Sorento, Illinois

Sorento
Village
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Bond
Coordinates	38°59′57″N 89°34′26″W
Area	0.54 sq mi (1 km2)
- land	0.54 sq mi (1 km2)
- water	0.00 sq mi (0 km2)
Population	601 (2000)
Density	1,110.5 / sq mi (429 / km2)
Timezone	CST (UTC-6)
- summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Postal code	62086
Area code	217
Location of Sorento within Illinois
Wikimedia Commons: Sorento, Illinois

Sorento is a village in Bond County, Illinois, United States. The population was 601 at the 2000 census.

History

Sorento was incorporated as a village in 1885.

Charles Lindbergh is known to have landed in fields just outside of Sorento while preparing for his solo transatlantic flight.

Education

Sorento is home to the Sorento Elementary School which educates students ages Pre-K through 8th grade. Sorento Elementary was a 2011 Blue Ribbon school, one of only 19 schools in the State of Illinois and 304 in the entire U.S.

Geography

Sorento is located at 38°59′57″N 89°34′26″W (38.999264, -89.573809).

According to the 2010 census, the village has a total area of 0.54 square miles (1.4 km²), all land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 601 people, 238 households, and 167 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,110.5 people per square mile (429.7/km²). There were 255 housing units at an average density of 471.2 per square mile (182.3/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 98.17% White, 0.67% Native American, 0.33% from other races, and 0.83% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.00% of the population.

There were 238 households out of which 38.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.4% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.8% were non-families. 26.5% 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 2.53 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the village the population was spread out with 28.3% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 89.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.4 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $31,250, and the median income for a family was $32,125. Males had a median income of $28,889 versus $15,625 for females. The per capita income for the village was $13,167. About 11.4% of families and 14.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.4% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.

Places of interest

Ripson Bridge was built in 1895. It is the last pony truss bridge in Bond County and is a local historical landmark. Ripson Bridge is in the process of being named to the National Historical Register. The bridge is named after the land owner who owned the property next to the bridge when it was built. The Sorento Homecoming Association is the caretaker of the bridge.

Events

An annual homecoming usually lasting for two days is held every summer normally during August.

A major arts and crafts festival known as the Ripson Bridge Festival is held on the grounds of Ripson Bridge each autumn, usually on the first Sunday in October. The event features live music throughout the day, children's games, an old-fashioned cake walk, and over 100 arts and craft vendors.

Notable people

• Esther Snyder, co-founder of In-N-Out Burger