Lincoln, Illinois
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Lincoln is a town located in Logan County, Illinois. It is the only town in the United States named for and by Abraham Lincoln before he became president. He practiced law there from 1847-1859. First settled in the 1830s, Lincoln is home to two colleges and two prisons.
As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 15,369. It is the county seat of Logan CountyTemplate:GR.
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Geography
Lincoln is located on I-55 (formerly Route 66), between Bloomington and Springfield (40°8'60" North, 89°22'3" West).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 15.3 km² (5.9 mi²), none of which is covered by water.
Lincoln is on the Amtrak line between Saint Louis, Missouri and Chicago, Illinois.
History
The town was officially named on August 27, 1853, in an unusual ceremony. Lincoln, having assisted with the platting of the town and worked for the railroad which led to its founding, was asked to participate in a naming ceremony for the town. During the proceedings, Lincoln chose a ripe watermelon from a nearby wagon, broke it open, and squeezed the juice on the grounds, as an informal rite of baptism.
Langston Hughes spent some of his early years in Lincoln. Later on, he was to write to his eighth-grade teacher in Lincoln, telling her his writing career began there in the eighth grade, when he was elected class poet.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 15,369 people, 5,965 households, and 3,692 families residing in the town. The population density is 1,002.4/km² (2,596.6/mi²). There are 6,391 housing units at an average density of 416.8/km² (1,079.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 94.79% White, 2.82% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.89% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.45% from other races, and 0.86% from two or more races. 1.19% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 5,965 households out of which 28.4% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% are married couples living together, 11.6% have a female householder with no husband present, and 38.1% are non-families. 33.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 15.8% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.28 and the average family size is 2.89.
The town's population is spread out with 21.6% under the age of 18, 13.8% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.7% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 37 years. For every 100 females there are 90.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 86.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town is $34,435, and the median income for a family is $45,171. Males have a median income of $33,596 versus $22,500 for females. The per-capita income for the town is $17,207. 10.7% of the population and 8.5% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 13.9% of those under the age of 18 and 8.7% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Notable people from Lincoln
- Reinhold Niebuhr Famous Theologain, grew up here
- Langston Hughes Poet, Novelist, Playwrite, grew up here
- Brian Cook Los Angeles Lakers Forward
- William Maxwell Author, Novelist
- Christopher Podunajec --Murray State Student-Future President