Mendota, Illinois

Coordinates: 41°32′50″N 89°07′02″W / 41.54722°N 89.11722°W / 41.54722; -89.11722

City of Mendota
City
Sign leading into Mendota.
Motto: The World's Greatest Little City.
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	LaSalle
Townships	Mendota, Troy Grove
Elevation	737 ft (224.6 m)
Coordinates	41°32′50″N 89°07′02″W / 41.54722°N 89.11722°W / 41.54722; -89.11722
Area	3.9 sq mi (10.1 km2)
- land	3.8 sq mi (10 km2)
- water	0.1 sq mi (0 km2), 2.56%
Population	7,272 (2000)
Density	1,924.3 / sq mi (743 / km2)
Incorporated	1855
Mayor	David W. Boelk (I)
Timezone	CST (UTC-6)
- summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	61342
Area code	815 and 779
Location of Mendota within Illinois
Location of Illinois in the United States
Website: http://www.mendota.il.us/

Mendota is a city located in north-central Illinois in LaSalle County, Illinois, United States. The city has 7,272 residents, and is the fifth largest city in LaSalle County, though recent estimates have shown that the population has decreased to 6,995 residents. It is part of the Ottawa–Streator Micropolitan Statistical Area. Mendota is located approximately 70 miles east of Moline, Illinois, and 55 miles south of Rockford, Illinois. The current mayor is David W. Boelk, an independent elected to a four year term in April 2005. He was re-elected in April 2009.

Transportation

Mendota is served by U.S interstate 39, U.S. Route 34, U.S. Route 52, and by many state highways including Illinois Route 251. Three Amtrak trains in each direction stop daily at the Mendota Amtrak station: the Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg between Chicago and Quincy, and the Southwest Chief from Chicago to Kansas City and Los Angeles. (The California Zephyr passes through without stopping.) There are also two small airports near-by.

Geography

Mendota is located at 41°32′58″N 89°7′6″W / 41.54944°N 89.11833°W / 41.54944; -89.11833 (41.549397, -89.118377).^[1]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.9 square miles (10 km²), of which 3.8 square miles (9.8 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) (2.58%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 7,272 people, 2,748 households, and 1,901 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,924.3 people per square mile (742.8/km²). There were 2,939 housing units at an average density of 777.7 per square mile (300.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 89.37% White, 0.40% African American, 0.30% Native American, 0.45% Asian, 8.42% from other races, and 1.06% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 18.15% of the population.

There were 2,748 households out of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.5% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.8% were non-families. 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.7% 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 city the population was spread out with 25.6% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 90.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $39,354, and the median income for a family was $46,279. Males had a median income of $35,344 versus $20,556 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,731. About 7.6% of families and 11.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.6% of those under age 18 and 4.4% of those age 65 or over.

Tourism

The Mendota Sweet Corn Festival^[3] attracts thousands of visitors each August; it features a parade, carnival, beer garden with live bands, free sweet corn cooked in a vintage steam engine, and other special events. The city closes down several streets in the downtown area to host the annual event which is sponsored by Del Monte Foods. The Mendota Tri-County Fair^[4] is held every Labor Day weekend at the Mendota Fairgrounds. The fair hosts a carnival, beer garden, and several other events.

The city has two man made lakes, Lake Mendota and Lake Kakusha, used for boating and fishing. Mendota also maintains a community swimming pool as well as several parks including Snyders Grove, a 104-acre (0.42 km²) reserve/park.^[5]

Mendota also has 3 museums. The Hume-Carnegie Museum^[6] showcases artifacts of local history including items manufactured in Mendota as well as a small collection pertaining to Wild Bill Hickock who was born in nearby Troy Grove. The Union Depot Railroad Museum^[7] houses the current Amtrak station, several vintage railroad artifacts as well as actual train cars from the 30s and 40s. The Breaking the Prairie Museum^[8] is a small barn replica showcasing a rotating display with one large item (a vintage tractor or large item of farm husbandry) and several smaller items.

