Kewanee, Illinois

City of Kewanee, Illinois
Nickname: 
Hog Capital of the World [1]
Location of Kewanee in Henry County, Illinois.
Location of Kewanee in Henry County, Illinois.
Coordinates: 41°14′N 89°56′W / 41.233°N 89.933°W / 41.233; -89.933
CountryUnited States
StateIllinois
CountyHenry
Incorporated1854
Government
 • MayorGary Moore
Area
[2]
 • Total
6.61 sq mi (17.12 km2)
 • Land6.60 sq mi (17.09 km2)
 • Water0.01 sq mi (0.03 km2)
Elevation
803 ft (244 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
12,509
 • Density1,896.16/sq mi (732.10/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
61443[3]
Area code309
FIPS code17-39727
Websitecityofkewanee.com

Kewanee (/kiːˈwɑːniː/ ⓘ) is a city in Henry County, Illinois. "Kewanee" is the Winnebago word for greater prairie chicken,[4] which lived there. The population was 12,509 in the 2020 census, down from 12,916 in 2010.

Geography

[edit]

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Kewanee has a total area of 6.61 square miles (17.12 km2), of which 6.60 square miles (17.09 km2) (or 99.82%) is land and 0.01 square miles (0.03 km2) (or 0.18%) is water.[5]

The Kewanee Group is named after Kewanee.[6]

Climate data for Kewanee, Illinois (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1939–present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 67
(19) 		71
(22) 		85
(29) 		91
(33) 		96
(36) 		101
(38) 		105
(41) 		103
(39) 		102
(39) 		91
(33) 		79
(26) 		69
(21) 		105
(41)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 30.3
(−0.9) 		34.8
(1.6) 		47.7
(8.7) 		60.9
(16.1) 		72.0
(22.2) 		80.9
(27.2) 		83.7
(28.7) 		82.2
(27.9) 		76.5
(24.7) 		63.8
(17.7) 		48.5
(9.2) 		35.8
(2.1) 		59.8
(15.4)
Daily mean °F (°C) 22.1
(−5.5) 		26.1
(−3.3) 		37.5
(3.1) 		49.3
(9.6) 		61.1
(16.2) 		70.5
(21.4) 		73.6
(23.1) 		71.4
(21.9) 		64.2
(17.9) 		52.4
(11.3) 		39.1
(3.9) 		27.8
(−2.3) 		49.6
(9.8)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 13.8
(−10.1) 		17.4
(−8.1) 		27.4
(−2.6) 		37.7
(3.2) 		50.2
(10.1) 		60.2
(15.7) 		63.4
(17.4) 		60.7
(15.9) 		51.9
(11.1) 		41.0
(5.0) 		29.7
(−1.3) 		19.7
(−6.8) 		39.4
(4.1)
Record low °F (°C) −27
(−33) 		−25
(−32) 		−11
(−24) 		−2
(−19) 		22
(−6) 		38
(3) 		42
(6) 		38
(3) 		25
(−4) 		17
(−8) 		−4
(−20) 		−24
(−31) 		−27
(−33)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 1.89
(48) 		2.06
(52) 		2.62
(67) 		3.96
(101) 		5.07
(129) 		5.00
(127) 		3.69
(94) 		3.86
(98) 		3.68
(93) 		2.93
(74) 		2.65
(67) 		2.17
(55) 		39.58
(1,005)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 8.7
(22) 		8.5
(22) 		3.2
(8.1) 		1.2
(3.0) 		0.1
(0.25) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.2
(0.51) 		0.3
(0.76) 		1.4
(3.6) 		7.5
(19) 		31.1
(79)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 9.3 8.6 10.2 12.3 14.0 12.3 9.6 9.5 8.0 10.8 9.5 9.4 123.5
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) 5.8 4.9 2.1 0.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.2 1.0 4.4 19.1
Source: NOAA[7][8]

Demographics

[edit]
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18802,704—
18904,56969.0%
19008,38283.5%
19109,30711.0%
192016,02672.2%
193017,0936.7%
194016,901−1.1%
195016,821−0.5%
196016,324−3.0%
197015,762−3.4%
198014,508−8.0%
199012,969−10.6%
200012,944−0.2%
201012,916−0.2%
202012,509−3.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[9]

As of the 2020 census[10] there were 12,509 people, 5,068 households, and 3,233 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,892.72 inhabitants per square mile (730.78/km2). There were 5,754 housing units at an average density of 870.63 per square mile (336.15/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 77.26% White, 6.98% African American, 0.33% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 7.45% from other races, and 7.53% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 14.47% of the population.

There were 5,068 households, out of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.53% were married couples living together, 12.55% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.21% were non-families. 31.83% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.92% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.02 and the average family size was 2.41.

