MACOMB, ILLINOIS

'Macomb' is a city located in McDonough County, Illinois founded in 1831. It is situated in western Illinois southwest of Galesburg at 40°27'38" North, 90°40'27" West (40.460501, -90.674048). As of 2000, the city had a population of 18,558. It is the county seat of McDonough County. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 26.5 km² (10.2 mi²). 25.5 km² (9.9 mi²) of it is land and 1.0 km² (0.4 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 3.90% water; the East Fork La Moine River flows past the northern part of the city. Macomb is the home of Western Illinois University.

Contents

Demographics

History

Origin

Presidential Visits

St. Louis Rams Summer Camp

Filmings in Macomb

Famous Residents (Past & Present)

Transportation

Attractions & Entertainment

Events

Outdoor Recreation

Higher Education

Newspapers

Industry

Manufacturing

Notes

External links

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there are 18,558 people, 6,575 households, and 2,952 families residing in the city. The population density is 727.4/km² (1,884.2/mi²). There are 7,037 housing units at an average density of 275.8/km² (714.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 88.73% White, 5.93% African American, 0.16% Native American, 3.06% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.69% from other races, and 1.40% from two or more races. 2.10% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 1,876,575 households out of which 19.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.9% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 55.1% were non-families. 38.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.10 and the average family size was 2.77.
In the city the population was spread out with 12.6% under the age of 18, 42.9% from 18 to 24, 18.2% from 25 to 44, 14.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 23 years. For every 100 females there were 94.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $25,994, and the median income for a family was $42,069. Males had a median income of $27,663 versus $21,780 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,470. 29.1% of the population and 12.2% of families were below the poverty line. 22.8% of those under the age of 18 and 8.1% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

History

Origin

First settled in 1829 on a site tentatively named Washington, the town was officially founded in 1830 as the county seat of McDonough County and given the name Macomb after General Alexander Macomb, a general in the War of 1812. War veterans were given land grants in the Macomb area, which was part of the "Military Tract" set aside by Congress. In 1855 the Northern Cross Railroad, a predecessor to the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, was constructed through Macomb, leading to a rise in the town's population. In 1899 the Western Illinois State Normal School, later Western Illinois University, was founded in Macomb. Representative Lawrence Sherman was instrumental in locating the school in Macomb. In 1903 the Macomb and Western Illinois Railroad was built from Macomb to nearby Industry and Littleton by local financier Charles V. Chandler, though this railroad was abandoned in 1930. In 1918, construction on Illinois Route 3 was begun as a state financed highway from Cairo to Rock Island through Macomb; in the late 1920s U.S. Route 67 was extended along this route to Dubuque, Iowa.

Presidential Visits

Macomb has been visited by several US Presidents over the years. Ulysses S. Grant, Andrew Johnson, Rutherford B. Hayes, William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt have all made short addresses in Macomb. On two occasions, Abraham Lincoln addressed large audiences prior to his election as president.^[1]

St. Louis Rams Summer Camp

Macomb was home to the St. Louis Rams' football summer training camp from 1996-2004. In 2005, the Rams decided to move summer training to their own facilities in St. Louis, Missouri, ending the nine-year relationship.^[2]

Filmings in Macomb

★ Cast in Gray (2005)^[3]

★ Wife Swap (2006)^[4]

Famous Residents (Past & Present)

★ Michael Boatman, Actor

★ Phil Bradley, Major League Baseball player, 1983-1990.

★ Red Miller, former head coach of the NFL Denver Broncos and USFL Denver Gold.

★ Todd Purdum, correspondent, editor Vanity Fair, New York Times.

Transportation

★ Macomb (Amtrak station)

★ Go West Transit

Attractions & Entertainment

★ Geology Museum

★ The Old Bailey House

★ University Art Gallery Museum

★ Western Illinois Museum

★ Convention Bureau

★ Bureau of Cultural Affairs

★ Macomb Community Theater

Events

★ 'February' - WIU Ag Mech Show, WIU Jazz Festival

★ 'June' - Macomb Heritage Days

★ 'July' - Cornerstone Festival (Bushnell)

★ 'September' - Macomb Balloon Rally, Al Sears Jazz Festival

★ 'October' - WIU Homecoming Parade

★ 'November' - Festival of Trees

★ 'December' - Dickens on the Square

Outdoor Recreation

★ Argyle Lake State Park (located in nearby Colchester)

★ Harry Mussatto Golf Course

★ Lakeview Nature Center

★ Macomb Park District

★ Spring Lake Park

Higher Education

★ Western Illinois University

★ Spoon River College, Macomb campus

Newspapers

★ Macomb Eagle

★ Macomb Journal

★ Western Courier

Industry

Manufacturing

★ NTN-Bower Corporation

★ Pella Windows

★ Yetter Farm Equipment

Notes

1. Morgan, Joanne Scobee. "McDonough County, Illinois, Reminiscences of a Pioneer," 2000 (accessed 30 January 2007).
2. Wagoner, Nick. "Rams Move Training Camp Back to St. Louis," 24 April 2005 (accessed 30 January 2007).
3. Hicks, Jonathan. "Macomb gets "Cast in Gray"," Western Courier, 26 March 2004 (accessed 30 January 2007).
4. McDougall, Chelsea. "Macomb family featured on reality show," Macomb Eagle, 24 November 2006 (accessed 30 January 2007).

External links