Decatur, Illinois facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Decatur, Illinois
City
Downtown Decatur
Seal
Nicknames:  Soy City, Soybean Capital of the World, Limitless Decatur
Location of Decatur in Macon County, Illinois
Decatur, Illinois Location in Illinois Show map of Illinois Decatur, Illinois Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Macon
Townships	Decatur, Harristown, Hickory Point, Long Creek, Oakley, South Wheatland, Whitmore
Founded	1823
Area
• Total	47.79 sq mi (123.78 km2)
• Land	43.11 sq mi (111.65 km2)
• Water	4.68 sq mi (12.13 km2)  10.0%
Elevation	677 ft (206 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	70,522
• Estimate  (2022)	69,097
• Density	1,475.66/sq mi (569.737/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	EDT
ZIP Codes	62521–62523, 62526
Area codes	217, 447
FIPS code	17-18823

Decatur (/dɪˈkeɪtər/ dih-KAY-tər) is the largest city in and the county seat of Macon County, Illinois, United States. The city was founded in 1829 and is situated along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in Central Illinois. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 70,522. It is the seventeenth-most populous city in Illinois. Decatur has an economy based on industrial and agricultural commodity processing and production. The city is home to Millikin University and Richland Community College.

History

The city is named after War of 1812 naval hero Stephen Decatur.

Decatur has become an affiliate of the U.S. Main Street program, in conjunction with the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The Potawatomi Trail of Death passed through here in 1833.

Post No. 1 of the Grand Army of the Republic was founded by Civil War veterans in Decatur on April 6, 1866.

The Edward P. Irving House, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built in 1911, is located at #2 Millikin Place, Decatur. In addition, the Robert Mueller Residence, 1 Millikin Place, and the Adolph Mueller Residence, 4 Millikin Place, have been attributed to Wright's assistants Hermann V. von Holst and Marion Mahony.

Abraham Lincoln

Statue of Abraham Lincoln in downtown Decatur on the site of his first political speech. The plaque reads "Abraham Lincoln's first political speech: Lincoln mounted a stump by Harrell's Tavern facing this square and defended the Illinois Whig party candidates near this spot at age 21 in the summer of 1830"

Decatur was the first home in Illinois of Abraham Lincoln, who settled just west of Decatur with his family in 1830. At the age of 21, Lincoln gave his first political speech in Decatur about the importance of Sangamon River navigation that caught the attention of Illinois political leaders. John Hanks, first cousin of Abe Lincoln, lived in Decatur.

On May 9 and 10, 1860, the Illinois Republican State Convention was held in Decatur. At this convention Lincoln received his first endorsement for President of the United States as "The Railsplitter Candidate." In commemoration of Lincoln's bicentennial the Illinois Republican State Convention was held in Decatur at the Decatur Conference Center and Hotel on June 6 & 7, 2008.

Consecutive tornadoes

On April 18 and 19, 1996, the city was hit by tornadoes. On April 18, an F1 tornado hit the city's southeast side, followed by an F3 tornado the following evening on the northwest side. The two storms totaled approximately $10.5 million in property damage.

Railcar explosion

On July 19, 1974, a tanker car containing isobutane collided with a boxcar in the Norfolk & Western railroad yard in the East End of Decatur. The resulting explosion killed seven people, injured 349, and caused $18 million in property damage.

Jesse Jackson protest

In November 1999, Decatur was brought into the national news when Jesse Jackson and the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition protested the expulsion and treatment of several African American students who had been involved in a serious fight at an Eisenhower High School football game.

Geography

Decatur is located at 39°51′6″N 88°56′39″W / 39.85167°N 88.94417°W / 39.85167; -88.94417 (39.851636, −88.944228). Decatur is three hours southwest of Chicago, 40 miles due east of Springfield, the state capital, and two hours northeast of St. Louis by car.

According to the 2010 census, Decatur has an area of 46.91 square miles (121.50 km²), of which 42.22 square miles (109.35 km²) (or 90%) is land and 4.69 square miles (12.15 km²) (or 10%) is water. Lakes include Lake Decatur, formed in 1923 by the damming of the Sangamon River.

