Metamora, Illinois

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Metamora
Village
Metamora Historic Courthouse, from East Chatham Street
Metamora Historic Courthouse, from East Chatham Street
Location of Metamora in Woodford County, Illinois.
Location of Metamora in Woodford County, Illinois.
Location of Illinois in the United States
Location of Illinois in the United States
Coordinates: 40°47′N 89°22′W / 40.783°N 89.367°W / 40.783; -89.367Coordinates: 40°47′N 89°22′W / 40.783°N 89.367°W / 40.783; -89.367
CountryUnited States
StateIllinois
CountyWoodford
Area
 • Total2.05 sq mi (5.31 km2)
 • Land2.05 sq mi (5.30 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.01 km2)
Elevation
816 ft (249 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total3,636
 • Estimate 
(2019)[2]
3,699
 • Density1,807.03/sq mi (697.58/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP Code(s)
61548
Area code(s)309
FIPS code17-48606
Wikimedia CommonsMetamora, Illinois
Websitevillageofmetamora.com

Metamora is a village in Metamora Township, Woodford County, Illinois, United States. The population was 3,636 at the 2010 census. Metamora is a growing suburb of Peoria and is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography[edit]

Metamora is located at 40°47′N 89°22′W / 40.783°N 89.367°W / 40.783; -89.367 (40.7911, -89.3624).[3]

According to the 2010 census, Metamora has a total area of 2.204 square miles (5.71 km2), of which 2.2 square miles (5.70 km2) (or 99.82%) is land and 0.004 square miles (0.01 km2) (or 0.18%) is water.[4]

Name[edit]

Metamora was founded as Hanover in 1836. It was named for Hanover, New Hampshire by a consortium of land speculators called the Hanover Company. New post office conventions required towns to have unique names,[5] forcing the town to differentiate itself from others in Illinois named Hanover. Early post office names included Black Partridge (1836) and Partridge Point (1837). The name of the village was finally changed to Metamora in 1845 based on the character in the popular play Metamora; or, The Last of the Wampanoags.[6] The village still has a Hanover Street and Partridge Street, reflecting these earlier names. Also, a popular location Black Partridge Park.

History[edit]

Metamora was settled by Yankee settlers. These were people from New England who were descended from the English Puritans who settled that region in the 1600s. The first group were settlers from Hanover, New Hampshire, organized by a company from Gilmanton, New Hampshire who named the town Hanover. A New England man named John Page scouted the area for the company and decided that this particular tract of land would be a good place for farms. When they arrived the area was a forest, with no roads and no structures. The New Hampshire settlers cleared the forest, constructed roads and built farms as well as a small town to support the farms. Other New England settlers arrived shortly thereafter from the states of Rhode Island, Vermont and Massachusetts.[7] Metamora was the county seat of Woodford County from 1843 until 1896. The Metamora Courthouse State Historic Site, a courthouse from this period, is preserved as an Illinois state historic site. Future President Abraham Lincoln and future Vice President Adlai E. Stevenson I practiced law there.[citation needed]

Demographics[edit]

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1860966—
1870762−21.1%
18808288.7%
1890758−8.5%
19007580.0%
1910694−8.4%
1920683−1.6%
19307073.5%
194089626.7%
19501,36852.7%
19601,80832.2%
19702,17620.4%
19802,48214.1%
19902,5201.5%
20002,7007.1%
20103,63634.7%
2019 (est.)3,699[2]1.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]

As of the census[9] of 2000, there were 2,700 people, 1,050 households, and 743 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,944.4 people per square mile (750.0/km2). There were 1,094 housing units at an average density of 787.9 per square mile (303.9/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 99.07% White, 0.26% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.00% Asian, 0.07% from other races, and 0.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.63% of the population.

There were 1,050 households, out of which 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.3% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.2% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 23.8% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 23.4% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 25.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.7 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $46,691, and the median income for a family was $56,384. Males had a median income of $40,745 versus $26,505 for females. The per capita income for the village was $20,200. About 1.8% of families and 2.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.8% of those under age 18 and 2.0% of those age 65 or over.

Education[edit]

Metamora has a grade school district, a high school district, and a Catholic grade school.

The village is served by Metamora Community Consolidated School District 1 for Kindergarten through 8th grade and by Metamora Township High School for 9th through 12th.

Events[edit]

At the beginning of August, Metamora hosts the annual "Metamora 4x50" race, an ultracycling event in which participants compete by riding a 50-mile loop four times.[10]

The Redbirds are the local high school team mascot, and students participate in a range of regional sports meets including golf, volleyball, and soccer.[11]

The Village of Metamora puts on Old Settler's Days each year around the third week of June. It's a century-old tradition involving carnival rides, live local music, and plenty of food. The Lincoln-Douglas 5K and 8 Mile Runs are also conducted during the weekend of Old Settler's Days.

Government[edit]

Village presidents of Metamora
Years Name notes
1859 Samuel J. Crop [12]
1860 James D. Perry [12]
1861 J. M. Clark [12]
1862-1863 Edgar Babcock [12]
1864-1865 J. M. Clark [12]
1866-1868 Alfred Bowen [12]
1868-1872 ? no record available[12]
1872 Henry C. Dent [12]
1873 John G. Perry by June President and Trustees had resigned[12]
1873 S. W. Egbert finished Perry's term[12]
1874 S. S. Page [12]
1875-1877 A. H. Kinneas citizens voted to reorganize village under general law[12]
1877 Issac Wikoff [12]
1878 A. H. Kinneas [12]
1879 George Painter [12]
1880 Dr. Z. H. Whitmore [12]
1881-1882 E. J. Avery [12]
1883 Garmen Gisk [12]
1884 Peter Schertz [12]
1885 James Graham [12]
1886-1887 E. J. Avery [12]
1888-1890 J. L. McGuire [12]
1891-1894 ?
1894 Henry Roberts replaced McGuire after McGuire's resignation[12]
1895 Henry Roberts [12]
1896 Ed B. Whitmire resigned[12]
1896 H. Weast replaced Whitmire[12]
1897-1902 J. C. Irving [12]
1903-1904 Frank Giehl [12]
1905-1906 J. C. Irving [12]
1907-1910 Frank Giehl [12]
1911-1912 J. I. Knoblauch [12]
1913-1931 John C. Snyder [12]
1931-1945 Robert J. Schneider [12]
1945-1949 Chris E. Wiedman [12]
1949-1953 Francis Kerrigan [12]
1953-1957 Chris E. Wiedman [12]
1957-1961 Francis Kerrigan [12]
1961-1969 Donald P. Smith [12]
1969-1989 Robert Harbers Jr. [12]
1989-1993 Dale Whittington [12]
1993-1998 James B. Garber died 1997 while in office[12]
1998 John Bockler appointed Mayor Pro Tem for Garber's term[12]
1998-2001 Gene Hart [12]
2001-2005 Matthew O'Shea Briefly ran for U.S. Senate in 2004.[13][12]
2005-2009 Paul Kouri [12]
2009-2012 William Belshaw died 2012 while in office[12]
2012 John Heinz appointed Mayor Pro Tem for Belshaw's term[12]
2012–Present Ken Maurer [12]

Popular culture[edit]

Metamora, Illinois served as the location for the fictional Edgecreek, Illinois in several independent films from Ten Thirty-One Pictures Entertainment, including The Only Way in 2004.[14]

Metamora was cited in the 2012 film Lincoln. The President tells his Cabinet a story about the Melissa Goings murder case, which took place there in 1857.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  3. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  4. ^ "G001 - Geographic Identifiers - 2010 Census Summary File 1". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2020-02-13. Retrieved 2015-10-26.
  5. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-05-09. Retrieved 2011-07-09.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. ^ Callary, Edward. 2009. Place names of Illinois. Chicago: University of Illinois Press, p. 225.
  7. ^ The expansion of New England: the spread of New England settlement and institutions to the Mississippi River, 1620-1865 by Lois Kimball Matthews page 211
  8. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  9. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  10. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-10-07. Retrieved 2011-10-16.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  11. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-04-05. Retrieved 2011-10-16.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av Schertz, Shirley A. (2012-08-31). "Metamora Mayors: Past Presidents (Mayors) of Metamora". Metamora, Illinois: Metamora Association for Historic Preservation. Retrieved 2013-04-06.
  13. ^ Quigley, Kelly (December 1, 2003). "O'Shea backs out of Senate race". Crain's Chicago Business. Chicago. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  14. ^ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1366257/locations

External links[edit]

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