Washington, Illinois
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Washington | |
| City | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | Illinois |
| County | Tazewell |
| Coordinates | |
| Area | 7.5 sq mi (19 km²) |
| - land | 7.5 sq mi (19 km²) |
| Density | 1,450.0 /sq mi (560 /km²) |
| Timezone | CST (UTC-6) |
| - summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| Postal code | 61571 |
| Area code | 309 |
   Location of Washington within Illinois
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| Wikimedia Commons: Washington, Illinois | |
Washington is a city in Tazewell County, Illinois, United States. The population was 10,841 at the 2000 census. There are currently 13,167 people living in Washington, according to a 2004 special census. Washington is a growing suburb of Peoria and is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area..
Contents |
[edit] Geography
Washington is located at (40.703877, -89.420569).[1]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.5 square miles (19.4 km²), of which, 7.5 square miles (19.4 km²) of it is land and 0.13% is water.
[edit] History
Washington, IL was founded in 1825 by William Holland, Sr., who came from North Carolina and was hired by the US Government to provide blacksmith services to the local Native Americans. During his long and eventful life he was married three times, and was the father of twenty-one children, fourteen by his first wife and seven by his second wife. He had eighty-two grandchildren, and fifty great grandchildren. He died in Washington on November 27th, 1871, at the advanced age of ninety-one years. The city was originally known as Holland's Grove before being renamed in honor the first U.S. president George Washington.
In the 1920s, a man named George Heyl [2] put Washington on the map as the home of the famous Heyl Pony Farm. You can still see some of the original barns on North Main Street. The Heyl Pony Farm supplied Shetland ponies to buyers around the world; George Heyl also raised pure bred poultry. When George Heyl died suddenly in 1932, it was recorded as one of the largest funerals ever held in Washington.
Another local site of interest is the "old canning factory", which is now occupied by American Allied Railway Equipment Company Inc. In 1943, the canning factory (which after the war was run by the Libby's company) had a shortage of workers, and the government needed K rations and canned goods to feed the troops.
The solution was to bring in 50 captured German soldiers from the prisoner of war camp known as Camp Ellis in Fulton County.[3] The Washington sub-camp was first commanded by Colonel John S. Sullivan, and later by Captain T. A. Cox.
Captain Cox at one point in the war commanded the 1613th Service Command Unit, detachment 5 guarding German POWs at the Mayo hospital in Galesburg.[4]
The POWs were brought in on the old rail line that ran down Wood Street (the foundation of a sentry tower can be seen just northeast of the intersection of Wood and Jefferson near the entrance to the bike trail).
They were trucked from the camp to various local farms to help with the pumpkin harvest. Once a POW jumped from a truck going down South Main Street and was almost shot before the guard realized he was just trying to retrieve his hat which had blown off.
The prisoners were allowed no visitors, nor could residents speak to the prisoners. An exception was made for local ministers, such as Pastor Kammeyer from St. Mark's Lutheran who spoke fluent German and ministered to the POWs spiritual needs.
Years later when the Libby plant burned, they found a U.S. Army rifle issued to a soldier who was a guard. It was reported missing, and suspected hidden by a prisoner.
For more information about the history of Washington, see the Washington Historical Society at 105 Zinser Place, off Main Street.[5]
[edit] Recent Developments
- The new community center, Five Points Washington, opened October 2007 [6]
- A new Menards home improvement superstore has opened.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[7] of 2000, there were 10,841 people, 4,189 households, and 3,091 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,450.0 people per square mile (559.6/km²). There were 4,403 housing units at an average density of 588.9/sq mi (227.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.36% White, 0.26% African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.26% from other races, and 0.62% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.67% of the population.
There were 4,189 households out of which 35.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.8% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.2% were non-families. 22.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.02.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.0% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 95.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $52,210, and the median income for a family was $61,184. Males had a median income of $44,896 versus $26,035 for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,231. About 2.8% of families and 4.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.5% of those under age 18 and 3.5% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] People born, raised or living in Washington
- Mark Warner, former governor of Virginia: went to grade school in Washington from 1966 to 1969 per "Mark Warner Timeline", Eric M. Appleman, retrieved 2006-04-23[8]
- Doug Lee, former NBA player New Jersey Nets: alumni of St. Patrick's Grade School and Washington High School (1979 - 1982); alumni of the Purdue Boilermakers: three seasons with the NBA's New Jersey Nets 1983 - 1986[9]
- Mark Dennis, former NFL player as a Offensive Tackle for the Miami Dolphins: alumni of Washington High School (1980 - 1983); alumni of the University of Illinois, then to the Miami Dolphins for 8 years and then the Carolina Panthers for 2 years before retiring.[10]
- Although not born nor raised in Washington, British actor John Ronane lives there with his wife Carole. Ronane is the author of several books and a play, which was performed at Illinois Central College. He is an Emmy-nominee, a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, and has starred in a British television series. Ronane appeared in movies in Europe and Hollywood. He has performed on the West End of London (England's 'Broadway'), plus at the Peoria Apollo Theatre. Additionally, he has worked many years for the BBC and other British television dramas, radio presentations, etc. He taught drama at the University of Illinois-Champaign/Urbana, and also at ICC.
[edit] Annual Events
- Washington Cherry Festival
- Memorial Day Parade
- Take Pride in Washington Day
[edit] Major employers
Most Washington residents commute to employment outside of the city. Below is a list of major employer and approximate employment from Washington Chamber of Commerce [11]
[edit] Employment Data
- Percent in labor force 69.7%
- Percent working outside county 52.2%
- Percent unemployed 4.1%
- Mean travel time to work (min.) 21.5
[edit] Major Manufacturers and Distributors
- Illinois Valley Plastics, molded components, 100
- Miller Welding & Iron Works, metal fabrication, 70
- American Allied Railway Equipment, rail wheels and brakes, 66
- WICC, Ltd., electrical components, 41
- Global Fire Equipment/MES, fire trucks, apparatus, 36
- Art & Print, Printing and graphics, 32
- Akron Brass, fire fighting equipment, 26
[edit] Major Retailers
- Wal-Mart Supercenter, general merchandise, 340
- Uftring Chevrolet-Saab, automobile sales and service, 105
- Kmart, general merchandise, 100
- Kroger, grocer, 90
- Lindy’s Downtown Market, grocer, 54
- Scrumplet's Garden Market, botanicals, 85
- Menard's, hardware store
[edit] Major Services/Institutions
- Washington school districts 50, 51, 52, 308, education, 425
- Swank Enterprises, Construction services, 225
- Washington Christian Village, elderly care, 125
- City of Washington, local government, 80
- Washington Park District, parks and recreation entity, 76
- Washington Five Points, community center, unknown
[edit] See also
Washington Community High School
[edit] Sources
- ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ George Heyl
- ^ Fulton County Tourism
- ^ German POWs
- ^ Washington Historical Society
- ^ Five Points Washington
- ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ Mark Warner Timeline
- ^ New Jersey Nets 1983 - 1986
- ^ Mark Dennis
- ^ Washington COC Employment Data
[edit] External links
- City of Washington official site
- Washington Chamber of Commerce
- Doug Lee
- Mark Dennis
- Washington Grade School District #52
- Historic Illinois (Bradley University)
- Washington, Illinois is at coordinates Coordinates:
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