The Decatur Metropolitan Statistical Area (population 109,900) includes surrounding towns of Argenta, Boody, Blue Mound, Elwin, Forsyth, Harristown, Long Creek, Macon, Maroa, Mount Zion, Niantic, Oakley, Oreana, and Warrensburg.

Demographics

2020 census

Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.

2010 Census

As of the 2010 census, there were 76,122 people, 32,344 households, and 18,991 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,800.9 people per square mile (695.3/km²). There were 36,134 housing units at an average density of 854.8 per square mile (330.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 71.6% White, 23.3% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 0.9% from other races, and 3.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.2% of the population.

There were 32,344 households, out of which 24.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.4% were married couples living together, 16.9% had a female household with no husband present, and 41.3% were non-families. 35.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.1% under the age of 18, 10.8% from ages 18 to 24, 23.4% from ages 25 to 44, 26.8% from ages 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.0 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 85.3 males.

As of 2017, the median income for a household in the city was $41,977, and the median income for a family was $55,086. Males had a median income of $35,418 versus $34,389 for females. The per capita income for the city was $25,042. About 22% of the population is below the poverty line, including 35% of those under age 18 and 10% of those age 65 or over.

Decatur is listed by the United States Census Bureau as number three in "The 15 Fastest-Declining Large Cities" which showed a 7.1% population loss of (−5,376) from 2010 to 2019. The Chicago Tribune says: "in 1980, Decatur's population was at a high of 94,000. Now it is 71,000."

Economy

Mueller Co. c. 1904

Industry

Decatur has production facilities for Caterpillar, Archer Daniels Midland, Mueller Co., and Primient (previously Tate & Lyle, A. E. Staley).

Caterpillar Inc. has one of its largest manufacturing plants in the U.S. in Decatur. This plant produces Caterpillar's off highway trucks, wheel-tractor scrapers, compactors, large wheel loaders, mining-class motorgraders, and their ultra-class mining trucks (including the Caterpillar 797). Archer Daniels Midland processes corn and soybeans, Mueller produces water distribution products and Tate & Lyle processes corn in Decatur.

Decatur has been ranked third in the nation as an Emerging Logistics and Distribution Center by Business Facilities: The Location Advisor, and was named a Top 25 Trade City by Global Trade. In 2013 the Economic Development Corporation of Decatur & Macon County established the Midwest Inland Port, a multi-modal transportation hub with market proximity to 95 million customers in a 500-mile radius. The port includes the Archer Daniels Midland intermodal container ramp, the two class I railroads that service the ramp and the city (the Canadian National Railway, and the Norfolk Southern Railway), five major roadways and the Decatur Airport. The Midwest Inland Port also has a foreign trade zone and customs clearing, and the area is both an enterprise zone and tax increment financing district.

In August 2019, Mueller Company announced plans to construct a "state-of-the-art" brass foundry in Decatur on a 30-acre site in the 2700 block of North Jasper Street. The facility is expected to employ 250 personnel.

In November 2020, ADM and InnovaFeed announced plans to construct the world's largest insect protein facility targeted to begin in 2021. The facility will be owned and operated by InnovaFeed and will co-locate with ADM's Decatur corn processing complex. This new project represents innovative, sustainable production to meet growing demand for insect protein in animal feed, a market that has potential to reach 1 million tons in 2027. Construction of the new high-capacity facility is expected to create more than 280 direct and 400 indirect jobs in the Decatur region by the second phase.

Top employers

According to the EDC of Decatur & Macon County, the top employers in Decatur are as follows:

Former employers

From 1917 to 1922, Decatur was the location of the Comet Automobile Company, and the Pan-American Motor Corporation.

In 1950, the Marvel-Schebler Division of BorgWarner opened a new facility in Decatur. The plant, which once had as many as 1,300 employees, was sold to Facet Aerospace Products in 1982. The plant closed in April 1983.

