Aledo, Illinois

Geobox|Settlement
name = Aledo
native_name =
other_name =
category = City
etymology =
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country = United States
state = Illinois
region = Mercer
region_type = County
district =
district_type = Township
municipality =
location =
elevation_imperial =
prominence_imperial =
lat_d = 41
lat_m = 12
lat_s = 1
lat_NS = N
long_d = 90
long_m = 45
long_s = 0
long_EW = W
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coordinates_type = type:city_region:US-IL
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area_imperial = 2.3
area_land_imperial = 2.3
area_water_imperial =
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population = 3613
population_date = 2000
population_urban =
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population_density =
population_density_imperial = 1611.2
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leader_type = Mayor
timezone = CST
utc_offset = -6
timezone_DST = CDT
utc_offset_DST = -5
postal_code = 61231
area_code = 309
code =
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map_caption = Location of Aledo within Illinois
map_background = Illinois - background map.png map_locator = Illinois2
commons = Aledo, Illinois
statistics =
website =
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Aledo is a city in Mercer County, Illinois, United States. The population was 3,613 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Mercer County.GR|6 It is the home town of country music singer Suzy Bogguss.

Geography

Aledo is located at coor dms|41|12|1|N|90|44|60|W|city (41.200172, -90.749956).GR|1

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.3 square miles (5.9 km²), of which, 2.2 square miles (5.8 km²) of it is land and 0.44% is water.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 3,613 people, 1,506 households, and 1,016 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,611.2 people per square mile (622.8/km²). There were 1,588 housing units at an average density of 708.1/sq mi (273.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.34% White, 0.44% African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.19% from other races, and 0.61% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.72% of the population.

There were 1,506 households out of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.0% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.5% were non-families. 29.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.87.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.4% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 20.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 86.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $33,449, and the median income for a family was $41,934. Males had a median income of $35,233 versus $21,271 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,498. About 7.1% of families and 8.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.5% of those under age 18 and 9.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Aledo was the home to William and Vashti College (1908-1917) - the campus/buildings were purchased and used by the Roosevelt Military Academy from 1924-1973. The Administration Building was torn down and the spot was used for a nursing home. The remaining two buildings (Niles Hall and North Hall) are unused. William & Vashti College was a member of the Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference from 1910-1917.

The High School Mascot is the Aledo Green Dragons. School colors are Forest Green and White. The Class of 2006 had 71 students, which is about an average class size.

Aledo High School offers a variety of course curriculum in the sciences, math, literature, social sciences, and the arts. The school has a concert band, jazz band, concert choir, and swing choir. The school also offers a variety of athletics including volleyball, football, both men and women's golf, men and women's basketball, wrestling, track and field, softball, baseball, and cross country. Some extracurricular activities that students can become involved in are scholastic bowl, football and basketball cheer leading, pom pons, flags, majorettes, and musicals. [http://www.aledoschools.org/index.php]

From 1998 to 2006, Aledo High School has been invited to five IHSA boys' football championships. Of those five, the school won three times. [cite web |url=http://www.ihsa.org/activity/fb/records/team1-2.htm|title=IHSA Boys Football Champions and Runners-Up|accessdate=2008-10-09 |work=Illinois High School Association Statistics|publisher=Illinois High School Association|date=2006]

Culture and Media

Aledo hosts two annual festivals; the Rhubarb Fest and Antique Days. The Rhubarb festival, which is held every June in the city downtown, offers a variety of rhubarb-related activities, ranging from rhubarb pie sales to free rhubarb seed distributions. The festival additionally offers other crafts and forms of entertainment and music; it has been undertaken every year since 1991. [cite web |url=http://www.aledomainstreet.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=23&Itemid=30|title=Aledo Rhubarb Fest|accessdate=2008-09-22 |work=Aledo Main Street.com|publisher=City of Aledo|date=2008] The city of Aledo's Antique Days festivals likewise occur annually in the month of September, and includes a citywide food festival, music from local residents and the high school music departments, and sports competitions among communities in the area. [cite news |first=Robert|last=Blackford|authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Aledo prepares of seventh annual Antique Days|url=http://www.aledotimesrecord.com/entertainment/x289108167/Aledo-prepares-for-seventh-annual-Antique-Days|work= |publisher="The Times-Record"|date=September 10, 2008|accessdate=2008-09-22 ]

Aledo has its own radio station, known as WRMJ-FM; it runs at a frequency of 102.3. The radio station serves most of Mercer County, and was founded in 1979. [cite web |url=http://www.wrmj.com/about.htm |title=Station Profile |accessdate=2008-09-22 |work=WRMJ-FM Radio Station |publisher=WRMJ 102.3 FM Radio |date=2008 ]

References

External links

* [http://aledoil.org Official Website]
* [http://rmaroughriders.org/history.htm History of William & Vashti College]