Gridley, Illinois facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gridley, Illinois
Village
Location in McLean County, Illinois
Gridley, Illinois Location in the United States
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	McLean
Township	Gridley
Area
• Total	1.23 sq mi (3.19 km2)
• Land	1.23 sq mi (3.19 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	755 ft (230 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	1,456
• Density	1,180.86/sq mi (456.05/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	61744
Area code(s)	309
FIPS code	17-31732
GNIS ID	2398210
Wikimedia Commons	Gridley, Illinois

Gridley is a village located in McLean County, Illinois, United States. In 2020, about 1,456 people lived there. It is part of the larger Bloomington–Normal area, which is a group of cities and towns that are connected.

The village of Gridley was started in 1869. It was named after General Asahel Gridley. He was an important early member of the Republican Party. He also invested in land and supported Abraham Lincoln.

Where is Gridley Located?

Gridley is in the northern part of McLean County. Its northern edge touches the border of Livingston County. U.S. Route 24 runs through the southern part of the village. This road goes west about 7 miles (11 km) to El Paso. It goes east about 8 miles (13 km) to Chenoa.

Gridley is located almost exactly between Interstate 39 (to the west) and Interstate 55 (to the east). Bloomington, which is the main city of McLean County, is about 22 miles (35 km) south of Gridley.

Land Area and Waterways

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Gridley covers a total area of about 1.23 square miles (3.19 square kilometers). All of this area is land. The village is built on a small hill. Water from this hill flows south into Buck Creek. It also flows northwest into the East Branch of Panther Creek. Both of these streams eventually flow into the Mackinaw River. The Mackinaw River then flows west and joins the Illinois River.

How Many People Live in Gridley?

In the year 2000, there were 1,411 people living in Gridley. These people lived in 550 households, and 387 of these were families. The village had about 1,216 people per square mile (469 per square kilometer). There were 569 homes, with about 490 homes per square mile (189 per square kilometer).

Most of the people in Gridley were White (97.73%). There were also small numbers of African American (0.28%), Native American (0.14%), and Asian (0.50%) residents. Some people were from other races or had mixed backgrounds. About 0.71% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

Households and Families

Out of the 550 households, 34.4% had children under 18 living with them. About 60.2% were married couples living together. About 7.3% had a female head of household without a husband. And 29.6% were not families.

About 27.6% of all households were made up of people living alone. Of these, 15.5% were people aged 65 or older living by themselves. On average, there were 2.57 people in each household and 3.16 people in each family.

Age Distribution

The population of Gridley was spread out by age. About 28.6% of the people were under 18 years old. About 6.9% were between 18 and 24. The largest group, 27.7%, was between 25 and 44. About 21.3% were between 45 and 64. And 15.5% were 65 years old or older. The average age in the village was 37 years.

For every 100 females, there were about 97.3 males. If you looked at only adults (18 and over), for every 100 females, there were about 92.4 males.

Income Levels

In 2000, the average income for a household in Gridley was $46,458. For families, the average income was $51,908. Men earned an average of $36,818, while women earned $25,625. The average income per person in the village was $19,752.

About 5.9% of families and 6.4% of all people in Gridley lived below the poverty line. This included 9.6% of those under 18 and 4.6% of those aged 65 or older.

History of Gridley

How Gridley Was Founded

Gridley was officially planned on November 25, 1856. It was laid out by Thomas Carlyle and George Washington Kent. They thought about naming the town "Kent," "Carlyle," or "Gardner." However, they decided to name it after Bloomington banker and lawyer Asahel Gridley.

Both Carlyle and Kent worked for Asahel Gridley when the town was founded. Two years later, Gridley bought all the land in the town. Like many towns in central Illinois, Gridley was started because a new railroad, the Peoria and Oquawka Railroad, was built across the state. This railroad later became the Toledo Peoria and Western.