In early November 1992, business executive Mark Whitacre of Decatur-based Archer Daniels Midland confessed to an FBI agent that ADM executives, including Whitacre himself, had routinely met with competitors to fix the price of lysine, a food additive. The lysine conspirators, including ADM, ultimately settled federal charges for more than $100 million. ADM also paid hundreds of millions of dollars ($400 million alone on the high-fructose corn syrup class action case) to plaintiffs and customers that it stole from during the price-fixing schemes. In 2014, ADM moved its upper corporate management out of Decatur and established the new ADM World Headquarters in downtown Chicago. Following the ADM corporate exit, Decatur became listed by the United States Census Bureau as number 3 in "The 15 Fastest-Declining Large Cities" which showed a 7.1% population loss of (-5,376) from 2010 to 2019.

The Japanese corporation Bridgestone owns Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, which operated a large tire factory here. Firestone's Decatur plant was closed in December 2001 amid a tire failure controversy. All 1,500 employees were laid off. Firestone cited a decline in consumer demand for Firestone tires and the age of the Decatur plant as the reasons for closing that facility.

Arts and culture

Music

The Decatur Municipal Band was organized September 19, 1857, making it one of the oldest nonmilitary bands in continuous service in the United States and Canada. The band was originally known as the Decatur Brass Band, Decatur Comet Band and Decatur Silver Band until 1871 when it was reorganized by Andrew Goodman and became The Goodman Band. In 1942, the band was officially designated as the Decatur Municipal Band and chartered within the City of Decatur. The present Decatur Municipal Band, directed by Jim Culbertson since 1979, is composed of high school and college students and area adults from all walks of life, many of whom look to the Band as a serious avocation, or as a prelude to a life-long profession.

Historic sites

Transfer House c. 1910

The city's symbol is the Transfer House, an 1896 octagonal structure that was built in the original town square (now called "Lincoln Square") where the city's mass transit lines (streetcars and interurban trains) met. Designed by Chicago architect William W. Boyington, who also designed the Chicago Water Tower, the Transfer House was constructed to serve as a shelter for passengers transferring from one conveyance to another. It was regarded as one of the most beautiful structures of its kind in the United States, and a symbol of the city's high culture and modernity just decades after it was founded as a small collection of log cabins. The second story of the building consisted of an open-air gazebo used as a stage for public speeches and concerts by the Goodman Band. Sitting in the middle of the square as it was, increasing automobile traffic flowing through downtown Decatur on US 51 was forced to circle around the structure, and the Transfer House came to be seen by some as an impediment. The Illinois Department of Transportation, who maintained the US 51 highway route through Decatur, requested it be removed, and in 1962, the structure was transported by truck to nearby Central Park, where it stands today. In that location, it has served as a bus shelter, a visitor information center, and civic group offices.

The Edward P. Irving House, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built in 1911, is located at No. 2 Millikin Place, Decatur. In addition, the Robert Mueller Residence, 1 Millikin Place, and the Adolph Mueller Residence, 4 Millikin Place, have been attributed to Wright's assistants Hermann V. von Holst and Marion Mahony.

Library

In 1901 Andrew Carnegie gave City of Decatur $60,000 to construct a new public library. The library was built in 1902 at the corner of Eldorado and Main and opened to the public July 1, 1903. The building served the community until 1970 when the library moved to North Street at the site of a former Sears, Roebuck & Co. store. In 1999 the library moved to its present location on Franklin Street, which is also an abandoned Sears building. The library is part of the Illinois Heartland Library System. The original Carnegie library building was razed in 1972 and in its place a bank was built.

Parks and recreation

Nelson Park

Local Macon County park resources include Lake Decatur, Lincoln Trail Homestead State Memorial, Rock Springs Conservation Area, Fort Daniel Conservation Area, Sand Creek Recreation Area, Griswold Conservation Area, Friends Creek Regional Park, and Spitler Woods State Natural Area. The Decatur Park District resources include 2,000 acres (810 ha) of park land, an indoor sports center, Decatur Airport, three golf courses, softball, soccer and tennis complexes, athletic fields, a community aquatic center, an AZA-accredited zoo, and a banquet, food and beverage business. Decatur was once dubbed "Park City USA" because it had more parks per person than any other city in the country, as well as "Playtown USA" because of Decatur's position as an early national leader in providing recreational space for its citizens. A motion picture short by that name was made in 1944 that featured the city's recreational efforts.

