Sterling, Illinois
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Sterling | |
| City | |
 A brick road and sidewalk in a Sterling neighborhood near the Paul W. Dillon Home
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| Country | United States |
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| State | Illinois |
| County | Whiteside |
| Coordinates | 41°47′48″N 89°41′36″W / 41.79667°N 89.69333°W |
| Area | 4.9 sq mi (13 km²) |
| - land | 4.9 sq mi (13 km²) |
| Population | 15,500 (2000) |
| Density | 3,307.0 /sq mi (1,277 /km²) |
| Timezone | CST (UTC-6) |
| - summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| Postal code | 61081 |
| Area code | 815 |
   Location of Sterling within Illinois
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| Wikimedia Commons: Sterling, Illinois | |
Sterling is a city in Whiteside County, Illinois, United States. The population was 15,451 at the 2000 census. Formerly nicknamed "The Hardware Capital of the World", Sterling has long been associated with manufacturing and the steel industry.
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[edit] Geography
Sterling is located at 41°47′48″N 89°41′36″W / 41.79667°N 89.69333°W (41.796805, -89.693258)[1].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.9 square miles (12.6 km²), of which, 4.7 square miles (12.1 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.5 km²) of it (3.91%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 15,500 people, 6,234 households, and 3,946 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,307.0 people per square mile (1,277.4/km²). There were 6,596 housing units at an average density of 1,411.8/sq mi (545.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 64.36% White, 22.25% African American, 0.41% Native American, 0.81% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 9.82% from other races, and 2.35% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 19.24% of the population.
There were 6,234 households out of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.2% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.7% were non-families. 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.1% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 90.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $37,664, and the median income for a family was $45,531. Males had a median income of $33,047 versus $21,944 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,432. About 7.6% of families and 10.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.0% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] History
In 1834, Hezekiah Brink built the first cabin in what was to become Harrisburg. Two years later, William Kirkpatrick settled downstream in an area that became Chatham. In 1838, the small towns of Harrisburg and Chatham combined to become the Town of Sterling in an effort to attract the county seat. The name "Sterling" was bestowed to the new town in honor of Major James Sterling, who distinguished himself in the area during the Blackhawk War in 1832. On February 16th, 1857 Sterling was incorporated as a city by state law.
The Rock River failed to become a major navigational route as once hoped, but the river provided power for the saw and grist mills, and later it provided power to a booming industrial base. In 1856, the first rail lines were laid in the area. With the power from the river and the transportation provided by the railroads, Sterling's business and industry began to grow. During the late 19th century and early 20th century, the industrial bedrocks of the community were laid with the founding of Northwestern Steel & Wire, Lawrence Brothers Hardware, and the Wahl Clipper Corporation.
Today, Sterling is continuing to diversify and adapt. Our industrial base has expanded as the City has filled two industrial parks and begins development of a third and fourth. Retail sales for the region have expanded as Sterling has emerged as a regional retail hub. Just outside the City, the landscape is dominated by agricultural fields that typify most of the Midwest. Sterling is quite proud of its hard working heritage and depends on it for continued success.
The cities of Sterling, Nebraska and Sterling, Colorado were both founded by former residents of Sterling, Illinois as they branched out across the West.
[edit] Politics
Due to the gerrymandering of the Illinois Congressional Districts, residents of Sterling can live in one of three districts: Illinois's 14th congressional district, Illinois's 16th congressional district, or Illinois's 17th congressional district.
[edit] Education
Sterling is served by Community Unit School District 5, which operates Sterling High School, Challand Middle School, Franklin Elementary, Jefferson Elementary, Lincoln Elementary, and Washington Elementary Schools. Wallace School serves as Sterling’s public Pre-K institution.[3]
Sterling is also home to the Whiteside Area Career Center, located adjacent to Sterling High School. WACC hosts a variety of vocational courses, available to students of its member schools in the Sauk Valley.[4]
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockford currently runs two schools in the city: St. Mary’s School[5], serving as both grade school and middle school, and Newman Central Catholic High School. These schools serve both local parishes, Sacred Heart Church and St. Mary’s Church.
Additionally, Sterling is host to two K-8 Protestant schools: Sterling Christian School, and Christ Lutheran.
[edit] Famous connections to Sterling
[edit] People born or raised in Sterling
- Terry Brooks -- epic fantasy author of the Shannara series, Word and Void series and Magic Kingdom series of novels[6]
- Dan Kolb -- MLB player for the Texas Rangers, Milwaukee Brewers, Atlanta Braves, and the Pittsburgh Pirates
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Sterling, Illinois is at coordinates 41°47′48″N 89°41′36″W / 41.796805°N 89.693258°WCoordinates: 41°47′48″N 89°41′36″W / 41.796805°N 89.693258°W
- City of Sterling Web Site
- Temple Sholom - Union for Reform Judaism
- Sterling High School Athletics
- Sterling Schools Foundation
- Newman Central Catholic High School
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[edit] References
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Sterling Schools". Sterling Schools. http://www.sterlingschools.org/. Retrieved on 2009-01-02.
- ^ "About WACC". Whiteside Area Career Center. http://wacc-online.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17&Itemid=32. Retrieved on 2009-01-02.
- ^ "Welcome to St. Mary’s School". St. Mary’s School. http://www.smsterling.org/. Retrieved on 2009-01-02.
- ^ Brooks, Terry (March 2003). "Chapter 3: Why I Write". Sometimes the Magic Works: Lessons from a Writing Life. Ballantine Publishing Group. p. 23. ISBN 0-345-45828-1.
