Christopher, Illinois

Christopher
City
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Franklin
Coordinates	37°58′20″N 89°3′10″W / 37.97222°N 89.05278°W / 37.97222; -89.05278
Area	1.4 sq mi (4 km2)
- land	1.4 sq mi (4 km2)
Population	2,382 (2010)
Density	2,011.0 / sq mi (776 / km2)
Timezone	CST (UTC-6)
- summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Postal code	62822
Area code	618
Location of Christopher within Illinois
Wikimedia Commons: Christopher, Illinois

Christopher is a city in Franklin County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,382 at the 2010 census. It was the site of an early-morning railroad freight train derailment on Monday, December 4, 2006, involving two locomotives and 21 cars of an 83-car Union Pacific train; an unknown hazardous chemical spill ensued and mildly sickened several victims and rescue personnel, who were treated but not hospitalized. It's the birthplace of John Malkovich.

Geography

Christopher is located 20 miles north of Carbondale, Illinois.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.4 square miles (3.6 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2010, there were 2,382 people, 1,066 households, and 814 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,011.0 people per square mile (776.6/km²). There were 1,180 housing units at an average density of 1,018.3 per square mile (393.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.62% White, 0.11% African American, 0.04% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.11% from other races, and 0.85% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.53% of the population.

There were 1,297 households out of which 25.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.6% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.2% were non-families. 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.79.

In the city the population was spread out with 21.8% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 21.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 86.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $25,045, and the median income for a family was $34,342. Males had a median income of $30,222 versus $18,458 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,141. About 14.3% of families and 19.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.4% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

• Doug Collins, former NBA player and coach.
• John Malkovich, actor, born in Christopher.
• Gene Rayburn, radio and television personality, known for hosting the Match Game.
• Aaron Webster, novelist, filmmaker, WSIU TV narrator, and radio disc jockey.

References

1. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

Coordinates: 37°58′20″N 89°3′10″W / 37.97222°N 89.05278°W / 37.97222; -89.05278