Taylorville, Illinois
Taylorville is a city in and the county seat of Christian County, Illinois, United States.[1] The population was 11,427 at the 2000 census, making it the county's largest city.
Geography
Taylorville is located at 39°32′27″N 89°17′17″W / 39.54083°N 89.28806°W (39.540768, −89.288005).[2]
According to the 2010 census, Taylorville has a total area of 11.77 square miles (30.48 km2), of which 9.86 square miles (25.54 km2) (or 83.77%) is land and 1.91 square miles (4.95 km2) (or 16.23%) is water.[3]
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1880 | 2,237 | — | |
1890 | 2,829 | 26.5% | |
1900 | 4,248 | 50.2% | |
1910 | 5,446 | 28.2% | |
1920 | 5,806 | 6.6% | |
1930 | 7,316 | 26.0% | |
1940 | 8,313 | 13.6% | |
1950 | 9,188 | 10.5% | |
1960 | 8,801 | −4.2% | |
1970 | 10,644 | 20.9% | |
1980 | 11,386 | 7.0% | |
1990 | 11,133 | −2.2% | |
2000 | 11,427 | 2.6% | |
2010 | 11,246 | −1.6% | |
2014 (est.) | 10,971 | [4] | −2.4% |
As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 11,427 people, 4,856 households, and 3,039 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,416.6 people per square mile (546.7/km²). There were 5,208 housing units at an average density of 645.6 per square mile (249.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.67% White, 0.71% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.31% from other races, and 0.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.70% of the population.
Other
Around 11:20AM on August 11, 2012 a twin engine airplane crashed into a residential area of Taylorville, killing the pilot but injuring none on the ground.
Some outer homes and a business of Taylorville were damaged or destroyed by two EF2 tornadoes on April 2, 2006.
The town newspaper is the Breeze-Courier, which is the only daily newspaper serving Christian County. Also, The State Journal-Register, published in Springfield, Illinois covers Taylorville and Christian County quite extensively. The Decatur, Illinois Herald & Review covers the area as well.
Taylorville was known (in the early to mid-1990s) to have had a high rate of neuroblastoma, a cancer affecting the adrenal gland and striking children.[7] The local power company Central Illinois Public Service Company was sued and lost for contaminating the groundwater in 1994.[8]
The IHSA single season boys' basketball record of 45–0 was set by Taylorville High School in 1944. Ron Bontemps and Johnny Orr were team members.[9]
In 1911, the Taylorville Christians were a member of the Illinois–Missouri League, an American minor league baseball league. Future Baseball Hall of Famer Ray Schalk played on that team.
Taylorville is known as the "Christmas Capital of Illinois."
Notable people
- Jon Corzine was the 54th Governor of New Jersey from 2006 to 2010 and was a United States Senator representing New Jersey from 2001–2006. Corzine was born outside Taylorville and graduated from Taylorville High School in 1965. Corzine previously served as co-CEO of Goldman Sachs.[10][11]
- Yvonne Craig — born in Taylorville; actress who appeared in the Batman television series as Batgirl.
- Harry B. Hershey, Illinois Supreme Court justice, lived in Taylorville; served as mayor of Taylorville.[12]
- Johnny Orr was an American basketball player and coach born in Taylorville on June 10, 1927. He led Taylorville High School to its only state championship in high school basketball in 1944, with the Tornadoes finishing 45–0. In high school, he was a three-sport athlete.[13][14]
- Edward Mills Purcell — born in Taylorville;[15] discovered nuclear magnetic resonance (MRI); winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics (1952)[15]
- James B. Ricks, Illinois Supreme Court justice; served as mayor of Taylorville[16]
References
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
- ^ "G001 - Geographic Identifiers - 2010 Census Summary File 1". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
- ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ Neuroblastoma Coal Tar Cancer. Clutterinvestigations.com. Retrieved on November 20, 2015.
- ^ The case files for the case against the power plant. State.il.us. Retrieved on November 20, 2015.
- ^ Taylor Bell (2006). Glory Days Illinois: Legends of Illinois High School Basketball. Sports Publishing LLC. pp. 4–. ISBN 978-1-58261-945-3.
- ^ Dave Bakke: When Corzine's in the news, media turn to Taylorville – News – The State Journal-Register – Springfield, IL. Sj-r.com (November 4, 2011). Retrieved on 2015-11-20.
- ^ Dori Meinert (September 26, 2004) From Taylorville to Capitol Hill Sen. Jon Corzine a key fund-raiser for Democrats. Springfield State Journal Register.
- ^ Illinois Supreme Court-Harry B. Hershey. Illinoiscourts.gov (August 30, 1967). Retrieved on 2015-11-20.
- ^ William Yardley (January 2, 2014) Johnny Orr, Coach Who Turned Iowa State Into Contender, Dies at 86. New York Times
- ^ Taylorville native, basketball coach Johnny Orr dies – Entertainment & Life – The State Journal-Register – Springfield, IL. Sj-r.com (December 31, 2013). Retrieved on 2015-11-20.
- ^ a b Purcell, Edward Mills (1952). "Biography". The Nobel Prize in Physics 1952 Felix Bloch, E. M. Purcell. The Nobel Foundation. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
- ^ Illinois Supreme Court-James B. Ricks[dead link]