| Arthur, Illinois | |
| Settlement Type: | Village |
| Pushpin Map: | USA |
| Pushpin Label Position: | left |
| Pushpin Label: | Arthur |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in the United States |
| Coordinates: | 39.7144°N -88.4697°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Type2: | Counties |
| Subdivision Name2: | Douglas, Moultrie |
| Subdivision Type3: | Townships |
| Subdivision Name3: | Bourbon, Lowe |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Title1: | Village president / Village Council |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 3.46 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 1.34 |
| Area Land Km2: | 3.46 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 1.34 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.00 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.00 |
| Elevation Ft: | 663 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Footnotes: | [2] |
| Population Total: | 2231 |
| Population Density Km2: | 644.48 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 1668.66 |
| Timezone1: | CST |
| Utc Offset1: | -6 |
| Timezone1 Dst: | CDT |
| Utc Offset1 Dst: | -5 |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 61911 |
| Area Code: | 217 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 17-02414 |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 2397993 |
| Blank2 Name Sec2: | Wikimedia Commons |
| Blank2 Info Sec2: | Arthur, Illinois |
Arthur is a village in Douglas and Moultrie counties in Illinois, with Arthur's primary street, Vine Street, being the county line. The population was 2,231 at the 2020 census.[2] The Arthur area is home to the largest and oldest Amish community in Illinois,[3] which was founded in the 1860s.
In 1877, the population was approximately 300 people. The community was incorporated as a village in April of that year.
The first village election was held on June 12, 1877, and C. G. McComb, Matt Hunsaker, W. H. Reeder, H. C. Jones, J. W. Sears, and Nick Thompson were elected trustees, and J. W. Barrum, clerk.
The original town was laid out on the farms of M. H. Warren on the Moultrie County side and the Pendleton Murphy farm on the Douglas County side. Early additions to the town included those by Murphy, Reeves, Hunsaker, Gibson, Warren, Reeder, followed by Kensington, Campbell, Boyd, Bennet, Fitzjarrald, and others.
On April 7, 1998, an F2 tornado struck 2miles south of Cadwell and moved northeast 4miles to south of Arthur. It lifted near Bourbon. Twenty homes, six barns, and other buildings were either damaged or destroyed. One mobile home was blown off its foundation. There were eight injuries.
In 2022, the community council revealed a flag for the village to celebrate its sesquicentennial. The new flag is flown in front of the welcome center and the police department. The new flag was put up upon the start of the Strawberry Festival.
On December 31, 2023, the village of Arthur would close a time capsule not set to open until 2073.
Arthur is in southwestern Douglas County and northeastern Moultrie County, with Illinois Route 133 passing through the southern part of the village, leading east 9miles to Arcola and west the same distance to Lovington. Tuscola, the Douglas county seat, is to the northeast, while Sullivan, the Moultrie county seat, is the same distance to the southwest.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Arthur has a total area of 1.34sqmi, all land.[1] The village is drained to the southeast by tributaries of the Kaskaskia River.
As of the 2020 census[4] there were 2,231 people, 951 households, and 612 families residing in the village. The population density was 1668.66PD/sqmi. There were 1,036 housing units at an average density of 774.87/sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 92.38% White, 0.22% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.49% Asian, 2.42% from other races, and 4.26% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.01% of the population.
There were 951 households, out of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.89% were married couples living together, 5.89% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.65% were non-families. 32.07% of all households were made up of individuals, and 23.45% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 2.24.
The village's age distribution consisted of 20.5% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 22.4% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 30.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 80.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.0 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $62,250, and the median income for a family was $79,500. Males had a median income of $45,147 versus $22,105 for females. The per capita income for the village was $29,574. About 8.2% of families and 8.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.3% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.
The village of Arthur characterizes itself on its website as an Amish-friendly community, with more than 4,000 "Plain People" living in the region centered on the village.[5] The Amish settlement near Arthur was founded in 1864 and by 2013 had 30 church districts with about 150 people per district.[6]
The Arthur community was the eighth largest Amish settlement in the world, with 4,410 as of 2017.[7]
In July 2012, Arthur's longtime school district consolidated with the much smaller school district in nearby Lovington. High school students from both towns attend school in Arthur, while grade schools are maintained in both towns. The two schools have shared a football team for many years. In August 2014, the Atwood Hammond school district consolidated with Arthur Lovington, with the school name being changed to ALAH High School.[8]