Coal City, Illinois

Coordinates: 41°16′47″N 88°16′39″W / 41.27972°N 88.2775°W / 41.27972; -88.2775

Coal City
Village
Country	United States
State	Illinois
Counties	Grundy, Will
Townships	Braceville · Felix
Elevation	568 ft (173 m)
Coordinates	41°16′47″N 88°16′39″W / 41.27972°N 88.2775°W / 41.27972; -88.2775
Area	2.4 sq mi (6 km2)
- land	2.4 sq mi (6 km2)
Population	5,587 (2010)
Density	1,980.1 / sq mi (765 / km2)
Village president	Neal Nelson
Timezone	CST (UTC-6)
- summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Postal code	60416
Area code	815, 779
Location of Coal City within Illinois
Website: www.CoalCity-IL.com
[1]

Coal City is a village located in Braceville and Felix Townships in Grundy County, and a small portion in Will County, Illinois, United States. The population was 5,587 at the 2010 census. The Santa Fe Railway formerly served Coal City at Coal City Station.

Geography

Coal City is located at 41°16′47″N 88°16′39″W / 41.2797403°N 88.2774610°W / 41.2797403; -88.2774610.^[1] According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 2.4 sq mi (6.2 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 4,797 people, 1,871 households, and 1,305 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,980.1 inhabitants per square mile (764.5 /km²). There were 1,958 housing units at an average density of 808.2 per square mile (312.0 /km²). The racial makeup of the village was 98.46% White, 0.13% African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.02% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.54% from other races, and 0.58% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.90% of the population.

There were 1,871 households out of which 36.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.2% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.2% were non-families. 26.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56, and the average family size was 3.10.

In the village the population was spread out with 27.5% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 32.2% from 25 to 44, 19.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.1 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $51,921, and the median income for a family was $65,509. Males had a median income of $47,368 versus $27,476 for females. The per capita income for the village was $23,662. About 1.5% of families and 3.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.7% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.

References in Popular Culture

The little town of Coal City was mentioned in the classic comedy The Blues Brothers. Elwood Blues (as played by Dan Aykroyd) explains that his brother Jake (John Belushi) was in prison for holding up a gas station, and then says "He pulled that job to pay for the room service tab from that Kiwanis gig in Coal City."

For years residents of Coal City wondered if Aykroyd really said "Coal City" or said "Cal City" (a nickname for Calumet City, a much bigger city in Illinois). However, when watching the DVD of Blues Brothers with subtitles on, the text says "Coal City."

The Steve Martin and John Candy comedy, Planes, Trains & Automobiles, was partially filmed in Coal City and other nearby towns.

Schools

Coal City is served by Unit School District 1. The superintendent is Dr. Kent Bugg.^[3]

Coal City is the home of the Coal City High School 2010 IHSA State Champion Softball team.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Geographic Names Information System". United States Geological Survey. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
2. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
3. ^ Coal City Unit School District 1

External links

• Village of Coal City