Mendota, Illinois facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mendota, Illinois
City
Illinois Avenue
Motto(s):  The World's Greatest Little City
Location of Mendota in LaSalle County, Illinois.
Mendota, Illinois Location in Illinois
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	LaSalle
Incorporated	1855
Government
• Type	Mayor
Area
• Total	5.15 sq mi (13.34 km2)
• Land	5.06 sq mi (13.09 km2)
• Water	0.10 sq mi (0.25 km2)
Elevation	742 ft (226 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	7,061
• Density	1,396.56/sq mi (539.25/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP code	61342
Area code	815, 779
FIPS code	17-48333
GNIS feature ID	2395095

Mendota is a city in LaSalle County, Illinois, United States. It is located in the north-central part of the state. In 2020, about 7,061 people lived there. Mendota is part of the Ottawa, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area.

The city is about 85 miles west of Chicago. It is also 70 miles east of Moline and 55 miles south of Rockford. The current mayor is David W. Boelk. He is an independent, meaning he does not belong to a major political party.

The name "Mendota" comes from a Lakota word. It means "junction of two trails." This name was chosen because two important railroads met nearby. These were the Illinois Central Railroad and the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad.

History of Mendota

Mendota's train station around 1898

In the summer of 1853, the Illinois Central Railroad was finished. By the fall of that year, the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad also built a crossing where Mendota is today.

By 1854, the town had grown to over 1,000 people. It had hotels, shops, and places to eat. Mendota became an official village in 1855. It became a town in 1859. By 1860, there were five different churches in Mendota.

Because railroads made it easy to ship goods, many factories opened in Mendota. They made things like organs, cigars, and buttons. By the end of the American Civil War, Mendota's population had more than doubled to over 2,000. In 1866, citizens voted to create a city government. Mendota officially became a city on April 9, 1867.

A public library opened on September 8, 1874. It started with 1,700 donated books. The city government took over the library in 1894. A new Carnegie Library building replaced the old one in 1905.

A new train station, called a Union station, opened on February 23, 1888. It replaced the first station, which had burned down in 1885. The new building had a hotel, restaurants, and separate waiting areas. Because fewer people were riding trains, much of the station was torn down in 1942. The current Mendota station is the only part left from the original building.

Geography and Nature

Mendota covers about 5.096 square miles. Most of this area, about 5 square miles, is land. The rest, about 0.096 square miles, is water.

Mendota Creek flows through downtown Mendota. It starts in the farmlands northwest of town. The creek flows south and joins the Little Vermilion River.

People of Mendota (Demographics)

In 2020, there were 7,061 people living in Mendota. There were 2,788 households and 1,921 families. The city had about 1,370 people per square mile.

Most people in Mendota, about 73.40%, were White. About 29.47% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

About 23.7% of the people were under 18 years old. The average age in Mendota was 39.5 years. For every 100 females, there were about 95.7 males.

The average income for a household in Mendota was $58,974. For families, it was $65,985. About 11.2% of the population lived below the poverty line. This included 14.9% of those under 18.

Economy and Jobs

Several businesses operate in Mendota:

• Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) is a company that processes grains.
• Del Monte Foods is a food processing company. The Del Monte plant was going to close in 2019. However, a new buyer was found, and the sale was completed in 2020.

Arts and Fun Events

The Mendota Sweet Corn Festival happens every August. Thousands of people visit for this event. It includes a parade, a carnival, and live music. They also give away free sweet corn cooked in a vintage steam engine. Del Monte Foods sponsors this festival.

The Mendota Tri-County Fair takes place every Labor Day weekend. It is held at the Mendota Fairgrounds. The fair has a carnival, live music, and other fun events.

Museums to Explore

• The Hume-Carnegie Museum shows local history. It has items made in Mendota. There is also a small collection about Wild Bill Hickok, who was born nearby. The museum is in an old Carnegie library building.
• The Union Depot Railroad Museum is located in the current Amtrak station. It has old railroad items and train cars from the 1930s and 1940s. It is also home to a large train engine, CB&Q No. 4978. This engine was built in 1923.
• The Breaking the Prairie Museum is a small barn-like building. It shows different large farm items, like old tractors. Next to the barn is "The Country Chapel." This small church has a restored pump organ from the 1880s. You can arrange special tours to see it.

Parks and Recreation

Mendota has two man-made lakes: Lake Mendota and Lake Kakusha. People use them for boating and fishing. The city also has a community swimming pool. There are several parks, including Snyders Grove. This is a 104-acre reserve and park.

Education and Schools

Mendota has four public schools and one private school. The public elementary schools are Blackstone, Lincoln, and Northbrook. They are part of Mendota Consolidated Community School District 289. Mendota Township High School is its own district, 280.

• Blackstone School teaches kindergarten and first grade.
• Lincoln School teaches second through fourth grades.
• Northbrook School teaches fifth through eighth grades, plus pre-kindergarten.
• The high school had 611 students in 2010. A new high school building was built in 2002.

Holy Cross Roman Catholic Parish has a private school. It teaches students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.

Aurora University was first called Mendota College. It was located in Mendota for many years. Wartburg College was also in Mendota from 1875 to 1885. It is now in Waverly, Iowa.

Media and News

Mendota has one weekly newspaper called The Mendota Reporter.

There are also two commercial radio stations in Mendota:

Transportation and Travel

Mendota is served by major roads. These include Interstate 39, U.S. Route 34, and U.S. Route 52. Many state highways, like Illinois Route 251, also pass through.

Three Amtrak trains stop daily at the Mendota Amtrak station. These trains go in both directions. The Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg trains travel between Chicago and Quincy. The Southwest Chief goes from Chicago to Kansas City and Los Angeles. (The California Zephyr train passes through but does not stop.) There are also two small airports nearby.

Famous People from Mendota

Many notable people have connections to Mendota:

• William P. Bettendorf: An inventor. The city of Bettendorf, Iowa is named after him. He was born in Mendota.
• Bill Brown: A former running back for the Minnesota Vikings football team.
• Helen E. Hokinson: A cartoonist for The New Yorker magazine.
• Ray Jauch: A pro football coach and player. He was born in Mendota.
• James Massey: A cryptographer, who lived in Mendota.
• Jason Pohl: A motorcycle designer for Orange County Choppers. He was born in Mendota.
• Frank Seno: An NFL football player for the Washington Redskins and Chicago Cardinals. He was born in Mendota.
• Chase J. Sexton: A professional motocross rider. He was born in Mendota.
• David C. Shapiro: A dentist and Illinois state legislator. He was born in Mendota.
• Jim Troupis: A former mayor of Mendota (1985–1987).
• Otto Vogel: An outfielder for the Chicago Cubs baseball team. He was born in Mendota.
• Deacon White: A pioneer in professional baseball and a member of the Hall of Fame. He lived in Mendota.

Images for kids

• 

  Illinois Avenue

• 

  Location of Mendota in LaSalle County, Illinois.

• 

  Mendota depot ca.1898

See also

In Spanish: Mendota (Illinois) para niños