Original Town Design and "Depot Grounds"

The first design of Gridley looked similar to many other towns built along new railroads in the 1850s. There was a 100-foot (30 m) wide strip of land given to the railroad. On both the north and south sides of the tracks, there were long, narrow areas called "Depot Grounds." In most towns, these areas became parks or were used for public services.

In Gridley, half of the northern "Depot Ground" was set aside as a "Public Square." However, the remaining "Depot Grounds" soon caused problems. Asahel Gridley surprised everyone by saying he was re-planning the entire town. He wanted to divide the land near the railroad into smaller pieces. He argued that even though the map said "depot grounds," he had never actually given the land to the railroad or for public use.

By this time, the railroad and private people had built on these grounds. The people of Gridley had even used part of it for the town jail. Gridley asked the courts to remove people from his land. This case, called Gridley v. Hopkins, went all the way to the Illinois Supreme Court. The court agreed with Gridley, but allowed the others to keep their buildings. This case became an important legal example and caused a lot of bad feelings towards Gridley in the town.

Early Growth and Challenges

Gridley grew very quickly in its early years. The first train arrived in Gridley on February 28, 1857. A small train station was built on the north side of the tracks. The first store was built by J.M. Mitchell near the station. A house and a blacksmith shop were built south of the railroad.

In 1858, a tornado hit the town. It damaged some houses and twisted the newly laid train tracks. But the town quickly recovered and continued to grow. George Washington Kent, one of the town's founders, built the first grain elevator. He later joined the Union Army during the Civil War. When he returned, he helped the town grow even more. He even dug up trees from the Mackinaw River area and planted them in the public square. In 1884, Fred Donner started a factory that made tiles. By 1900, the town had a population of 735 people.

The Great Fire of 1901

On Saturday, May 4, 1901, a big fire destroyed most of downtown Gridley. The day before had been hot and windy. Smoke was seen rising from an alley behind a store. The town had faced a serious fire in 1891 and seemed ready for another. They had several large water tanks called cisterns and a team of volunteer firefighters.

Soon, stores on both sides of Center Street were on fire. Water was pumped from the cisterns. Then, hoses were run to a flooded pit at the tile factory. Everyone in town, and many people from nearby areas, helped fight the fire. The state bank and many other buildings burned down. A message was sent to Peoria asking for help. But the fire died down before help could arrive. The damage was estimated at $100,000, which was a huge loss for a small town. However, rebuilding started quickly.

Gridley in Later Years

Until the 1920s, Gridley was mainly a railroad town. In the early 1920s, six passenger trains traveled through the town in both directions every day. But in June 1924, a new paved road, Route 8 (now US-24), was opened. This new road quickly caused fewer people to travel by train. In 1925, the train station announced it would be closed on Sundays. By 1929, all passenger train service to Gridley ended.

One sad event in Gridley's history happened on September 3, 1946. There was a strike by railway workers. They tried to stop the Toledo Peoria and Western Railroad. The railroad responded by putting 14 workers and four armed guards on a train to keep the tracks open. Striking workers followed the train in cars along U.S. Route 24, which runs next to the tracks. When the train slowed down, it was hit with rocks. In Gridley, the train stopped, and a gunfight started. Two workers died, and three were hurt. A jury later decided that the guards acted in self-defense and were not guilty.

Despite this event, Gridley was mostly a peaceful town with a lively community. The Fourth of July was celebrated with races. There were Saturday night band concerts in the park. By the 1940s, these concerts were replaced by free movies. Many improvements were made for fun activities. For example, in 1937, the town bought the old clay pits from the tile factory to use as a skating rink. In 2001, the Gridley Telephone Museum opened, showing the history of telephones.

Notable People from Gridley

• Wilbur J. Cash (1887-1956) was a banker, farmer, and politician. He was born in Gridley.
• Helen F. Holt (1913–2015) served as the Secretary of State of West Virginia. She was born and grew up in Gridley.
• Lynn C. Sieberns (1889-1962) was a member of the Illinois Senate from 1933 to 1941.

See also

In Spanish: Gridley (Illinois) para niños