Morton, Illinois facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Morton, Illinois
Village
Main Street in downtown Morton
Location of Morton in Tazewell County, Illinois.
Location of Illinois in the United States
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Tazewell
Founded	1830
Government
• Body	Board of Trustees
Area
• Total	12.85 sq mi (33.29 km2)
• Land	12.81 sq mi (33.18 km2)
• Water	0.04 sq mi (0.10 km2)
Elevation	712 ft (217 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	17,117
• Density	1,336.01/sq mi (515.84/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP Code(s)	61550
Area code(s)	309
FIPS code	17-50621
GNIS feature ID	2399402
Wikimedia Commons	Morton, Illinois

Morton is a village in Tazewell County, Illinois, in the United States. In 2020, about 17,117 people lived there. Morton is a suburb of Peoria, located southeast of the city. It is part of the larger Peoria area.

Morton is famous for its pumpkins! The village hosts a big Morton Pumpkin Festival every September. It claims that "99 percent of the world's canned pumpkin is produced in Morton." This has earned it the nickname "Pumpkin Capital of the World."

Geography

Morton covers an area of about 12.99 square miles (33.65 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, with only a small part being water.

Population and People

In 2010, there were 16,267 people living in Morton. The village had 6,622 households. Many of these were families.

Most people in Morton are White. However, there are also people from other backgrounds. These include African American, Native American, and Asian people. Some residents are also of Hispanic or Latino heritage.

About 23.6% of the people were under 18 years old. The average age in Morton was about 41.4 years.

Economy

Morton is home to some important businesses. Caterpillar Inc. has a large distribution center here. This is where they manage and send out their products.

Libby's also has a pumpkin cannery in Morton. This is where they process all those pumpkins! Morton Buildings, Inc., which makes large buildings, also has its main office here.

Morton's location is great for businesses. It's close to major highways like I-74 and I-55. It is also located between big cities like Chicago, St. Louis, and Indianapolis. This makes it a good place for companies that need to move goods. Many people come to Morton for work because there are so many jobs available.

Parks and Recreation

If you like disc golf, Morton has four different courses. You can play this fun sport with friends and family.

Education

Students in Morton attend schools in the Morton Community Unit School District 709.

Public Schools

• Elementary Schools (Kindergarten through 6th grade):
  • Grundy Elementary School
  • Jefferson Elementary School
  • Lettie Brown Elementary School
  • Lincoln Elementary School
• Junior High School (7th and 8th grade):
  • Morton Junior High School
• High School:
  • Morton High School

Private Schools

• Blessed Sacrament (Preschool through 8th grade)
• Bethel Lutheran (Preschool through 8th grade)

Notable People

Many interesting people have connections to Morton:

• Jay Ackerman was an Illinois state representative and a pumpkin farmer.
• David Burritt is a businessman who became the CEO of U.S. Steel.
• Derek Grimm was a basketball player who played for the University of Missouri Tigers men's basketball team and later in the NBA for the Sacramento Kings.
• Dave Kindred is a well-known American sportswriter.
• J. R. Koch played basketball for the University of Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball team. He was chosen by the New York Knicks in the 1999 NBA draft and went to Morton High School.
• David E. Lilienthal was a public administrator. He led the Tennessee Valley Authority and later the Atomic Energy Commission.
• Roger Sommer was an Illinois State Senator.

See also

In Spanish: Morton (Illinois) para niños