The Mendota Watertower

Notable People

• Helen E. Hokinson, cartoonist for The New Yorker from 1925 until her death in 1949.
• Bill Brown, former Minnesota Vikings running back.

Media

Mendota has two weekly newspapers, The Mendota Reporter^[9] and The Mendota Shopping Guide.

Mendota has two commercialized radio stations.

FM radio stations
Frequency	Call sign	Name	Format	Owner	City
100.1 FM	WGLC-FM	World's Greatest Little City	Country Music	The Radio Group	Mendota, Illinois
102.9 FM	WMKB	Classic Rock 102.9	Classic rock	KM Broadcasting	Mendota, Illinois

Schools

Mendota has four public schools and one private school. The three public grade schools: Blackstone, Lincoln, and Northbrook are part of Mendota Consolidated Community School District 289; while the Mendota Township High School is district 280. Blackstone School houses kindergarten and first grade, and had an enrollment of 271 students in 2010. Lincoln School houses second through fourth grades, and had a student enrollment of 391 in 2010. Northbrook School is home to the fifth through eighth grades, as well as pre-kindergarten; and had an enrollment of 644 in 2010. The student enrollment of the high school in 2010 was 611 students.^[10] A new high school facility was built in 2002 at 2300 Main Street (U.S. Route 52). Holy Cross Roman Catholic Parish^[11] has a private school which educates students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.

Aurora University was originally chartered as Mendota College on the north side of Mendota where the high school was located from 1917-2003.^[12]

Wartburg College (now located in Waverly, Iowa) was located in Mendota from 1875 to 1885.^[13]

Economy

A number of businesses operate within Mendota including:^[14]

• Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), a grain processor.
• Advanced Drainage Systems, a manufacturer of industrial drainage piping.
• American Machine Incorporated, specializing in metal fabrication and machine work.
• Bay Valley Foods, a private label food manufacturer.
• Black Brothers Company, manufacturer of laminating and roll coating machinery.
• Del Monte Foods, a food processing company.
• Diversifoam Products, a manufacturer of insulation products.
• ENP Incorporated, a fertilizer manufacturer.
• HCC Incorporated, a manufacturer of agricultural implements.
• Illinois Frame Incorporated, specializing in semi-truck repair.
• Illinois Valley Door Company, installers of overhead doors.
• Kunz Engineering Incorporated, manufacturer of grass mowers and ground tillers.
• Mendota Agri-Products Incorporated, producer of livestock feed.
• Mendota Welding & Manufacturing Repair & Fabrication
• N.L. Morton Buildings, manufacturer of post frame buildings.
• OXBO International, provider of Agricultural services and parts.
• Phalen Steel Construction Company
• Plano Molding Company, a molded plastics manufacturer.
• Prairie Land Millwright, a manufacturer of grain handling equipment.
• ProGro Incorporated, solutions for turf management.
• Ridley Feed Ingredients, a manufacturer of animal heath products.
• RR Donnelley, provides printing services.

References

1. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 
2. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
3. ^ "The Mendota Sweet Corn Festival." Retrieved on February 19, 2011.
4. ^ "The Mendota Tri-County Fair." Retrieved on February 19, 2011.
5. ^ "Mendota Parks, Recreation, and Pool." Retrieved on February 19, 2011.
6. ^ "Hume-Carnegie Museum." Retrieved on February 19, 2011.
7. ^ "The Union Depot Railroad Museum." Retrieved on February 19, 2011.
8. ^ "Breaking the Prairie Museum." Retrieved on February 19, 2011.
9. ^ "The Mendota Reporter." Retrieved February 11, 2011.
10. ^ "Illinois Interactive Report Card." Retrieved February 19, 2011.
11. ^ "Holy Cross Catholic Parish." Retrieved February 19, 2011.
12. ^ "Tracks of Time: Mendota, Illinois 1853-1978" p. 138
13. ^ "History of Wartburg College." Wartburg College. Retrieved February 20, 2011.
14. ^ "Mendota Manufacturers." Retrieved on October 16, 2011.

External links

• City of Mendota
• Aurora University
• Wartburg College
• Mendota Township High School