Crescent City, Illinois Explained

Crescent City, Illinois
Settlement Type:Village
Mapsize:150px
Pushpin Map:USA Illinois Iroquois County
Pushpin Label:Crescent City
Pushpin Label Position:top
Pushpin Map Caption:Crescent City's location in Iroquois County
Coordinates:40.77°N -87.8589°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Illinois
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Iroquois
Subdivision Type3:Township
Subdivision Name3:Crescent, Iroquois
Unit Pref:Imperial
Area Footnotes:[1]
Area Total Sq Mi:0.46
Area Land Sq Mi:0.46
Area Water Sq Mi:0.00
Elevation Ft:640
Elevation M:195
Population As Of:2020
Population Total:552
Population Density Sq Mi:1210.53
Population Density Km2:467.76
Postal Code Type:ZIP code
Postal Code:60928
Area Code:815
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank Info:17-17406
Area Total Km2:1.18
Area Land Km2:1.18
Area Water Km2:0.00

Crescent City is a village in Iroquois and Crescent townships, Iroquois County, Illinois, United States. The population was 552 at the 2020 census.[2]

Geography

Crescent City is located in central Iroquois County at 40.7706°N -87.8578°W (40.770448, -87.857823).[3] U.S. Route 24 passes through the center of the village, leading east 6miles to Watseka, the county seat, and west 7miles to Gilman near Interstate 57. Illinois Route 49 crosses US 24 on the western side of Crescent City; it leads north 8miles to US Routes 45 and 52 near L'Erable, and south to Rankin.

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Crescent City has a total area of 0.46sqmi, all land.[4]

History

Railroad accident

On June 21, 1970, the Toledo, Peoria and Western Railroad Company's Train No. 20 derailed in downtown Crescent City. A propane tank car ruptured, and explosions caused fires that destroyed the city center, which included numerous houses and businesses. There were no deaths, although over 60 firefighters and civilians were injured.[5] [6] The disaster would later be featured on episode #124 of the Discovery Channel show Destroyed in Seconds.

High School

In 2009, Crescent City High School, the main high school for the village, was shut down. This meant that the elementary school would have to send the graduating 8th graders to surrounding high schools. The building was then used for special education purposes until around 2019, when they transferred them to Gilman, Illinois. In May 2022, the board of education accepted for the building to be demolished. The class of 2023-2024 was the first K-5 institution of the elementary school, after the 6th-8th grade classes were repurposed.

Demographics

As of the 2020 census there were 552 people, 224 households, and 146 families residing in the village. The population density was 1210.53PD/sqmi. There were 268 housing units at an average density of 587.72/sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 93.48% White, 0.18% African American, 0.36% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.00% from other races, and 5.80% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.17% of the population.

There were 224 households, out of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.11% were married couples living together, 12.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.82% were non-families. 29.46% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.73% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 2.17.

The village's age distribution consisted of 18.4% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 26% from 25 to 44, 26.6% from 45 to 64, and 22.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.2 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $57,500, and the median income for a family was $71,389. Males had a median income of $55,179 versus $27,411 for females. The per capita income for the village was $31,276. About 7.5% of families and 8.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.2% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

References

  1. Web site: 2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files. United States Census Bureau. March 15, 2022.
  2. Web site: Explore Census Data . 2022-06-28 . data.census.gov.
  3. Web site: US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990. United States Census Bureau. April 23, 2011. February 12, 2011.
  4. Web site: US Census Bureau . Gazetteer Files . 2022-06-29 . Census.gov.
  5. Web site: Crescent City train derailment: June 21, 1970 . June 23, 2020 . Adam . Groves . . ideals.illinois.edu . 2006 . July 19, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140719065942/https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/bitstream/handle/2142/93/Crescent%20City%20Train%20Derailment,%201970.pdf . dead .
  6. News: Fire and blast seared into town's memory 50 years later. June 23, 2020. Tom . Kacich . . June 21, 2020.