Alpha, Illinois facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alpha
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| Etymology: The first letter of the Greek alphabet | |
Location of Alpha in Henry County, Illinois.
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Location of Illinois in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Illinois |
| County | Henry |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.31 sq mi (0.81 km2) |
| • Land | 0.31 sq mi (0.81 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 675 |
| • Density | 2,170.42/sq mi (838.33/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP Code(s) |
61413
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| Area code(s) | 309 |
| FIPS code | 17-00971 |
Alpha is a small village in Henry County, Illinois, United States. In 2020, about 675 people lived there. This was a small increase from 671 people in 2010.
History of Alpha
Alpha was started on June 1, 1872, by Anson Calkins. It was built as a "railroad town." This means it grew because of the important train lines that crossed there. Alpha took the place of an older town called Oxford, which was about three miles away.
The village was located where two lines of the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad met. One line went north and south, connecting Galesburg and Savanna. The other went east and west, linking Galva and New Boston.
Today, the east-west train line is no longer used. However, the north-south line is still active and is now part of the BNSF railroad.
Anson Calkins named the village "Alpha" because it's the first letter of the Greek alphabet. He thought it would be the start of a big city. Alpha officially became a village on January 11, 1895.
In the early 1980s, a movie director named Barry Levinson considered Alpha's old railroad car diner as a place to film scenes for his 1982 movie, Diner.
Where is Alpha Located?
Alpha is located in Illinois at these coordinates: 41°11′32″N 90°22′51″W / 41.19222°N 90.38083°W.
The village covers a total area of about 0.81 square kilometers (0.31 square miles). All of this area is land.
People Living in Alpha
The population of Alpha has changed over the years:
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1900 | 355 | — | |
| 1910 | 358 | 0.8% | |
| 1920 | 281 | −21.5% | |
| 1930 | 403 | 43.4% | |
| 1940 | 553 | 37.2% | |
| 1950 | 630 | 13.9% | |
| 1960 | 637 | 1.1% | |
| 1970 | 771 | 21.0% | |
| 1980 | 815 | 5.7% | |
| 1990 | 753 | −7.6% | |
| 2000 | 726 | −3.6% | |
| 2010 | 671 | −7.6% | |
| 2020 | 675 | 0.6% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
In 2020, there were 675 people living in Alpha. These people lived in 273 households. A household is a group of people living together in one home.
About 41% of the households in Alpha had children under 18 living with them. Most households (about 64%) were married couples living together.
The average household in Alpha had about 2.86 people. The average family had about 2.47 people.
The median age of people in Alpha was about 40.2 years old. This means half the people were younger than 40.2, and half were older.
- About 28.9% of the population was under 18 years old.
- About 29.1% were between 25 and 44 years old.
- About 18.2% were 65 years old or older.
The average income for a household in Alpha was $67,813 in 2020. For families, the average income was $77,500.
See also
In Spanish: Alpha (Illinois) para niños
