Earlville, Illinois

Earlville
City
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	LaSalle
Township	Earl
Elevation	698 ft (213 m)
Coordinates	41°35′19″N 88°55′20″W
Area	1.2 sq mi (3 km2)
- land	1.2 sq mi (3 km2)
Population	1,822 (2008)
Density	1,527.4 / sq mi (590 / km2)
Timezone	CST (UTC-6)
- summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Postal code	60518
Area code	815
Location of Earlville within Illinois
Wikimedia Commons: Earlville, Illinois

Earlville is a city in LaSalle County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,822 as of the 2008 census estimate. It is part of the Ottawa–Streator Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

Earlville is located at 41°35′19″N 88°55′20″W.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.1 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census estimate of 2008, there were 1,822 people, 678 households, and 484 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,527.4 people per square mile (591.8/km²). There were 708 housing units at an average density of 608.2 per square mile (235.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.64% White, 0.06% African American, 0.62% Native American, 0.11% Asian, 0.45% from other races, and 1.12% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.02% of the population.

There were 678 households out of which 37.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.3% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.5% were non-families. 25.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.5% 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 3.16.

In the city the population was spread out with 30.3% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 30.2% from 25 to 44, 19.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 100.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $39,286, and the median income for a family was $47,535. Males had a median income of $35,938 versus $23,295 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,722. About 4.7% of families and 7.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.3% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.

Earlville has a modern library, a K-12 school system, a bank, a medical clinic, a weekly newspaper, a drive-in movie theater, and a number of local businesses. The area surrounding Earlville is strongly agricultural. Earlville lacks major shopping centers,industry throughout the area.The area has suffered ever since the introduction of I-39 in the 1970s.Which re-routed the travel from route 34 that was vital to the town.

Many of the inhabitants of Earlville work at blue-collar jobs. Caterpillar Inc. of Montgomery, Illinois is a major employer, and many residents work for the Illinois Department of Corrections at the Sheridan Correctional Center. Earlville's population has remained stable for the past several years. Several planned residential developments of moderate size were derailed by the nationwide housing crash that began in 2008. Earlville also lacks opportunities for employment created by lack of jobs in the community.The percentage of families living below the poverty line is not much lower than that of Aurora. Aurora is Illinois second largest city.

Education

Earlville Community Unit School District #9, or just simply CUSD#9, occupies a campus of school buildings on Union Street, a main thoroughfare and former route of US 34, before the route was moved farther to the south. The campus includes Earlville Grade School, Earlville Junior High, and Earlville High School. The administrative offices are within buildings on the site, which the Elementary, Junior High, and High School share. On the site is also a cafeteria, auditorium and gymnasium, library, and newer gymnasium. The Mascot for the schools is the Red Raider, stylized as a Pirate, with the colors of Red and White. The School is a part of the Little Ten Conference (LTC), which includes the schools of: Serena, Newark, Paw Paw, Indian Creek (Shabbona/Waterman), LaMoille, Leland, Somonauk, Kirkland Hiawatha, Earlville, and Hinckley-Big Rock. In recent years, the Earlville-Leland Cooperative has been the school's representation in IHSA play, and the cooperative is expected to end in either 2010 or 2011.

The Headlight Flight

In the 1986 season of EHS Soccer, the Red Raiders had found themselves at the Little Ten Conference Tournament against longtime rival Hinckley-Big Rock. Hinckley-Big Rock had at that time been likened to the New York Yankees for their constant winning record, and for the Raiders to play them, it was seen as a great honor. The Raiders and H-BR Royals played, with a dead tie between them for Four Periods, Four Overtimes, and Two Shootouts, which had determined the Raiders as the victors. The game was made more difficult for the teams as the sun had already set, making the playing field dark, resulting in all available vehicles being parked along both sides of the field with their headlights on. The Raiders eventually lost to DeKalb at the Sectional Game, with their overall record being 18-3-2.

Notable people

• Steve Behel (1860-1945), MLB player for the Milwaukee Brewers and New York Metropolitans.
• Herbert O. Crisler, Head Football Coach and Athletic Director at University of Michigan, and namesake of Crisler Arena at the University.
• John J. Myers, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Newark, N.J.
• Gary K. Wolf, author of the novel Who Censored Roger Rabbit (1941-), which became the Movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit.