Oregon, Illinois

Coordinates: 42°00′52.59″N 89°19′57.13″W / 42.0146083°N 89.3325361°W / 42.0146083; -89.3325361
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Oregon
815
FIPS code17-56484
Websitecityoforegon.org

Oregon (/ˈɒrɪɡɒn/ ORR-ig-on) is a city in and the county seat of Ogle County, Illinois, United States.[3] The population was 3,721 in 2010.[4]

History

The land Oregon, Illinois was founded on was previously held by the Potawatomi and Winnebago Indian tribes. In fact, later, settlers discovered that the area contained a large number of Indian mounds, most 10–12 feet (3.0–3.7 m) in diameter.[5]

Ogle County was a

Congregationalist Church though some were Episcopalian. Culturally Bureau County, like much of northern Illinois would be culturally very continuous with early New England culture, for most of its history.[6]

The first European to visit the land was pioneer John Phelps. Phelps first visited the area in 1829 and returned in 1833 hoping to find a suitable site to settle.[5] Phelps found a forest and river-fed valley which impressed him enough that he built his cabin there. Other pioneers followed Phelps to this site, and Phelps helped create the first church, school, grocery store, blacksmith shop, and post office in Oregon.[7] By December 4, 1838, due in large part to the efforts of Phelps and his brothers B.T. Phelps and G.W. Phelps, the land was claimed, subdivided and certified by the Ogle County clerk as Oregon City.[5] The name Oregon means "River of the West".[8]

In 1839, Oregon City was renamed Florence after a visitor compared the scenic beauty of the Rock River to the Italian city of the same name. Florence was used for only about three years when the city opted to revert to its original name, without the word "city," in 1843. By 1847 the town had a

flour mill and a foundry, Paragon Foundry, which operated until the 1960s.[5]

The city of Oregon was first organized under an act of the

aldermen. On March 29, 1873 the city was reorganized because of an act of the Illinois legislature which allowed the municipalities to incorporate as cities and villages. In 1920, the Oregon City Hall was constructed on the perimeter of the city's commercial district and it has been the center of city government ever since.[9] The Ogle County Courthouse was built in 1891 on the corner of Washington Street and Fourth Street (Illinois Route 64 and Illinois Route 2
).

Between 1908 and 1911, on a site just north of the city, sculptor

Rock River valley, the sculpture is now known as the Black Hawk Statue, named after Black Hawk, a chief of the Sauk Indian
tribe that once inhabited the area.

The city of Oregon annexed nearby Daysville, Illinois, in 1993.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, Oregon has a total area of 2.028 square miles (5.25 km2), of which 1.96 square miles (5.08 km2) (or 96.65%) is land and 0.068 square miles (0.18 km2) (or 3.35%) is water.[10]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18801,088—
18901,56643.9%
19001,5770.7%
19102,18038.2%
19202,2272.2%
19302,3766.7%
19402,82518.9%
19503,20513.5%
19603,73216.4%
19703,539−5.2%
19803,5590.6%
19903,8919.3%
20004,0604.3%
20103,721−8.3%
20203,604−3.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[11]

As of the

Latino of any race were 4.2% of the population.[4]

There were 1,630 households, out of which 22.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.3% were husband-wife families, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.3% were nonfamily households.[4] 36.3% of householders lived alone, 20.1% of which were female and 16.1% male. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.83.[4]

In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 79.6% over the age of 18, with 19.6% aged 65 years or older. The median age was 43.5 years.[4]

The median income for a household in the city was $47,971 and the median income for a family was $60,625. Males employed full-time had a median income of $49,958 versus $29,792 for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,832.[12]

11.9% of all residents lived below the poverty level, including 11.6% of families with related children under the age of 18. Of families with a female householder with related children under 18 years and no husband present, 34.4% lived below the poverty line.[12]

Culture

Oregon has a rich history in the arts. As of Feb. 2021, renovations are planned for the historic building known as the Oregon Coliseum, which will create a new museum and cultural center.[13]

The community hosts several major events a year, including the annual Autumn On Parade[14] Candlelight Walk[15] ShamROCK The Town[16] and more

The Arts

In 1898, sculptor

The Eternal Indian located just north of Oregon in Illinois' Lowden State Park. Several other Taft works are located in and around Oregon, including The Soldiers' Monument on the courthouse lawn.[17]

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  2. ^ "USGS detail on Newtown". Retrieved October 21, 2007.
  3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  4. ^ a b c d e f U.S. Census Bureau Population, Age, Sex, Race, Households
  5. ^ a b c d e f Behrens, pp. 13-14.
  6. ^ The History of Ogle County, Illinois: Containing a History of the County, Its Cities, Towns, Etc., a Biographical Directory of Its Citizens, War Record of Its Volunteers in the Late Rebellion, General and Local Statistics, Portraits of Early Settlers and Prominent Men, History of the Northwest, History of Illinois page 326
  7. ^ Oregon History Archived 2012-02-27 at the Wayback Machine", City of Oregon, official site. Retrieved 4 July 2007.
  8. JSTOR 20610168. Retrieved February 22, 2021.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link
    )
  9. ^ Novak, pp. 34-35.
  10. ^ "G001 - Geographic Identifiers - 2010 Census Summary File 1". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
  11. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  12. ^ a b U.S. Census Bureau Income, Employment, Occupation
  13. ^ Lyga, Breane (March 10, 2020). "City Council approves Oregon Coliseum renovations". Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  14. ^ "Autumn On Parade". city of oregon. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  15. ^ "Candlelight Walk". Candlelight Walk. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  16. ^ "ShamROCKIN' Oregon". city of oregon. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  17. ^ Novak, pp. 55-56.

Further reading

  • Behrens, Marsha, et al. "Oregon Public Library", (PDF), National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form, 27 March 2003, HAARGIS Database, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. Retrieved 4 July 2007.
  • Novak, Alice. "Oregon Commercial Historic District", (PDF), National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form, 12 July 2006, HAARGIS Database, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. Retrieved 4 July 2007.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Oregon, Illinois.
New International Encyclopedia article about "Oregon, Illinois
".
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Oregon,_Illinois&oldid=1220887642"