% of those under the age of 18 and 4.9% of those ages 65 and older.

Education

Geneva School District 304 includes the following schools:

Elementary education schools

Middle schools

High schools

Parks and recreation

The following fitness/recreation centers are part of the Geneva Park District

Also containing over 30 parks for recreation use.[26]

Annual events

Media and entertainment

Notable people

Sister cities

References

  1. ↑ "Geneva, IL - Official Website - History of Geneva". Geneva.il.us. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
  2. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  3. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on June 5, 2010. Retrieved August 2, 2010.
  4. ↑ "60134 Zip Code in Geneva, IL - Neighborhoods, Schools, Real Estate, Demographics and Relocation Tools". Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  5. ↑ "Population in the U.S. - Google Public Data Explorer". Google.com. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
  6. ↑ "Bloomsberg Business Week". Bloomsberg News. 18 December 2012. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
  7. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  8. ↑ "G001 - Geographic Identifiers - 2010 Census Summary File 1". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2015-12-27.
  9. ↑ "story of Geneva, Illinois : 2001". Archived from the original on February 4, 2012. Retrieved February 14, 2012.
  10. ↑ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p. 136.
  11. ↑ "Several Towns Named After Founders and Heroes". The Daily Herald. December 28, 1999. p. 220. Retrieved August 17, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on June 2, 2010. Retrieved September 10, 2010.
  13. ↑ "Route 801 - Elgin-Geneva". Pace Bus. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
  14. ↑ "Route 802 - Aurora-Geneva via Lake". Pace Bus. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
  15. ↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  16. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  17. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  18. ↑ "Harrison Street Elementary School". Archived from the original on July 20, 2011. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  19. ↑ "Williamsburg Elementary School". Archived from the original on July 20, 2011. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  20. ↑ "Heartland Elementary School". Archived from the original on July 20, 2011. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  21. ↑ "Mill Creek Elementary School". Archived from the original on July 20, 2011. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  22. ↑ "Fabyan Elementary School". Archived from the original on July 20, 2011. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  23. ↑ "Western Avenue Elementary School". Archived from the original on July 20, 2011. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  24. ↑ "Geneva Middle School South". Archived from the original on July 20, 2011. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  25. ↑ "Geneva Middle School South Website". Archived from the original on July 20, 2011. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  26. ↑ "Geneva Park District | Parks and Facilities Map". Genevaparks.org. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
  27. ↑ "Sid Bennett NFL Football Statistics". Pro-Football-Reference.com. 1971-12-30. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
  28. ↑ "The Most Trusted Place for Answering Life's Questions". Answers. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
  29. ↑ "Been There, Seen That: George Fabyan, Eccentric". Dees2.blogspot.com. 2008-06-19. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
  30. ↑ "EX-SENATOR FAIR IS DEAD; His Fatal Illness of But Very Brief Duration. AN ESTATE OF FORTY MILLIONS One of the Earliest Victims of the Gold Fever, He Turned His Attention to Silver and Made a Fortune.", The New York Times (New York, New York), 1894-12-30, He came to this country with his parents in 1843, and lived for a time at Geneva, Ill., where he obtained a rudimentary education...
  31. ↑ "Stu Linder : Biography". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2016-03-31.
  32. ↑ "Michael J. Nelson : Biography". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2016-03-31.
  33. ↑ "John Scherer". Johnwscherer.com. 2014-06-20. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
  34. ↑ "Kane County Chronicle | Archive". Nl.newsbank.com. Retrieved 2016-03-31.
  35. ↑ "Dale Shewalter obituary". Arizona Daily Sun. 2010-01-14. Retrieved 2010-02-08.
  36. ↑ "Joan Taylor - 20 Million Miles of Memories". Riflemanconnors.com. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
  37. ↑ "Joan Taylor - The Private Life and Times of Joan Taylor. Joan Taylor Pictures". Glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
  38. ↑ "Answers - The Most Trusted Place for Answering Life's Questions". Answers.com. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  39. ↑ "Full Biography". Retrieved 22 March 2016.

External links

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Geneva (Illinois).
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