Sports

1920 Decatur Staleys

Decatur was the original home of the Chicago Bears, from 1919 to 1920. The football team was then known as the Decatur Staleys and played at Staley Field, both named after the local food-products manufacturer. A.E. Staley created the team from regular Staley Processing employees who had an interest in the sport. As the team continued to win games and show promise, Staley decided to invest in the team further by hiring George Halas as its second head coach. Halas led the team to success in the 1920 season, going 10–1–2. As the team continued to win, Staley realized that he could make more money and further develop the team if there were larger crowds and a larger venue to play at. Halas and Staley agreed to move the team to Chicago in 1921 and play at Wrigley Field. The team was to play one season as the Chicago Staleys. In 1922, they played their first season as the Chicago Bears.

From 1900 to 1974, Decatur was the home of the Commodores, a minor-league baseball team playing at Fans Field.

The USTA/Ursula Beck Pro Tennis Classic has been held annually since 1999. Male players from over 20 countries compete for $25,000 in prize money as well as ATP world ranking points at the Fairview Park Tennis Complex. The tournament is held for eight consecutive days at Fairview Park concluding on the first weekend in August.

Decatur formerly hosted the annual Decatur-Forsyth Classic presented by Tate & Lyle and the Decatur Park District. The tournament was traditionally held in June. The final year for the tournament was 2019.

Education

Schilling Hall at Millikin University

Colleges

• Millikin University (enrollment 2,400), a four-year institution of higher education, has a 75-acre (30 ha) campus founded by James Millikin and was originally affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
• Richland Community College (enrollment 3,500) is a comprehensive community college. It also hosts the biannual Farm Progress Show.
• Walther Theological Seminary is a Confessional Lutheran seminary affiliated with Pilgrim Lutheran Church.

Public schools

K–12 public education in the Decatur area is provided by the Decatur Public Schools District 61. High school athletics have been a member of the Central State Eight Conference since 2014–15.

High schools

• Eisenhower High School
• MacArthur High School
• William Harris Learning Academy

Primary schools

• American Dreamer STEM Academy
• Baum Elementary School
• Dennis Lab School
• Franklin Grove Elementary School
• Hope Academy
• Johns Hill Magnet School
• Montessori Academy for Peace
• Muffley Elementary School
• Parsons Elementary School
• Pershing Early Learning Center
• South Shores Elementary School
• Stephen Decatur Middle School
• William Harris Learning Academy

Private schools

High schools

• Unity Christian School
• St. Teresa High School
• Decatur Christian School (Forsyth, Illinois)

Primary schools

• Antioch Christian Academy
• Holy Family Catholic School
• Unity Christian School
• Our Lady of Lourdes School
• St. Patrick School

Media

Newspapers

• Decatur Tribune —weekly
• The Decaturian —bi-weekly student newspaper published by Millikin University
• Herald & Review —daily owned by Lee Enterprises

Magazines

• Decatur Magazine —bi-monthly

Television

• 17 WAND, NBC
• 23 WBUI, CW

AM radio

• WDZ —1050AM—ESPN Radio
• WSOY—1340AM —talk radio
• 1650 AM —Community

FM radio

• WBGL —88.1 FM —Christian radio
• WDCR (FM) —88.9 FM & 96.5 FM —Relevant Radio
• WJMU —89.5 FM —Millikin University —alternative rock
• WYDS —93.1 FM —top 40
• WDZQ —95.1 FM —country music
• WXFM —99.3 —Light Hits
• WZUS —100.9 FM —talk radio
• WLUJ — 101.9 FM – Moody Christian Radio
• WSOY —102.9 FM —Top 40
• WEJT —105.1 FM —adult hits
• WCZQ —105.5 FM —hip hop & R&B
• WZNX —106.7 FM —classic rock
• WDKR —107.3 —oldies

Transportation

Decatur station was served by the Wabash Railroad

Decatur Airport is served by daily commercial flights to and from Chicago-O'Hare International Airport by United Airlines.