The city's age distribution consisted of 23.9% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 22% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 19.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $40,196, and the median income for a family was $46,680. Males had a median income of $37,136 versus $26,297 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,170. About 15.5% of families and 23.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 40.1% of those under age 18 and 14.3% of those age 65 or over.

Industry

[edit]

Kewanee was once known for its fire-tube boiler industry. The Kewanee Boiler Corporation manufactured and sold boilers throughout the world for over one hundred years. The company shuttered in 2002, however, boilers manufactured in Kewanee are still in common use. The Kewanee High School athletic teams are nicknamed the "Boilermakers". In 2023, the boiler shop burned down and now has a sign that says "Kewanee Boiler Workers Memorial, dedicated to over 130 years of boiler-making."

Kewanee was home to minor league baseball. The Kewanee Boilermakers minor league baseball team played in the Central Association from 1908–1913. In 1948–1949, the Kewanee A's rejoined the Central Association. Kewanee was an affiliate of the Philadelphia Athletics (1948–1949). Kewanee minor league teams played at Terminal Park (1908–1913) and Northeast Park (1948–1949).[11][12][13]

Kewanee Boiler

Parks

[edit]

Kewanee has many different types of parks in the immediate area, offering a variety of activities such as boating, camping, hunting, fishing, playgrounds, baseball fields, and more. Parks inside the city limits are run by the Kewanee Park District.

Schools

[edit]

Kewanee has had two school districts, dating to when the community of Wethersfield was a separate municipality. Though the towns merged long ago, the two school districts both remain in the city of 13,400, divided at Division Street in the middle of Kewanee. While Kewanee School District #229 has around 2,015 students (533 High School), Wethersfield #230 has about 600 students. The two schools enjoy a usually friendly rivalry, since both district high schools are in different divisions for most sports. However, this rivalry did become very heated in the sports the two high schools once competed in, most notably basketball. Black Hawk College-East Campus is recognized nationally for its equestrian program, as well as livestock judging teams. (Another Campus is located in the Quad Cities.)

Festivals

[edit]

The most notable festival held in the community is Hog Days. It is held annually on Labor Day weekend. Events include a carnival, mud volleyball, a parade, and more.

Local media

[edit]
Kewanee radio stations

FM radio

[edit]

AM radio

[edit]
  • 1450 WKEI, news/talk

Newspapers

[edit]

Notable businesses

[edit]
West Second Street, 1908

Notable people

[edit]

Transportation

[edit]

The Kewanee Amtrak station serves trains on the Carl Sandburg and Illinois Zephyr daily. The current station was completed April 13, 2012.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Kewanee, IL - Hog Capital of the World". www.roadsideamerica.com.
  2. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  3. ^ "Kewanee IL ZIP Code". zipdatamaps.com. 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  4. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 174.
  5. ^ Bureau, US Census. "Gazetteer Files". Census.gov. Retrieved June 29, 2022. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  6. ^ "Kewanee Group - ILSTRAT". ilstratwiki.web.illinois.edu. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
  7. ^ "NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  8. ^ "Station: Kewanee 1 E, IL". U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  9. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  10. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  11. ^ "Kewanee, Illinois Encyclopedia". Baseball-Reference.com.
  12. ^ "Northeast Park in Kewanee, IL history and teams on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  13. ^ Kernan, Sean (March 17, 2023). "Kewanee's Baseball History with the Kewanee Historical Society". Regional Daily News. Archived from the original on August 16, 2018. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
  14. ^ Wilson, Dreck Spurlock. African-American Architects: A Biographical Dictionary (1865–1945), (Google Books link), Taylor & Francis, 2004, pp. 15–26, (ISBN 0415929598).
  15. ^ Illinois Blue Book 1909-1910. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  16. ^ "Goffrier Studio - Artist Biography". Archived from the original on July 11, 2011. Retrieved July 10, 2010.
  17. ^ DeVilder, Susan. "Kewanee's Amber McReynolds considered for U.S. Postal Services board spot". Kewanee Star Courier. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  18. ^ Campos, Johnny (February 24, 2021). "Bradley grad Lindsay Stalzer set for U.S. pro debut". Peoria Journal-Star. Retrieved April 21, 2021. Fifteen years after leaving Bradley, volleyball player Lindsay Stalzer this weekend will play her first professional match in the United States. After years of playing overseas, the 36-year-old Kewanee native...
  19. ^ Fox, Margalit (March 11, 2007). "Marjabelle Y. Stewart, 82, White-Gloved Author, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  20. ^ "President Sullivan Ushers In a New Era at U.Va". UVA Today. August 1, 2010. Archived from the original on December 12, 2012. Retrieved August 1, 2010.
Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article "Kewanee".
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