- Elwood, Illinois
Geobox|Settlement
name = Elwood
native_name =
other_name =
category = Village
etymology =
official_name =
motto =
nickname =
image_caption =
symbol =
country = United States
state = Illinois
region = Will
region_type = County
district
district_type = Township
municipality =
location =
elevation_imperial =
prominence_imperial =
lat_d = 41
lat_m = 24
lat_s = 49
lat_NS = N
long_d = 88
long_m = 6
long_s = 38
long_EW = W
coordinates_no_title = 1
highest =
highest_location =
highest_region =
highest_state =
highest_elevation_imperial =
highest_lat_d =
highest_lat_m =
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highest_lat_NS =
highest_long_d =
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highest_long_s =
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lowest =
lowest_location =
lowest_region =
lowest_state =
lowest_elevation_imperial =
lowest_lat_d =
lowest_lat_m =
lowest_lat_s =
lowest_lat_NS =
lowest_long_d =
lowest_long_m =
lowest_long_s =
lowest_long_EW =
length_imperial =
length_orientation =
area_imperial = 2.7
area_land_imperial = 2.7
area_water_imperial =
area_urban_imperial =
area_metro_imperial =
population = 2300
population_date = 2006
population_urban =
population_metro =
population_density =
population_density_imperial = 597.6
population_density_urban_imperial =
population_density_metro_imperial =
established =
date =
government =
government_location =
government_region =
government_state =
government_elevation_imperial =
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mayor =
leader =
leader_type = Village president
timezone = CST
utc_offset = -6
timezone_DST = CDT
utc_offset_DST = -5
postal_code = 60421
area_code = 815
code =
whs_name =
whs_year =
whs_number =
whs_region =
whs_criteria =
iucn_category =
map_caption = Location of Elwood within Illinois
map_background = Illinois - background map.png
map_locator = Illinois2
commons = Elwood, Illinois
statistics =
website =
footnotes =Elwood is a village in Will County,
Illinois ,United States . The population was 2,300 at the 2006 population estimation.Geography
Elwood is located at coor dms|41|24|49|N|88|6|38|W|city (41.413615, -88.110438).GR|1
According to the
United States Census Bureau , the village has a total area of 2.7square mile s (7.0km² ), all of it land.Demographics
As of the
census GR|2 of 2000, there were 1,620 people, 637 households, and 461 families residing in the village. Thepopulation density was 597.6 people per square mile (230.8/km²). There were 675 housing units at an average density of 249.0/sq mi (96.2/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 97.59% White, 0.02% African American, 0.56% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.31% from other races, and 1.17% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.01% of the population.There were 637 households out of which 33.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.9% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.6% were non-families. 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the village the population was spread out with 25.2% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 33.5% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 92.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.1 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $53,125, and the median income for a family was $60,707. Males had a median income of $47,396 versus $27,946 for females. The
per capita income for the village was $.22,442. About 4.3% of families and 4.6% of the population were below thepoverty line , including 2.7% of those under age 18 and 11.9% of those age 65 or over.History
Elwood was founded in 1854, and incorporated as a village in 1869. The completion of the Joliet-Bloomington railroad played a major role in the founding of Elwood. By 1900, Elwood remained a small farming community, with a population of about 400. In the early nineteen forties, the federal government required land with which to train soldiers for
World War II . The government chose Elwood as one location, buying farmland and building the Joliet Arsenal. The construction of the arsenal had a role in the development of Elwood, bringing about 175 people there.In 1942, an explosion at the arsenal killed 42 workers.In 1954, the village had celebrated its centennial, and thousands gathered to watch the parade.By 1970, Elwood had a population of about 750. In 1990, the village began to develop, and Elwood's population rose to nearly 1,423 people by 1996. Elwood's population is now 2,300, and development is still occurring.The NIPC (Northern Illinois Planning Commission)estimates that Elwood will have a population of nearly 20,000 people by 2030.
On May 8, 1988, there was tornado touchdown about three miles north of Elwood. The tornado uprooted large trees and even heavily damaged a few homes and pole buildings.
Elwood is also located along historic
U.S. Route 66 and its successorI-55 .Famous people
Bill Tuttle was born and raised in Elwood. He was a sure-handed major league outfielder with theMinnesota Twins , theDetroit Tigers and the Kansas City Athletics during the 1950s and 1960s.Wally "Freak" Kozielski, who formerly was on Mancow's Morning Madhouse, currently resides in Elwood.
Elwood is also the first name of the fictional character
Elwood Blues in the1980 film "The Blues Brothers ".Fires
Two major fires have taken place in Elwood, Il.
The first was on August 26,1995. On that day,the fire station caught fire and burnt to the ground.
The Bills Inn fire occurred on May 5, 2008. The bar was considered a Landmark by the Illinois Historian Society.
References
External links
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.