Kewanee, Illinois

City of Kewanee, Illinois
Nickname(s): Hog Capital of the World

Location of Kewanee, Illinois
Coordinates: 41°14′N 89°56′W / 41.233°N 89.933°W / 41.233; -89.933Coordinates: 41°14′N 89°56′W / 41.233°N 89.933°W / 41.233; -89.933
Country United States
State Illinois
County Henry
Incorporated 1854
Government
 • Mayor Steve Looney
Area
 • Total 6.72 sq mi (17.4 km2)
Elevation 803 ft (244 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 12,916
 • Density 2,062.1/sq mi (795.8/km2)
Time zone CST (UTC-6)
 • Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
Website cityofkewanee.com

Kewanee is a city in Henry County, Illinois, United States. "Kewanee" is the Winnebago word for prairie chicken,[1] which lekked there. The population was 12,916 at the 2010 census, down from 12,944 in 2000.

Geography

Kewanee is located at 41°14′N 89°56′W / 41.233°N 89.933°W / 41.233; -89.933 (41.241, -89.926).[2]

According to the 2010 census, Kewanee has a total area of 6.722 square miles (17.41 km2), of which 6.71 square miles (17.38 km2) (or 99.82%) is land and 0.012 square miles (0.03 km2) (or 0.18%) is water.[3]

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
18802,704—
18904,56969.0%
19008,38283.5%
19109,30711.0%
192016,02672.2%
193017,0936.7%
194016,901−1.1%
195016,821−0.5%
196016,324−3.0%
197015,762−3.4%
198014,508−8.0%
199012,969−10.6%
200012,944−0.2%
201012,916−0.2%
Est. 201412,596[4]−2.5%
U.S. Decennial Census[5]

As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 12,944 people, 5,353 households, and 3,377 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,062.1 people per square mile (795.8/km²). There were 5,879 housing units at an average density of 936.6 per square mile (361.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.27% White, 3.68% African American, 0.06% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 3.69% from other races, and 1.95% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.10% of the population.

There were 5,353 households out of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.0% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.9% were non-families. 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.8% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 20.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 88.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,895, and the median income for a family was $37,730. Males had a median income of $29,065 versus $19,792 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,746. About 10.7% of families and 13.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.0% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.

Kewanee water tower as seen from N. Tremont St.

Industry

Kewanee was well known in the steam industry for fire-tube boilers. The Kewanee Boiler Corporation manufactured and sold thousands of boilers throughout the world for well over one hundred years. However, the company failed in 2002 and was forced to go out of business. However, these boilers are still extremely common. An example of a Kewanee steam boiler can be seen in a scene in the movie The Blues Brothers. Specifically, when Cab Calloway's character named Curtis offers to "buy you boys a drink", he takes Jake and Elwood down to the orphanage's basement, where the boiler is easily seen in the background. A Kewanee boiler is also the dwelling place for the character Suzie DeSoto, played by Debra Winger, in the 1982 film version of John Steinbeck's book Cannery Row. The Kewanee High School athletic teams are nicknamed the "Boilermakers."

Kewanee Boiler

Parks

Kewanee has many different types of parks in the immediate area, offering a variety of activities such as boating, camping, hunting, fishing, playgrounds, baseball fields, and more. Parks inside the city limits are run by the Kewanee Park District. Outside of Kewanee there is one city park named Francis Park which has picnic and camping facilities. Also outside of Kewanee is Johnson's Sauk Trail State Park which offers hunting, boating, camping, picnicking, and other seasonal activities. Below is a listing of the parks in and nearby Kewanee:

Schools

Overview

Kewanee has had two school districts, dating to when the community of Wethersfield was a separate municipality. Though the towns merged long ago, the two school districts both remain in the city of 13,400, divided at Division Street in the middle of Kewanee. While Kewanee School District #229 has around 2,015 students (533 High School), Wethersfield #230 has about 600 students. The two schools enjoy a usually friendly rivalry, since both district high schools are in different divisions for most sports. However, this rivalry can become very heated in the sports the two high schools do compete in, most notably basketball.

There are also other schools in Kewanee like Visitation Catholic School: home of the Giants, and a community college, Black Hawk College. Black Hawk College-East Campus is recognized nationally for its equestrian program, as well as livestock judging teams. (Another Campus is located in the Quad Cities.)

Kewanee CUSD #229

The District utilizes several buildings located around Kewanee to house different grades of students. The schools include: Irving School, Central School, Lyle School, Belle Alexander School, and Kewanee High School. The athletic field is located next to Kewanee High School.

Other Wikipedia Articles: Kewanee High School

Wethersfield CUSD #230

The District's campus is housed entirely on a single block off of Tenny St. In Kewanee. The athletic field is located next to the campus across Garfield Street. Wethersfield has co-oped with other community schools, such as Annawan High School, in sports such as Football and Baseball. The combined team is designated as the AW Titans with colors being Blue and Silver.

Other Wikipedia Articles: Wethersfield High School (Illinois)

Consolidation

Recently, the Kewanee School Board and the Wethersfield School Board conducted a feasibility study on the subject of consolidation, which would provide the town one school district. Wethersfield also completed a feasibility study with two nearby towns, Annawan and Galva. Currently, Wethersfield and Annawan share co-ops in several sports programs under the name of the Titans.

Websites

Festivals

The most notable festival held in the community is Hog Days. It is held annually on Labor Day weekend. Events include a carnival, mud volleyball, a parade, and more. More information including a history of the event is available at http://kewaneehogdays.com.

Local media

Kewanee Radio Stations

FM radio

AM radio

Cable television

Telco Service

Print

B&B Printing, local family ran printing press

Notable businesses

West Second Street, 1908

Current businesses

Former businesses

Notable people

Transportation

The Kewanee Amtrak station serves trains on the Carl Sandburg and Illinois Zephyr daily. The current station was completed April 13, 2012. The new depot offers a modern look and a much upgraded space for travelers to wait for trains. http://www.greatamericanstations.com/Stations/KEE/Station_view

Miscellaneous information

References

  1. ↑ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p. 174.
  2. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  3. ↑ "G001 - Geographic Identifiers - 2010 Census Summary File 1". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2015-12-27.
  4. ↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  6. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  7. ↑ "Kewanee". The Independent. Jul 6, 1914. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
  8. ↑
  9. ↑ List of Touched by an Angel episodes#Season 9: 2002.E2.80.932003
Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Kewanee.

External links

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