South Pekin, Illinois
Encyclopedia
South Pekin is a village in Tazewell County
, Illinois
, United States
. The population was 1,162 at the 2000 census and is part of the Peoria, Illinois
Metropolitan Statistical Area
.
built a switching yard and roundhouse (destroyed in Midwestern tornado) for its steam trains about five miles south of Pekin, Illinois.
The people of Pekin did not want "railroad people" in their town, and so the first boxcars were taken off the tracks and converted into homes along with some folks living in tents.
The Chicago and North Western also had a small bunkhouse next to the tracks where railroad worker could stop for the night. (It was demolished in summer of 2008.)
The town of South Pekin, Illinois was a home terminal for Chicago and Northwestern Railroad crews. Trains were made up in the middle of the town in a "Kick" Yard. After the trains were put together train crews would get on the train and proceed south to East St. Louis, Illinois or north to Nelson, IL where they would be relieved and allowed to sleep for the next tour of operation. In the 1970s train crews would go onward through Nelson, IL and proceed to Proviso, IL (a suburb of Chicago) or else to Clinton, Iowa
. At times there were as many as 20 + trains either made up at South Pekin, IL or that went through South Pekin.
There was another railroad line on the east side of South Pekin that was on the very outskirts of the town. It was the "Illinois Central" at one time. It did not have a terminal. It would just interchange a few cars onto a siding where they would be collated in the Northwestern trains.
In the early 1900s South Pekin grew to be a bustling city with its own bank, store, bakery and all of the amenities. Then came the great Midwestern tornado of 1938, and South Pekin was nearly wiped out. Then during the Midwest Flood South Pekin was one of the hardest hit towns in central Illinois.
In the interim it has been a home to motorcycle gangs and the Ku Klux Klan
and a recording studio called Golden Voice Recording owned and operated by Jerry L and Mary Anne Milam.
On May 10, 2003 a tornado touched down 3 miles southwest of South Pekin around 9:45 PM. As it crossed Highway 29 it continued to strengthen and was at F3 intensity. It went through South Pekin at 9:50 PM and was a quarter mile wide. There were 23 injuries in South Pekin and no fatalities reported. Today the town is mostly restored and a new warning system was added on each side of the village. (Money donated by residents allowed the new system to be purchased.)
South Pekin has continued to hang on to the Midwestern way and is currently a village of 1400 people and a growing economy.
of 2000, there were 1,162 people, 417 households, and 314 families residing in the village. The population density
was 2,708.2 people per square mile (1,043.4/km²). There were 438 housing units at an average density of 1,020.8 per square mile (393.3/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 99.31% White, 0.09% African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.17% Asian, and 0.34% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.12% of the population.
There were 417 households out of which 42.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.4% were married couples
living together, 14.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.5% were non-families. 87% of "married" couples are related. 18.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.12.
In the village the population was spread out with 31.0% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 32.3% from 25 to 44, 18.1% from 45 to 64, and 9.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 97.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.1 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $40,455, and the median income for a family was $42,102. Males had a median income of $32,292 versus $20,125 for females. The per capita income
for the village was $15,717. About 6.1% of families and 7.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.0% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.
Tazewell County, Illinois
Tazewell County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 135,394, which is an increase of 5.4% from 128,485 in 2000. Its county seat and largest city is Pekin. The majority of the population live in the suburbs and bedroom communities...
, 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,...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 1,162 at the 2000 census and is part of the Peoria, Illinois
Peoria, Illinois
Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...
Metropolitan Statistical Area
Peoria metropolitan area
The Peoria Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of five counties in Central Illinois, anchored by the city of Peoria...
.
History
South Pekin was founded at around the turn of the 19th century. The Chicago and North Western RailwayChicago and North Western Railway
The Chicago and North Western Transportation Company was a Class I railroad in the Midwest United States. It was also known as the North Western. The railroad operated more than of track as of the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states before retrenchment in the late 1970s...
built a switching yard and roundhouse (destroyed in Midwestern tornado) for its steam trains about five miles south of Pekin, Illinois.
The people of Pekin did not want "railroad people" in their town, and so the first boxcars were taken off the tracks and converted into homes along with some folks living in tents.
The Chicago and North Western also had a small bunkhouse next to the tracks where railroad worker could stop for the night. (It was demolished in summer of 2008.)
The town of South Pekin, Illinois was a home terminal for Chicago and Northwestern Railroad crews. Trains were made up in the middle of the town in a "Kick" Yard. After the trains were put together train crews would get on the train and proceed south to East St. Louis, Illinois or north to Nelson, IL where they would be relieved and allowed to sleep for the next tour of operation. In the 1970s train crews would go onward through Nelson, IL and proceed to Proviso, IL (a suburb of Chicago) or else to Clinton, Iowa
Clinton, Iowa
Clinton is a city in and the county seat of Clinton County, Iowa, United States. The population was 26231as of 2010. Clinton, along with DeWitt, Iowa , was named in honor of the seventh governor of New York, DeWitt Clinton. Clinton is the principal city of the Clinton Micropolitan Statistical...
. At times there were as many as 20 + trains either made up at South Pekin, IL or that went through South Pekin.
There was another railroad line on the east side of South Pekin that was on the very outskirts of the town. It was the "Illinois Central" at one time. It did not have a terminal. It would just interchange a few cars onto a siding where they would be collated in the Northwestern trains.
In the early 1900s South Pekin grew to be a bustling city with its own bank, store, bakery and all of the amenities. Then came the great Midwestern tornado of 1938, and South Pekin was nearly wiped out. Then during the Midwest Flood South Pekin was one of the hardest hit towns in central Illinois.
In the interim it has been a home to motorcycle gangs and the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
and a recording studio called Golden Voice Recording owned and operated by Jerry L and Mary Anne Milam.
On May 10, 2003 a tornado touched down 3 miles southwest of South Pekin around 9:45 PM. As it crossed Highway 29 it continued to strengthen and was at F3 intensity. It went through South Pekin at 9:50 PM and was a quarter mile wide. There were 23 injuries in South Pekin and no fatalities reported. Today the town is mostly restored and a new warning system was added on each side of the village. (Money donated by residents allowed the new system to be purchased.)
South Pekin has continued to hang on to the Midwestern way and is currently a village of 1400 people and a growing economy.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 1,162 people, 417 households, and 314 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 2,708.2 people per square mile (1,043.4/km²). There were 438 housing units at an average density of 1,020.8 per square mile (393.3/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 99.31% White, 0.09% African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.17% Asian, and 0.34% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.12% of the population.
There were 417 households out of which 42.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.4% 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, 14.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.5% were non-families. 87% of "married" couples are related. 18.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.12.
In the village the population was spread out with 31.0% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 32.3% from 25 to 44, 18.1% from 45 to 64, and 9.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 97.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.1 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $40,455, and the median income for a family was $42,102. Males had a median income of $32,292 versus $20,125 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 $15,717. About 6.1% of families and 7.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.0% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.