- Kewanee, Illinois
Infobox Settlement
official_name = City of Kewanee, Illinois
nickname =
image_caption =
image_
mapsize = 150
map_caption = Location of Kewanee, Illinois
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name =United States of America
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 =Illinois
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Henry
leader_title =Mayor
leader_name = Bruce Tossell
established_title = Incorporated
established_date = 1854
area_total_km2 = 16.3
area_total_sq_mi = 6.3
population_as_of = 2000
population_total = 12994
population_density_km2 = 795.8
population_density_sq_mi = 2062.1
timezone = CST
utc_offset = -6
timezone_DST = CDT
utc_offset_DST = -5
latd=41 |latm=14 |lats=44 |latNS=N
longd=89 |longm=55 |longs=29 |longEW=W
elevation_m = 244
elevation_ft = 803
website = [http://kewanee-il.com kewanee-il.com]
footnotes =Kewanee is a city in Henry County,
Illinois ,United States . "Kewanee" is the Winnebago word for prairie chickenFact|date=June 2007, which lekked there. The population was 12,944 at the 2000 census.Geography
Kewanee is located at coor dms|41|14|28|N|89|55|32|W|city (41.241180, -89.925680).GR|1
According to the
United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 6.3square mile s (16.3km² ), of which, 6.3 square miles (16.3 km²) of it is land and 0.16% is water.Demographics
As of the
census GR|2 of 2000, there were 12,944 people, 5,353 households, and 3,377 families residing in the city. Thepopulation density was 2,062.1 people per square mile (795.8/km²). There were 5,879 housing units at an average density of 936.6/sq mi (361.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.27% White, 3.68% African American, 0.06% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 3.69% from other races, and 1.95% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.10% of the population.There were 5,353 households out of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.0% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.9% were non-families. 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.8% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 20.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 88.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $29,895, and the median income for a family was $37,730. Males had a median income of $29,065 versus $19,792 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $15,746. About 10.7% of families and 13.9% of the population were below thepoverty line , including 21.0% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.Industry
Kewanee was well known in the
steam industry for its boilers. The KewaneeBoiler Corporation manufactured and sold thousands of boilers throughout the United States, Mexico, and Canada and the world for well over one hundred years. However, the company failed in its latter years and was forced to go out of business. However, these boilers are still extremely common in thesteam industry. An example of a Kewanee steam boiler can be seen in a scene in the movie "The Blues Brothers". Specifically, when Cab Calloway's character named Curtis offers to "buy you boys a drink", he takes Jake and Elwood down to the orphanage's basement, where the boiler is easily seen in the background. A Kewanee boiler is also the dwelling place for the character Suzie DeSoto, played by Debra Winger, in the 1982 film version of John Steinbeck's book "Cannery Row ". The Kewanee High School athletic teams are nicknamed the "Boilermakers."Kewanee was also home to the Walworth Company, Kewanee Machinery and Conveyor Company and Kewanee Manufacturing Company - all manufacturers that employed many local blue collar workers in their heyday. Kewanee, once a prominent industrial town, has fallen into silence like many similar communities in the past twenty years.
chools
Kewanee has two school districts, resulting from the Wethersfield and Kewanee merger. The two school districts remain in the city of 11,400, divided at Division Street in the middle of Kewanee. While Kewanee School District #229 has around 1,850 students, Wethersfield #230 has about 600 students. The two schools enjoy a usually friendly rivalry, since both district high schools are in different divisions for most sports. However, this rivalry can become very heated in the sports the two high schools do compete in, most notably
basketball .There are also other schools in Kewanee like Visitation Catholic School and a community college, [http://www.bhc.edu/ Black Hawk College - East Campus] . Black Hawk College - East Campus is recognized nationally for its equestrian program, as well as livestock judging teams. The west campus is located in the
Quad Cities .Consolidation
Recently, the Kewanee School Board and the Wethersfield School Board conducted a feasibility study on the subject of
consolidation , which would provide the town one school district.Fact|date=June 2007 Wethersfield also completed a feasibility study with two nearby towns, Annawan and Galva. Currently, Wethersfield and Annawan share co-ops in several sports programs under the name of the Titans.]Local media
FM radio
* 93.9
WYEC ,Soft AC (RDS)
* 102.5WJRE "HOGG Country 102.5", Country (RDS)
* 104.3 W282AL (Translates 1450WKEI ), News/TalkAM radio
* 1450
WKEI , News/Talk
* 1500 WGEN, News/TalkCable television
* Cable service is provided by
Comcast .Print
* [http://www.starcourier.com "Star Courier"] , local daily newspaper
Notable Kewanee businesses
Current businesses
* [http://www.bomag.com/ Bomag Americas]
* [http://www.bossgloves.com/ Boss Manufacturing]
* [http://www.goodsfurniture.com/ Good's Furniture]
* [http://www.greatdanetrailers.com/ Great Dane Trailers]
* [http://www.kewaneehospital.com/ Kewanee Hospital]Former businesses
*
Kewanee Boiler Corporation ( [http://www.ciciboilers.com/parts_kewanee.htm Current owner of Kewanee boiler parts] )
* [http://www.ciciboilers.com/parts_kewanee.htm Kewanee Corporation]
* [http://www.ciciboilers.com/parts_kewanee_gaskets.htm Kewanee Gaskets]
*Walworth Company Notable Kewaneeans
*
Neville Brand - (August 13 ,1920 -April 16 ,1992 ) was a highly decoratedWorld War II veteran who later became an actor most remembered for movie and TV roles in the 1950s and 60s
*Marjabelle Young Stewart (May 16 ,1924 –March 3 ,2007 ) was an Americanwriter and expert onetiquette .
*Harold W. Hill (November 22 , 1921–1989) - World War II Veteran Ball-turret gunner in aB-17 bomber in North Africa,Italy , overFrance andGermany . KewaneeAttorney from 1952. City Commissioner 1952-1966. Veterans of Foreign Wars State Commander in 1963. Honored with the Harold W. Hill Recreation Center of KewaneeVFW Post 8078.
*Kevin M. Hill (September 16 ,1952 - ) Author (under the penname - K Mike Hill): The Undefeated, Rearguard in Vietnam, 2004; The Armchair General, 2007
*Theodore Vlahos- Inventor of fish filet sandwich and one of the founders for the SANDY'S franchise of fast-food restaurants
*Paul Gerard - writer and film producerTransportation
*
Kewanee (Amtrak station) Miscellaneous information
*Despite its relatively small size, Kewanee maintains two separate
school district s, Kewanee district #229 and Wethersfield district #230. The latter is named after a small town, founded by former residents ofWethersfield, Connecticut , that eventually merged with Kewanee.
*Kewanee is acknowledged as the Hog Capital of the World. This fact was even mentioned in an episode of .
*EveryLabor Day weekend, Kewanee holds its annual Hog Days festival, complete with aparade ,flea market , andcarnival .References
External links
* [http://www.kewanee-il.com/ Kewanee Chamber of Commerce]
* [http://www.kewaneeschoolsfoundation.org/ Kewanee Schools Foundation]
* [http://www.bhsroe.k12.il.us/kewanee/ Kewanee High School]
* [http://www.ciciboilers.com/parts_kewanee.htm Kewanee Boiler Parts]
* [http://www.kewaneepubliclibrary.org/ Kewanee Public Library]
* [http://www.kewaneehogdays.com/ Hog Days Festival]
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