Wapella, Illinois
Encyclopedia
Wapella is a village in DeWitt County, Illinois
, United States
. The population was 558 at the 2010 census.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the village has a total area of 0.6 square miles (1.6 km²), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 651 people, 253 households, and 184 families residing in the village. The population density
was 1,193.6 people per square mile (457.0/km²). There were 276 housing units at an average density of 506.0 per square mile (193.8/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 99.23% White, 0.46% Native American, 0.15% from other races
, and 0.15% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.92% of the population.
There were 253 households out of which 35.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.9% were married couples
living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.9% were non-families. 24.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the village the population was spread out with 26.6% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 31.3% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 104.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.7 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $38,000, and the median income for a family was $44,063. Males had a median income of $34,844 versus $21,957 for females. The per capita income
for the village was $17,395. About 5.5% of families and 8.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.8% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.
located its rail shops in Wapella in its early days before shifting to Clinton, Illinois, five miles south of Wapella. Clinton was the third largest rail switching center in the United States during the Civil War.
A group of settlers from Kentucky was the first of European origin to call Wapella home; afterwich, a substantial Irish community came to Wapella to build and work on the Illinois Central Railroad
, as well as a later group of settlers from Kentucky and Germany. Abraham and Elizabeth Swearingen, grandparents of Al Swearengen
(featured in the HBO series Deadwood
) settled in nearby Wapella Township, and Daniel and Keziah Swearingen - Al's parents - met and married in nearby McLean, Illinois, before moving to Mahaska County, Iowa
where Al was born.
Wapella boasts some of the most productive agriculture land in the country, and is well known for its extensive drainage system maintaining a rich agricultural economy. Production of seed corn, field corn, and soybeans are large enterprises in Wapella and surrounding townships.
Wapella supports both a Roman Catholic and a Christian Church, each of which has undergone a magnificent restoration since 2003.
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 558 at the 2010 census.
Geography
Wapella is located at 40°13′17"N 88°57′46"W (40.221285, -88.962715).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 0.6 square miles (1.6 km²), all of it land.
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 651 people, 253 households, and 184 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 1,193.6 people per square mile (457.0/km²). There were 276 housing units at an average density of 506.0 per square mile (193.8/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 99.23% White, 0.46% Native American, 0.15% 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 0.15% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.92% of the population.
There were 253 households out of which 35.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.9% 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, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.9% were non-families. 24.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the village the population was spread out with 26.6% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 31.3% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 104.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.7 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $38,000, and the median income for a family was $44,063. Males had a median income of $34,844 versus $21,957 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 $17,395. About 5.5% of families and 8.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.8% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.
History
Wapella was founded in 1854. It was laid out by David Neil, the surveyor of much of the Illinois Central Railroad Line. The village population was approximately 500 residents by the beginning of the Civil War, and has grown to a little over 600 residents in the early twenty-first century. The Illinois Central RailroadIllinois Central Railroad
The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois with New Orleans, Louisiana and Birmingham, Alabama. A line also connected Chicago with Sioux City, Iowa...
located its rail shops in Wapella in its early days before shifting to Clinton, Illinois, five miles south of Wapella. Clinton was the third largest rail switching center in the United States during the Civil War.
A group of settlers from Kentucky was the first of European origin to call Wapella home; afterwich, a substantial Irish community came to Wapella to build and work on the Illinois Central Railroad
Illinois Central Railroad
The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois with New Orleans, Louisiana and Birmingham, Alabama. A line also connected Chicago with Sioux City, Iowa...
, as well as a later group of settlers from Kentucky and Germany. Abraham and Elizabeth Swearingen, grandparents of Al Swearengen
Al Swearengen
Ellis Albert "Al" Swearengen was a pimp and early entertainment entrepreneur in Deadwood, South Dakota, running the Gem Theater, a notorious brothel, for 22 years, and combining a reputation for brutality with an uncanny instinct for forging political alliances.Swearengen and his twin brother,...
(featured in the HBO series Deadwood
Deadwood (TV series)
Deadwood is an American Western drama television series created, produced and largely written by David Milch. The series aired on the premium cable network HBO from March 21, 2004, to August 27, 2006, spanning three 12-episode seasons. The show is set in the 1870s in Deadwood, South Dakota, before...
) settled in nearby Wapella Township, and Daniel and Keziah Swearingen - Al's parents - met and married in nearby McLean, Illinois, before moving to Mahaska County, Iowa
Mahaska County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 22,381 in the county, with a population density of . There were 9,766 housing units, of which 8,975 were occupied.-2000 census:...
where Al was born.
Wapella boasts some of the most productive agriculture land in the country, and is well known for its extensive drainage system maintaining a rich agricultural economy. Production of seed corn, field corn, and soybeans are large enterprises in Wapella and surrounding townships.
Wapella supports both a Roman Catholic and a Christian Church, each of which has undergone a magnificent restoration since 2003.