Monmouth, Illinois
Encyclopedia
Monmouth is a city in and the county seat
of Warren County
in the U.S. state
of Illinois
. It is the home of Monmouth College
and contains Monmouth Park, Harmon Park, North Park, Warfield Park, West Park, South Park, Garwood Park, Buster White Park and the Citizens Lake & Campground. It is the host of the Prime Beef festival, held annually the week after Labor Day. The festival is kicked off with one of the largest parades in Western Illinois. Monmouth is also known regionally as the "Maple City". It is part of the Galesburg
Micropolitan Statistical Area
.
(the name was drawn out of a hat), but the founders of the town feared that it would be difficult to spell and pronounce.
Gunfighter Wyatt Earp
was born in Monmouth. For many years, the town watertower boasted that Monmouth was the "Home of Wyatt Earp." Controversial Civil War general Eleazar A. Paine practiced law there for many years. Abner C. Harding
, Civil War General and Republican Congressman, lived in Monmouth and is buried in Monmouth Cemetery.. Mass murderer Richard Speck
lived in Monmouth briefly as a child, and again in the spring of 1966. Ronald Reagan
lived in Monmouth for a while as a child when his father worked as a shoe salesman at the Colwell Department Store.
Monmouth College
, a private liberal arts college affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
, was founded in Monmouth in 1853 by Cedar Creek & South Henderson Presbyterian Church's. With James Cochran Porter & Robert Ross Founding in 1852 Maomouth Academy. The Rev. David Alexander Wallace serving as the first President 1856-1878. It is the second-largest employer in the city. Pi Beta Phi
, the first national secret college society of women to be modeled after the Greek
-letter fraternities of men, was founded on its campus in 1867. Just three years later in 1870, Kappa Kappa Gamma
, international fraternity for women, was founded on its campus.
Monmouth was once home to one of the most unusually named high school sports organizations, the Zippers. Originally known as The Maroons, the Zipper nickname came about in the late 1930s when the school had a fast basketball team that would "Zip" up and down the court. Earl Bennett, a sports writer nicknamed them "The Zippers" and the name stuck. The school went with the "Zipper" nickname until the 2005-06 school year when Monmouth consolidated with Roseville and the new Monmouth-Roseville High School adopted the nickname "The Titans".
Monmouth was the home for Western Stoneware, known for its "Maple Leaf" imprint and for producing "Sleepy Eye" collectible ceramics, which are recognizable by the blue-on-white bas-relief Indian profile. Western Stoneware closed in June 2006. Three former employees of Western Stoneware now operate the facility under the name "WS", Inc and have leased the building and logo from the city of Monmouth.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 4.1 square miles (10.6 km²), of which 4 square miles (10.4 km²) is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²) (0.49%) is water.
was 2,442.3 people per square mile (942.8/km²). There were 3,986 housing units at an average density of 989.2 per square mile (381.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 86.1% White, 2.40% African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.19% Pacific Islander, 1.91% from other races
, and 1.67% from two or more races. Hispanic (U.S. Census) Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.69% of the population.
There were 3,688 households out of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.7% were married couples
living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.0% were non-families. 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.0% under the age of 18, 17.1% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 88.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,641, and the median income for a family was $41,004. Males had a median income of $30,006 versus $20,144 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $15,839. About 8.0% of families and 11.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.5% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Warren County
Warren County, Illinois
-External links:**...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. It is the home of Monmouth College
Monmouth College
Monmouth College is a four-year coeducational private liberal arts college located in Monmouth, Illinois, United States.-History:Monmouth College was founded on April 18, 1853 by the Second Presbytery of Illinois, a frontier arm of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church...
and contains Monmouth Park, Harmon Park, North Park, Warfield Park, West Park, South Park, Garwood Park, Buster White Park and the Citizens Lake & Campground. It is the host of the Prime Beef festival, held annually the week after Labor Day. The festival is kicked off with one of the largest parades in Western Illinois. Monmouth is also known regionally as the "Maple City". It is part of the Galesburg
Galesburg, Illinois
Galesburg is a city in Knox County, Illinois, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 32,195. It is the county seat of Knox County....
Micropolitan Statistical Area
Galesburg micropolitan area
The Galesburg Micropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of two counties in west central Illinois, anchored by the city of Galesburg....
.
History
The town established in 1831 was originally going to be called KosciuskoTadeusz Kosciuszko
Andrzej Tadeusz Bonawentura Kościuszko was a Polish–Lithuanian and American general and military leader during the Kościuszko Uprising. He is a national hero of Poland, Lithuania, the United States and Belarus...
(the name was drawn out of a hat), but the founders of the town feared that it would be difficult to spell and pronounce.
