Mount Carmel, Illinois
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Mount Carmel is the county seat of Wabash County, Illinois. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 7,982, an order of magnitude greater than that of the next largest town in Wabash County, Allendale, Illinois. The city sits on the western bank of the mighty Wabash River, and is neighbored by a small community informally known as East Mount Carmel, IN. Birthplace of Brace Beemer, the voice of The Lone Ranger. Birthplace of Don Liddle, pitcher for the New York Giants from 1952 to 1954, who pitched the decisive fourth game of the '54 World Series.
The city was featured in Ripley's Believe it or Not for its once multi-colored bridge, painted white and black on the Illinois and Indiana sides of the state line, respectively. The bridge, now green, leads Indiana Highway 64, connecting Mount Carmel to Princeton, Indiana, home of a new Toyota factory that produces their Tundra line of trucks. A coal mine in neighboring Keensburg, Illinois also employs a fair number of Mount Carmel residents. However, Wabash County unemployment rate was, in 2003, was a rather high 8.3%. That number predates the loss of some 270 good paying jobs from the closing of a Snap-On Tools factory that had been in operation since 1937. The economic future of the town is far from certain.
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Education
Snakepit.gif
Mount Carmel is home to Wabash Valley College, part of the Illinois Eastern Community Colleges (IECC). The college has 1375 students, and has an active international student program. The small town atmosphere provides a laid back, comfortable setting in which to study English as a second language (ESL). As part of the IECC, residents benefit from a reciprocal agreement where nearly all of the out-of-state fees to attend the University of Southern Indiana are waved, in exchange for similar tuition discounts for Indiana students in IECC schools. Their men's basketball team, the Warriors, won the NJCAA Division I championships in 2001.
Mount Carmel's K-12 school district is Wabash Community Schools District 348. It has two elementary schools, divided by grade (South and North Schools), a new middle school (Mount Carmel Middle School, built in 2000), and Mount Carmel High School, the only high school in the county. The high school's football team, The Golden Aces, won the class 3A state championships in 1981, but lost the 5A championships in both 2000 and 2001. They play at home in Riverview Stadium, more commonly known as the Snakepit. The stadium is unique in the region for having been built into a cliff face.
Dining
There are various eating establishments in Mount Carmel:
Geography
Mount Carmel is located at 38°24'53" North, 87°46'7" West (38.414859, -87.768596)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.4 km² (4.8 mi²). 12.0 km² (4.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.4 km² (0.2 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 3.14% water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 7,982 people, 3,302 households, and 2,146 families residing in the city. The population density is 667.1/km² (1,728.7/mi²). There are 3,653 housing units at an average density of 305.3/km² (791.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 97.69% White, 0.48% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.29% from other races, and 0.76% from two or more races. 0.86% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 3,302 households out of which 29.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.2% are married couples living together, 10.5% have a female householder with no husband present, and 35.0% are non-families. 30.6% of all households are made up of individuals and 15.9% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.37 and the average family size is 2.95.
In the city the population is spread out with 23.6% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 19.2% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 39 years. For every 100 females there are 90.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 88.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $31,715, and the median income for a family is $39,882. Males have a median income of $30,815 versus $17,129 for females. The per capita income for the city is $16,391. Median house value is $51,200. 15.8% of the population and 10.2% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 20.5% of those under the age of 18 and 9.3% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
External links
- http://www.iecc.cc.il.us/wvc/ - Wabash Valley College
- http://www.iecc.cc.il.us/ - Illinois Eastern Community Colleges
- http://www.museum.wabash.il.us/ - Wabash County Museum, currently down
- http://www.d348.wabash.k12.il.us/ - Mt. Carmel's K-12 School District
- http://www.acesfootball.com/ - The Mt. Carmel high school football team
- http://www.legis.state.il.us/legislation/legisnet92/summary/920HR0292.html - Illinois House of Representatives resolution applauding the WVC Champions victory in 2001.