For more than 100 years, Decatur has been a major railroad junction and was once served by seven railroads. After mergers and consolidations, it is now served by two Class I railroads: Canadian National and Norfolk Southern. The city is also served by Decatur Junction Railway, Decatur Central Railroad and Decatur & Eastern Illinois Railroad shortlines.

Interstate 72, U.S. Route 51, U.S. Route 36, Illinois Route 48, Illinois Route 105, and Illinois Route 121 are key highway links for the area.

The Decatur Public Transit System (DPTS) provides fixed-route bus service as well as complementary door-to-door paratransit service for people with disabilities, who are unable to use the bus system, throughout the City of Decatur. Under an agreement with the Village of Forsyth, service is also provided to the Hickory Point Mall area in Forsyth.

Notable people

In popular culture

Books

• Decatur is mentioned in Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith. It is mentioned he lives west of Decatur, as well as hunting the streets of Decatur for a vampire.
• Decatur was studied by sociologists Paul Lazarsfeld and Elihu Katz for mass media studies, in "Personal Influence: the Part Played by People in the Flow of Mass Communications", 1955.

Music

• "Decatur, Or, Round of Applause For Your Step Mother!" is a song by Sufjan Stevens on his album Illinois. The song refers to several locations and events associated with Decatur, including the Caterpillar factory, Greenwood cemetery, the chicken mobile from Krekel's, strong historical ties to Abraham Lincoln, and the Sangamon River.
• Steve Hunter included two guitar instrumental pieces on his 1977 album Swept Away: "Eldorado Street" and "Jasper St. Viaduct Gitar Rag".
• Canadian folk singer Willie P. Bennett wrote a song titled "Hearts in Decatur" which he performed live but never recorded.
• There is a song titled "Decatur" by the indie rock band Seam.
• The alternative metal, pop punk, electronic rock band Icon For Hire formed there in 2007.
• The alternative metal band V Shape Mind formed there in 1999.

Movies

• The 1948 Jimmy Stewart film Call Northside 777 mentions a character in the film going down to Decatur.
• In the 1971 film Shaft, Lt. Androzzi informs Shaft that one of the mob bigwigs coming to the city is from Decatur.
• In the 1984 film Bachelor Party, Tom Hanks croons that he is from Decatur, Illinois.
• In the 1986 film Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Cameron mentions his mother is in Decatur to buy antiques.
• In the 1992 adaptation of Noises Off it is mentioned that one of the play's performances takes place in Decatur.
• In the 2008 film Leatherheads starring George Clooney, there is a scene where a man and woman are sitting in the stands at a football game. The woman asks "how owning a football team will help sell corn starch?", then the camera pans the scoreboard and reveals that one of the teams is Decatur.
• The Informant! is a 2009 film about the Archer Daniels Midland lysine scandal. It is directed by Steven Soderbergh and stars Matt Damon as the informant Mark Whitacre.

Television

• In the 1960s TV series The Fugitive, the season two, episode nine entitled "Escape into Black", and airing November 17, 1964, takes place in Decatur.
• On Comedy Central's television show The Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert mentions Decatur and its slogan "We like it here" during his segment "Better Know a District", episode 47, Season 3, Phil Hare.
• The Lincoln Square Theater located on Main Street in Decatur was featured on Travel Channel's Most Terrifying Places in America.
• True Life: "I'm Addicted To Caffeine" was filmed in Decatur.
• In the 1980s TV sitcom ALF; in one episode ALF asks Harry where he is from; he replies "Decatur, Illinois."

Sister cities

Decatur's sister cities are:

• Tokorozawa, Japan (since 1966)
• Seevetal, Germany (since 1975)

The Decatur Sister Cities Committee annually coordinates both inbound and outbound high school students, who serve as ambassadors among the three cities.

See also

In Spanish: Decatur (Illinois) para niños