South Pekin, Illinois facts for kids

Quick facts for kids South Pekin
Village
Location of South Pekin in Tazewell County, Illinois.
Location of Illinois in the United States
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Tazewell
Township	Cincinnati Township
Founded	April 12, 1917
Area
• Village	0.52 sq mi (1.33 km2)
• Land	0.52 sq mi (1.33 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	512 ft (156 m)
Population  (2020)
• Village	996
• Density	1,933.98/sq mi (747.41/km2)
• Metro	380,447
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP Code(s)	61564
Area code(s)	309
FIPS code	17-71175
GNIS feature ID	2399852
Wikimedia Commons	South Pekin, Illinois

South Pekin is a small village located in Tazewell County, Illinois, in the United States. In 2020, about 996 people lived there. It is part of the larger Peoria metropolitan area.

The Story of South Pekin

Early Days and the Railroad

South Pekin officially became a village on April 12, 1917. It is about five miles south of Pekin. Before it was a village, the area was known as "McFadden Flats." The village is located in Cincinnati Township, which was created in 1850. South Pekin started because of the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad (C&NW).

White settlers first arrived in the South Pekin area in the 1820s. The C&NW railroad built its line from Nelson, Illinois, to Peoria in 1901. In 1904, the C&NW found a large coalfield near Staunton. A few years later, the C&NW decided to build a new line to reach this coalfield. This new line would also carry freight between Chicago and St. Louis.

By March 1912, the railroad had bought the land needed for the new line and started building. The C&NW needed a place to refuel, get water, and repair trains in the middle of this new line. They first thought about Green Valley, Illinois, but the people there did not want it. So, the railroad chose South Pekin for their new station.

A Growing Community

Al Casper was the first person to live permanently in South Pekin. He arrived with his family on December 25, 1912. More families soon followed. The railroad even gave them old boxcars to live in. This area was known as McFadden Flats. The village of South Pekin was planned out on July 10, 1913, and officially became a village on April 12, 1917.

The railroad brought many job opportunities. Business leaders in Pekin wanted the railroad's switch yard closer to their town. They hoped the new railroad workers would settle in Pekin. However, most employees chose to live close to the yard, which was already in South Pekin.

The C&NW operation brought many jobs, including management roles. They even built a three-story office building, which was later taken down. South Pekin became a home base for Chicago and Northwestern Railroad crews. Trains were put together in the middle of town in a "Kick" Yard. After trains were ready, crews would travel south to East St. Louis or north to Nelson. There, new crews would take over. The railroad also had a bunkhouse in South Pekin where crews could rest overnight. In the 1970s, train crews sometimes went all the way to Proviso (near Chicago) or to Clinton, Iowa. Sometimes, as many as 20 trains a day were made up or passed through South Pekin.

South Pekin was also home to a recording studio called The Golden Voice Recording. Jerry L and Mary Anne Milam owned and ran it from 1966 to 1978. A fire, thought to be arson, destroyed the studio in 1978.

Facing Disasters

South Pekin has experienced several natural disasters. One of the first was flooding during the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. The worst disaster for the town was an F3 tornado on March 30, 1938. This powerful tornado destroyed much of South Pekin and sadly killed nine residents. It remains the deadliest tornado in Central Illinois even today. Weather experts believe this storm was a super-cell that created up to five tornadoes.

On May 9, 1995, another tornado, rated F1, moved across the town. It destroyed several garages and a railroad barracks. Two people were injured, and the damage was estimated at about one million dollars. On May 15 of the same year, a tornado touched down just south of town. It later hit Tremont.

On May 10, 2003, South Pekin was hit by another tornado. This tornado touched down three miles southwest of town around 9:45 P.M. It entered the village at F3 intensity around 9:50 PM and was about a quarter mile wide. Twenty-three people in South Pekin were injured, but thankfully no one died. The town was rebuilt over the next ten years. A new tornado warning system was also put in place to help keep people safe.

Geography of South Pekin

According to the 2010 census, South Pekin covers about 0.5 square miles (1.3 square kilometers) of land. There is no water area within the village limits.

People of South Pekin

In 2010, there were 1,146 people living in South Pekin. There were 437 households and 314 families. The village had about 2,292 people per square mile. Most of the people (98.17%) were White. About 1.31% of the population was of Hispanic or Latino origin.

The population was spread out by age. About 31.0% were under 18 years old. About 9.6% were 65 years or older. The average age in the village was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were about 97.6 males.

The average income for a household in the village was $40,455. For families, the average income was $42,102. About 7.1% of the population lived below the poverty line. This included 6.0% of those under 18. In March 2015, the unemployment rate in South Pekin was 6.2%. This was lower than the state average.

Education

Children in South Pekin attend schools in two different districts. Elementary students go to schools in South Pekin School District 137. Older students attend Pekin Community High School District 303.

See also

In Spanish: South Pekin (Illinois) para niños