Arrowsmith, Illinois facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Arrowsmith, Illinois
Village
Location in McLean County, Illinois
Arrowsmith, Illinois Location in the United States
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	McLean
Township	Arrowsmith
Area
• Total	0.20 sq mi (0.51 km2)
• Land	0.20 sq mi (0.51 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	883 ft (269 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	276
• Density	1,401.02/sq mi (539.79/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	61722
Area code(s)	309
FIPS code	17-02342
GNIS ID	2397992
Wikimedia Commons	Arrowsmith, Illinois

Arrowsmith is a small village in McLean County, Illinois, United States. In 2020, about 276 people lived there. It is part of the larger Bloomington-Normal area.

Geography of Arrowsmith

Arrowsmith is located in the eastern part of McLean County. It is about 21 miles (34 km) east of Bloomington, which is the main city of the county. It is also about 15 miles (24 km) west of Gibson City.

The U.S. Census Bureau says Arrowsmith covers a total area of 0.20 square miles (0.51 square kilometers). All of this area is land. Water from the village flows into small streams that lead to the Sangamon River. This river eventually joins the Illinois River.

History of Arrowsmith

Arrowsmith has an interesting history, starting with how it was founded and how it grew over time.

How Arrowsmith Was Founded

Arrowsmith was officially started on December 7, 1871. Two men, Charles W. Holder and Owen T. Reeves, planned the village. They kept their names secret for two years. Both men lived in Bloomington and were experienced in buying and selling land. They were also involved with building the Lafayette Bloomington and Muncie Railroad.

The people of Arrowsmith Township agreed to give $30,000 to support the railroad. This was on the condition that a train station would be built in their area. The village was almost named Weldon, but that name was already taken by another town. Arrowsmith got its name from the township it was in. The township was named after an early settler, Ezekiel Arrowsmith.

Some of the first buildings in Arrowsmith were actually moved from a nearby place called Senex. For example, a man named John Thompson used 32 horses to pull his store from Senex to Arrowsmith in just over two hours! The blacksmith shop and post office from Senex also moved to the new village. However, many new buildings were built, and new businesses came from other places.

Early Village Design and Growth

The original design of Arrowsmith was built around the wide railroad tracks. There were eight blocks of buildings north of the tracks and eight blocks south. Most of the early businesses were on Main Street, north of the tracks. Grain elevators and places for livestock were also north of the tracks. The train station, however, was on the south side.

In 1876, the Lafayette Bloomington and Muncie Railroad was rented out to the Lake Erie and Western Railroad. This company bought the line in 1879. So, people often remember the railroad by the Lake Erie and Western name. Arrowsmith became an official village in April 1890. The village grew slowly, reaching 317 people by 1900.

Population of Arrowsmith

As of the census in 2000, there were 298 people living in Arrowsmith. These people lived in 108 households, and 87 of these were families. The village had about 1,464 people per square mile (565 per square kilometer). There were 117 homes in total.

Most of the people in the village were White (98.99%). A small number were Native American or from two or more races. About 0.67% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

In 2000, about 37% of households had children under 18 living with them. Most households (70.4%) were married couples living together. The average household had 2.76 people, and the average family had 3.09 people.

The population was spread out by age. About 27.5% were under 18 years old. About 13.1% were 65 years or older. The average age in the village was 34 years.

See also

In Spanish: Arrowsmith para niños