Chillicothe, Illinois

Coordinates: 40°55′11″N 89°29′34″W / 40.91972°N 89.49278°W / 40.91972; -89.49278

Chillicothe
City
Art deco movie theater on North 2nd Street
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Peoria
Coordinates	40°55′11″N 89°29′34″W / 40.91972°N 89.49278°W / 40.91972; -89.49278
Area	5.2 sq mi (13 km2)
- land	5.2 sq mi (13 km2)
Population	5,996 (2000)
Density	1,213.8 / sq mi (469 / km2)
Timezone	CST (UTC-6)
- summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Postal code	61523
Area code	309
Location of Chillicothe within Illinois
Wikimedia Commons: Chillicothe, Illinois
Website: www.ci.chillicothe.il.us

Chillicothe is a city on the Illinois River in Peoria County, Illinois. The population was 5,996 at the 2000 census. Chillicothe is just north of the city of Peoria and is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

Chillicothe is located at 40°55′11″N 89°29′34″W / 40.919792°N 89.492848°W / 40.919792; -89.492848.^[1]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.2 square miles (13 km²), of which, 4.9 square miles (13 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km²) of it (5.36%) is water.

Chillicothe is located on the Illinois River and on the parallel Iowa Interstate Railroad branch, from Bureau to Peoria, which was formerly the Rock Island Railroad. Crossing the IAIS and the Illinois River at Chillicothe is the former Santa Fe Railroad, now owned by BNSF Railway. Almost 4 miles outside of town the BNSF Railway operates one of the most notable civil engineering points on the Chillicothe Subdivision. Edelstein Hill is one of the steepest climbs on the railway system and attracts many train watchers to see trains pulling inter-modal trains up the hill.

The Illinois River runs both north and south connecting Chicago with St. Louis. Barge traffic is occasional as it is somewhat easier than most other transport options. The Illinois Waterway is this system. 8 miles to the north Sparland and 3 miles to the south is Rome creating the closest area. Peoria is 20 miles to the south.

Chillicothe, Illinois sits along the Illinois River Valley where gravel and sand from prehistoric river development sits. It is currently being dug up and is sold for construction and roadbeds. In Chillicothe there are relatively large service facilities and connections to the BNSF Railway.

Even though Chillicothe sits along a river valley forests are very common. Marshall State Refuge sits to the north and Atchison Waterfowl Refuge in Woodford County. The bluffs that surround it are full of hunting spots and locations where deer are common. Duck hunting as well is popular in the waterfront sloughs and swamps to the north.

Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 5,996 people, 2,429 households, and 1,649 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,213.8 people per square mile (468.6/km²). There were 2,544 housing units at an average density of 515.0 per square mile (198.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.40% White, 0.22% African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.08% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.50% of the population.

There were 2,429 households out of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.5% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.1% were non-families. 28.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.7% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 89.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $40,697, and the median income for a family was $50,981. Males had a median income of $42,430 versus $23,295 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,118. About 5.1% of families and 6.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.5% of those under age 18 and 4.0% of those age 65 or over.

Places of interest

Rock Island Line Railroad Museum

• The former Santa Fe Railroad station in the city, and Edelstein Hill near the city, are popular train watching locations.^{[citation needed]}
• Chillicothe Historical Society Railroad Museum, is located at Cedar and 3rd Streets, in the old Rock Island Line Depot building.^[3]
• Chillicothe Historical Society Fourth St. Museum, 723 N. 4th St., features eight rooms of historic artifacts.
• Shore Acres Park, riverside park with 19th century clubhouse formerly known as the Peoria Automobile Club.^[4]
• Three Sisters Park is an agricultural park that hosts Spider Hill and Summer Camp Music Festival.
• Town Theater, an art deco movie theater on N. 2nd St., is still in business showing films

Notable people

• Bill Krieg, Major League Baseball player
• Lance (Henry) LeGault, TV and movie actor: Colonel Roderick Decker on The A-Team
• Johnston McCulley, pulp author: originated the Zorro stories upon which all later Zorro movies and books were based
• David Ogden Stiers, actor, Major Charles Emerson Winchester III on M*A*S*H^{[citation needed]}
• Josh Taylor, TV actor: Chris Kostichek on the soap opera Days of our Lives
• Zach McAllister, Major League Baseball player (as of 7/6/2011) - currently Cleveland Indians pitcher

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. ^ Chillicothe Historical Society
4. ^ Chillicothe Park District