| Gorham, Illinois | |
| Settlement Type: | Village |
| Image Map1: | Illinois in United States (US48).svg |
| Map Caption1: | Location of Illinois in the United States |
| Coordinates: | 37.7169°N -89.4858°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Illinois |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Jackson |
| Subdivision Type3: | Township |
| Subdivision Name3: | Sand Ridge |
| Established Title: | Founded |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Title1: | Village president |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 3.19 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 1.23 |
| Area Land Km2: | 3.16 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 1.22 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.03 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.01 |
| Elevation Ft: | 364 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 173 |
| Population Density Km2: | 54.78 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 141.92 |
| Timezone1: | CST |
| Utc Offset1: | -6 |
| Timezone1 Dst: | CDT |
| Utc Offset1 Dst: | -5 |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP Code(s) |
| Postal Code: | 62940 |
| Area Code: | 618 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 17-30588 |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 2398182 |
| Blank2 Name Sec2: | Wikimedia Commons |
| Blank2 Info Sec2: | Gorham, Illinois |
Gorham is a village in Jackson County, Illinois, United States. The population was 236 at the 2010 census. It is known locally for its near-annihilation during the deadly Tri-State Tornado of 1925.
Gorham is located at 37.7169°N -89.4858°W (37.716897, -89.485804).[2]
According to the 2010 census, Gorham has a total area of 1.231sqmi, of which 1.22sqmi (or 99.11%) is land and 0.011sqmi (or 0.89%) is water.[3]
Gorham is located in the middle of the Mississippi River floodplain, which is among the most fertile farming regions in the Midwestern United States. The village is at a particularly low elevated region of the floodplain known as the "Bottoms". This makes it more susceptible to flooding, as it was threatened in the infamous Great Flood of 1993 and the New Year's Day Flood of 2016.
In 1925, the powerful Tri-State Tornado struck the town at 2:26pm. Out of the 80 houses in the town, 60 were destroyed and the other 20 were damaged. The train depot and all the store fronts were also destroyed, as well as the top two floors of the school leaving only the first. 34 people were killed in the tornado.[4]
Less than one mile south of Gorham is a large hill named Fountain Bluff. Though the bluff is not exceptionally well-known, its rock faces do attract occasional rock-climbers. Etched into cliffs on the north side of this landform are several Native American petroglyphs.
As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 256 people, 101 households, and 69 families residing in the village. The population density was 210.2sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 116 housing units at an average density of 95.2sp=usNaNsp=us. The racial makeup of the village was 98.44% White and 1.56% Native American.
There were 101 households, out of which 38.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.4% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.7% were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.16.
In the village, the population was spread out, with 31.3% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.4 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $22,750, and the median income for a family was $30,000. Males had a median income of $33,333 versus $15,625 for females. The per capita income for the village was $11,739. About 19.1% of families and 26.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 38.0% of those under the age of eighteen and 15.0% of those 65 or over.