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Stanford, Illinois
Location in McLean County, Illinois
Location in McLean County, Illinois
Stanford, Illinois is located in the United States
Stanford, Illinois
Stanford, Illinois
Location in the United States
Country United States
State Illinois
County McLean
Township Allin
Area
 • Total 0.66 sq mi (1.71 km2)
 • Land 0.66 sq mi (1.71 km2)
 • Water 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
673 ft (205 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 600
 • Density 906.34/sq mi (349.98/km2)
Time zone UTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
61774
Area code(s) 309
FIPS code 17-72260
GNIS ID 2399886
Wikimedia Commons Stanford, Illinois
Website https://www.stanford-il.org/

Stanford is a small village located in McLean County, Illinois, in the United States. In 2020, about 600 people lived there. It is part of the larger BloomingtonNormal area, which is a big group of towns and cities.

Discovering Stanford's Past

How Stanford Began

Stanford was first planned out on December 14, 1867. It was originally called "Allin." A man named John Armstrong (who lived from 1820 to 1912) founded the village.

The village started when a railroad line, the Jacksonville Division of the Chicago Alton and St. Louis Railroad, was built west from Bloomington. Another nearby town, Covell, also started around the same time because of this railroad.

In 1870, the name of "Allin" was changed to "Stanford." It officially became a village in June 1874. John Armstrong, the founder, was born in Posey County, Indiana. He was a farmer before he opened a grocery store in Stanford. He lived in Stanford until he passed away in 1912.

Stanford's Original Town Layout

The first plan for Stanford was quite unique. It had an L-shape, with one part of the "L" stretching east along the railroad tracks. The large space inside the "L" was not developed. It stayed with John Armstrong, the founder, whose home was close to the tracks on the north side.

Instead of a main town square, Stanford's original plan had two rectangular public areas. These were called "Depot Grounds" and ran along both sides of the railroad tracks. The train station itself was on the north side of the tracks. By 1874, a grain elevator was on the south side.

As the village grew, most businesses opened south of the tracks. By 1895, these included a hotel, a bank, the Masonic Hall, and several shops. Most of the railroad facilities, like a stockyard and lumberyard, were also on the south side. This area even had a bandstand for music.

Stanford had two early churches. The Christian Church was on Boundary Street, south of the business area. The Presbyterian Church was in the southeastern part of town.

Stanford's Location and Land

Stanford is located in the western part of McLean County. It is about 14 miles (23 km) west-southwest of Bloomington, which is the main city of the county.

Illinois Route 122 runs just north of the village. This road goes northeast to Bloomington and about 5 miles (8 km) west to Minier.

The U.S. Census Bureau says that Stanford covers a total area of 0.66 square miles (1.71 square kilometers). All of this area is land.

People Living in Stanford

Historical population
Census Pop.
1870 274
1880 353 28.8%
1890 389 10.2%
1900 601 54.5%
1910 525 −12.6%
1920 500 −4.8%
1930 443 −11.4%
1940 482 8.8%
1950 457 −5.2%
1960 479 4.8%
1970 657 37.2%
1980 720 9.6%
1990 620 −13.9%
2000 670 8.1%
2010 596 −11.0%
2020 600 0.7%
Decennial US Census

In 2000, there were 670 people living in Stanford. These people lived in 236 households, and 190 of these were families. The village had about 1,750 people per square mile (676 people per square kilometer).

Most people in the village were White (about 97.91%). A small number were Native American (0.90%) or Asian (0.15%). About 1.04% of people were from two or more races. People of Hispanic or Latino background made up 0.90% of the population.

About 43.6% of households had children under 18 living with them. Most households (62.3%) were married couples living together. About 14.8% had a female head of household with no husband.

The average household had 2.84 people, and the average family had 3.14 people.

The population was spread out by age. About 29.9% were under 18 years old. About 10.4% were between 18 and 24. The largest group, 30.3%, was between 25 and 44. About 9.1% of the population was 65 years or older. The average age in the village was 33 years.

The median income for a household in Stanford was $49,375. For families, it was $52,639. The average income per person in the village was $18,687. A small number of families (2.3%) and people (3.7%) lived below the poverty line.

Education in Stanford

Students in Stanford attend Olympia High School.

Famous People from Stanford

  • Homer Caton (1887–1958) – He was a farmer and served as an Illinois state representative.
  • Kelly Loeffler (born 1970) – She is a businesswoman and was a United States senator for Georgia.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Stanford (Illinois) para niños

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