Gunfighter Wyatt Earp
Wyatt Earp
Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp was an American gambler, investor, and law enforcement officer who served in several Western frontier towns. He was also at different times a farmer, teamster, bouncer, saloon-keeper, miner and boxing referee. However, he was never a drover or cowboy. He is most well known...
was born in Monmouth. For many years, the town watertower boasted that Monmouth was the "Home of Wyatt Earp." Controversial Civil War general Eleazar A. Paine practiced law there for many years. Abner C. Harding
Abner C. Harding
Abner Clark Harding was a U.S. Representative from Illinois.-Biography:Born in East Hampton, Connecticut, Harding attended Hamilton College, Clinton, New York, where he studied law. He was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Oneida County, New York, about 1827. In 1838, he moved to...
, Civil War General and Republican Congressman, lived in Monmouth and is buried in Monmouth Cemetery.. Mass murderer Richard Speck
Richard Speck
Richard Franklin Speck was a mass murderer who systematically tortured, raped and murdered eight student nurses from South Chicago Community Hospital in Chicago, Illinois on July 14, 1966.- Monmouth, 1941–1950 :...
lived in Monmouth briefly as a child, and again in the spring of 1966. Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
lived in Monmouth for a while as a child when his father worked as a shoe salesman at the Colwell Department Store.
Monmouth College
Monmouth College
Monmouth College is a four-year coeducational private liberal arts college located in Monmouth, Illinois, United States.-History:Monmouth College was founded on April 18, 1853 by the Second Presbytery of Illinois, a frontier arm of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church...
, a private liberal arts college affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
The Presbyterian Church , or PC, is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States. Part of the Reformed tradition, it is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the U.S...
, was founded in Monmouth in 1853 by Cedar Creek & South Henderson Presbyterian Church's. With James Cochran Porter & Robert Ross Founding in 1852 Maomouth Academy. The Rev. David Alexander Wallace serving as the first President 1856-1878. It is the second-largest employer in the city. Pi Beta Phi
Pi Beta Phi
Pi Beta Phi is an international fraternity for women founded as I.C. Sorosis on April 28, 1867, at Monmouth College in Monmouth, Illinois. Its headquarters are located in Town and Country, Missouri, and there are 134 active chapters and over 330 alumnae organizations across the United States and...
, the first national secret college society of women to be modeled after the Greek
Greek alphabet
The Greek alphabet is the script that has been used to write the Greek language since at least 730 BC . The alphabet in its classical and modern form consists of 24 letters ordered in sequence from alpha to omega...
-letter fraternities of men, was founded on its campus in 1867. Just three years later in 1870, Kappa Kappa Gamma
Kappa Kappa Gamma
Kappa Kappa Gamma is a collegiate women's fraternity, founded at Monmouth College, in Monmouth, Illinois, USA. Although the groundwork of the organization was developed as early as 1869, the 1876 Convention voted that October 13, 1870 should be recognized at the official Founders Day, because no...
, international fraternity for women, was founded on its campus.
Monmouth was once home to one of the most unusually named high school sports organizations, the Zippers. Originally known as The Maroons, the Zipper nickname came about in the late 1930s when the school had a fast basketball team that would "Zip" up and down the court. Earl Bennett, a sports writer nicknamed them "The Zippers" and the name stuck. The school went with the "Zipper" nickname until the 2005-06 school year when Monmouth consolidated with Roseville and the new Monmouth-Roseville High School adopted the nickname "The Titans".
Monmouth was the home for Western Stoneware, known for its "Maple Leaf" imprint and for producing "Sleepy Eye" collectible ceramics, which are recognizable by the blue-on-white bas-relief Indian profile. Western Stoneware closed in June 2006. Three former employees of Western Stoneware now operate the facility under the name "WS", Inc and have leased the building and logo from the city of Monmouth.
Geography
Monmouth is located at 40°54′42"N 90°38′40"W (40.911531, -90.644579). Monmouth is located in Western Illinois where US Route 34, US Route 67, Illinois Route 164, and now the new Chicago to Kansas City Expressway (Illinois Route 110) intersect.According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 4.1 square miles (10.6 km²), of which 4 square miles (10.4 km²) is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²) (0.49%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2010, there were 9,107 people, 3,909 households, and 2,323 families residing in the city. The population densityPopulation density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 2,442.3 people per square mile (942.8/km²). There were 3,986 housing units at an average density of 989.2 per square mile (381.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 86.1% White, 2.40% African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.19% Pacific Islander, 1.91% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.67% from two or more races. Hispanic (U.S. Census) Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.69% of the population.
There were 3,688 households out of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.7% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.0% were non-families. 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.0% under the age of 18, 17.1% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 88.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,641, and the median income for a family was $41,004. Males had a median income of $30,006 versus $20,144 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $15,839. About 8.0% of families and 11.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.5% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.
Radio
- WMOI-FM (97.7) (RDS)Format: Adult Contemporary
- WRAM-AM (1330)Format: News/Talk/Ag Classic Country Music