Sorento, Illinois
Encyclopedia
Sorento is a village in Bond County
Bond County, Illinois
Bond County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is part of the St. Louis Metro Area. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 17,768, which is an increase of 0.8% from 17,633 in 2000. Its county seat is Greenville, Illinois....

, Illinois, United States. The population was 601 at the 2000 census.

History

Sorento was incorporated as a village in 1885.

Charles Lindbergh
Charles Lindbergh
Charles Augustus Lindbergh was an American aviator, author, inventor, explorer, and social activist.Lindbergh, a 25-year-old U.S...

 is known to have landed in fields just outside of Sorento while preparing for his solo transatlantic flight.

Education

Sorento is home to the Sorento Elementary School which educates students ages Pre-K through 8th grade. Sorento Elementary was a 2011 Blue Ribbon school, one of only 19 schools in the State of Illinois and 304 in the entire U.S.

Geography

Sorento is located at 38°59′57"N 89°34′26"W (38.999264, -89.573809).

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 village has a total area of 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 601 people, 238 households, and 167 families residing in the village. The population density
Population 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 1,110.5 people per square mile (429.7/km²). There were 255 housing units at an average density of 471.2 per square mile (182.3/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 98.17% White, 0.67% Native American, 0.33% 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 0.83% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.00% of the population.

There were 238 households out of which 38.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.4% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.8% were non-families. 26.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the village the population was spread out with 28.3% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 89.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.4 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $31,250, and the median income for a family was $32,125. Males had a median income of $28,889 versus $15,625 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 village was $13,167. About 11.4% of families and 14.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.4% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.

Places of interest

Ripson Bridge was built in 1895. It is the last pony truss bridge
Truss bridge
A truss bridge is a bridge composed of connected elements which may be stressed from tension, compression, or sometimes both in response to dynamic loads. Truss bridges are one of the oldest types of modern bridges...

 in Bond County and is a local historical landmark. Ripson Bridge is in the process of being named to the National Historical Register. The bridge is named after the land owner who owned the property next to the bridge when it was built. The Sorento Homecoming Association is the caretaker of the bridge.

Dr. Jason Chittum began doctoring in Sorento in 1895. He was a physician in the town and local area for 60 years until he died in 1955. The office he practiced medicine in from 1901 until his death in 1955 was moved to Main Street and has been transformed into a small museum.

Events

An annual homecoming
Homecoming
Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni of a school. It most commonly refers to a tradition in many universities, colleges and high schools in North America...

 usually lasting for two days is held every summer normally during August.

A major arts and crafts
Arts and crafts
Arts and crafts comprise a whole host of activities and hobbies that are related to making things with one's hands and skill. These can be sub-divided into handicrafts or "traditional crafts" and "the rest"...

 festival known as the Ripson Bridge Festival is held on the grounds of Ripson Bridge each autumn, usually on the first Sunday in October. The event features live music throughout the day, children's games, an old-fashioned cake walk, and over 100 arts and craft vendors.

Famous residents

Sorento was the childhood home of Esther Snyder
Esther Snyder
Esther Lavelle Snyder founded In-N-Out Burger, with her husband Harry Snyder, in 1948.-Early life:Snyder was born and raised in Sorento, Illinois as one of eight children...

, formerly Esther Johnson, co-founder of In-N-Out Burger
In-N-Out Burger
In-N-Out Burger is a regional chain of fast food restaurants with locations in the western United States. Founded in 1948 by Harry Snyder and his wife Esther, establishing the first In-N-Out burger in Baldwin Park and headquartered in Irvine, California, In-N-Out Burger has since expanded outside...

.
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