Raleigh, Illinois facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Raleigh
Village
Water tower
Location of Raleigh in Saline County, Illinois.
Location of Illinois in the United States
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Saline
Area
• Total	1.98 sq mi (5.12 km2)
• Land	1.98 sq mi (5.12 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.01 km2)
Population  (2020)
• Total	284
• Density	143.72/sq mi (55.49/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP Code(s)	62977
Area code(s)	618
FIPS code	17-62588

Raleigh is a small village located in Saline County, Illinois, in the United States. In 2020, about 284 people lived there.

History of Raleigh Village

Founding the County Seat

Raleigh became the main town, or county seat, for Saline County when it was created in 1847. At that time, Raleigh was a busy place with its own school and several stores. The Musgrave family, who had moved from Raleigh, North Carolina, suggested the name for the new county seat.

On October 11, 1847, officials met and decided on the location and name for the county seat. William St. C. Clark, Israel W. Crawford, and Martin Kittinger helped Archibald Sloan survey the town. This means they measured and mapped out the land. George Bond, William Carr, and William Stricklin were tasked with building a road from Raleigh to the border of Saline and Williamson Counties.

Early Residents and Buildings

When the surveying was finished, only three families lived in Raleigh. These included the family of Andrew Musgrave, who owned 200 acres of farmland, Mrs. Crawford, and Archibald Sloan.

To raise money for a new county courthouse, lots of land in the town were sold. Some of the first people to live in Raleigh included:

• Alfred Aldrich, who built a log house and opened a store.
• John F. Ammon, who worked as a station agent.
• John Choisser, from Kaskaskia.
• James M. Gaston.
• Henry Goodrich, a blacksmith.
• Mr. McElvain.
• Tom Mitchell.
• Osborn Powell, another blacksmith.

The first courthouse was a two-story building made of logs. It was 20 feet by 24 feet. The first floor was used as the courtroom. The second floor had two rooms and a hallway for court meetings. This courthouse was finished on August 15, 1858, and cost $5,500.

Moving the County Seat

About eight months after the new courthouse was built, some people started trying to move the county seat away from Raleigh. They argued that Harrisburg was a better, more central location.

People signed petitions to put the issue on a ballot for a vote. Raleigh lost the vote by only 15 votes. Raleigh tried to challenge this decision in court, but the case was always delayed and never heard. It is said that some people from Harrisburg influenced the court's decision. There are also stories that a group of people went to Raleigh one night, entered the courthouse, and took the county records to Harrisburg. At that time, only two families lived in Harrisburg. The last county court held in Raleigh was in June 1858.

Today, like many towns in Saline County, Raleigh has fewer businesses. It is now home to about 350 residents.

Geography of Raleigh

Raleigh is located at 37°49′38″N 88°32′01″W / 37.827084°N 88.533738°W / 37.827084; -88.533738.

According to the 2010 census, Raleigh covers a total area of about 1.98 square miles (5.12 square kilometers). Most of this area, about 1.98 square miles (5.12 square kilometers), is land. A very small part, about 0.003 square miles (0.01 square kilometers), is water.

Population Information

In 2000, there were 330 people living in Raleigh. These people lived in 144 households, and 94 of these were families. The village had about 167 people per square mile (64 people per square kilometer). There were 182 housing units, which are places where people can live.

About 31.9% of households had children under 18 living with them. About 50.7% were married couples. Around 10.4% were households where a female was the head of the house without a husband present. About 34.7% were not families.

The average age of people in the village was 38 years old. About 25.8% of the population was under 20. About 18.5% were 65 years or older. For every 100 females, there were about 97.6 males.

The average income for a household in the village was $25,000. For families, the average income was $37,857. About 21.8% of families and 29.4% of the total population lived below the poverty line. This included 39.4% of those under 18 and 11.6% of those 65 or older.

Notable People from Raleigh

• Todd Duffee – A mixed martial arts fighter. He used to fight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He once held the record for the fastest knockout in UFC history.
• Wid Matthews – A baseball player who played as an outfielder for the Philadelphia Athletics and Washington Senators. He later became a baseball executive and scout.

See also

In Spanish: Raleigh (Illinois) para niños