Canton, Illinois

Canton is the largest city in Fulton County, Illinois in the USA. The population was 15,288 as of the 2000 census.

Geography

Canton is located at 40°33′28″N 90°2′3″W (40.557737, -90.034264)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 20.7 km² (8.0 mi²). 20.3 km² (7.8 mi²) of it is land and 0.4 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (2.00%) is water.

History

Canton was founded in 1825 by settler Isaac Swan, who mistakenly believed his new town and Canton, China were antipodes. Abundant coal and labor, and the proximity of railroads and the Illinois River made Canton a factory town. The major manufacturing plant in town was the International Harvester, which closed in the early 1980s. In 1997, the 30-acre plant was destroyed by an arson fire, leaving the former industrial heart of the city a smoldering ruin, which has since been leveled. The town's employers now include a State Prison, a hospital, and retail stores.

Founder Isaac Swan, his infant child, and three other people died in a devastating tornado of June 1835.The city was hit by another F-3 tornado on July 23, 1975. Two people were killed and the storm caused major damage to the downtown area.

Much of the city, particularly the northern portion, has been undermined by room-and-pillar extraction of coal that took place in the 1800s.

Recent Men's Sports in Canton

Canton has produced many great athletes and teams over the last few years. Athletes such as Boomer Grigsby (6-1, 241 lbs) has recently been drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs. The football team went undefeated during their regular season in 2004, tieing only one other undefeated team in Canton history with the record. Football is the sport of this city and has produced athletes, such as Zack Krulac, who one 2004's PJStar Player of the Year ward, Tyke Bohannon, Lucas Buckley, Kenny Van Houten, and Andy Strode. They are currently coached by Chuck Wright, who has molded the Little Giants into the talk of the town.

Canton is the home of the 200m backstroke state champion, Jake Vogel. He also placed 3rd in an event during the state tournament. Jake proved day in and day out that he was the best to ever come through Canton since Case Gasparovich, while winning the PJStar's Swimmer of the Year award. Another potential swimming prospect that will be trying to follow in Jake's footsteps is Senior, Kyle Riekena. The swim team is seperated from the school, being called the Can-Y-Cudas.

The basketball program has a deep history involved. Coached by Mike Sorrill, the CHS basketball program has held recent average seasons. The most recent team in 2003 upset Limestone in the playoffs after holding a solid season. Athletes such as Kevin Rhodes have marketed a great career past CHS. Kevin played basketball at Bradley University after setting many records, including the scoring record. Many say that Rhodes was the best athlete to set foot in Alice Ingersoll Gymnasium. The boy's basketball games are played at the historical "Alice Palace". Alice Ingersoll, another Canton philanthropist, gave money for construction of Alice Ingersoll Gymnasium. In addition to major sports events, the building is also used for major community activities, as directed in her bequest. Sam Dever and Mark Rives continue to play basketball at Spoon River College in Canton, while Ryan Smith is an assistant at Lincoln College in Lincoln, Illinois.

Canton track has produced a few good runners including Micheal Chandler and John Parkinson. These two had solid careers in the CHS program and won many events together. Coached by Jon Geottler, the track team has molded many athletes into college runners.

The CHS golf team has recently added a new coach, Nate Wright, who made many additions to the team. Steven Taylor, the current Fulton County champion, has expanded his golfing career to Florida. He plays for Brevard Community College, where he continues his golf career. Steven was an all-conference athlete at can, setting the scoring record at Canton Country Club. Nick Harwick teamed up with Steven during his sophomore and junior year on the CHS golf team. Harwick has played four years of college golf at Monmouth College in Monmouth, Illinois. Thomas Bohler graduated in 2006 with all-conference awards of his own. Thomas was captain of the team in his final two years at Canton. Bohler is currently continuing his career as a college athlete at Lincoln College in Illinois.

The Canton Baseball program has a promising, after recently experiancing a coaching change. Mike Walters recently took over the promising ball club and had a partially successful inaugral year. The Canton baseball team has produced athletes, such as Kenny Van Houten, who started on the team as a freshman. Garret Curruthers is currently playing for Lincoln College in Lincoln, Illinois after a great career in Canton. Before moving to football, Chuck Wright coached several playoff baseball teams in a great career. Prospects coming up include Josiah Martin, John Jarvis, Cody Krulac, and many others to make for a solid team in 2007.

It is hard to sum up all of the recent greats that have walked the halls at Canton High School, but we all know that all athletes will never be forgotten. From the enduring practices, to underneath the Friday night lights, the Canton sports program cannot get more exciting than it's current state.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 15,288 people, 5,677 households, and 3,616 families residing in the city. The population density was 751.9/km² (1,947.8/mi²). There were 6,098 housing units at an average density of 299.9/km² (776.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 89.59% White, 8.85% African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.44% from other races, and 0.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.09% of the population.

There were 5,677 households out of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.3% were non-families. 32.1% 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 2.29 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the city the population was spread out with 20.3% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 31.2% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 18.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 115.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 119.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,011, and the median income for a family was $39,910. Males had a median income of $30,519 versus $20,891 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,012. About 10.1% of families and 13.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.9% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.

External links

Canton, Illinois website

• Canton, Illinois Information Page, Local

Contact for Commercial Real Estate - Development, Lease, and Purchase