Montgomery, Illinois

Coordinates: 41°43′40″N 88°19′45″W / 41.72778°N 88.32917°W / 41.72778; -88.32917

Montgomery
Village
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Kane and Kendall
Coordinates	41°43′40″N 88°19′45″W / 41.72778°N 88.32917°W / 41.72778; -88.32917
Area	6.6 sq mi (17 km2)
- land	6.6 sq mi (17 km2)
Density	852.9 / sq mi (329 / km2)
Timezone	CST (UTC-6)
- summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Postal code	60538
Area code	(630)
Location of Montgomery within Illinois
Wikimedia Commons: Montgomery, Illinois

Montgomery is a village in Kane and Kendall County, Illinois. The population was 5,471 at the 2000 census, and was 14,407 in a 2006 special census. The 2010 census lists Montgomery's population at 18,438, which is a 237 percent increase from 2000.

Geography

Montgomery is located at 41°43′40″N 88°19′45″W / 41.72778°N 88.32917°W / 41.72778; -88.32917 (41.727879, -88.329033)^[1].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 6.6 square miles (17 km²), of which, 6.4 square miles (17 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km²) of it (3.03%) is water. However, this information is based on 2000 census data. Several annexations of surrounding land since 2000 have brought the current area to approximately 9.3 square miles (24 km²).

History

The first european settler arriving in the area was Jacob Carpenter, who came to the Chicago area from Logan County, Ohio in November 1832. In the fall of 1835, Daniel S. Gray, from Montgomery County, New York, visited the area where his brother Nicholas Gray had located in the previous spring, on a farm now within the limits of Kendall County. He made immediate preparations to settle there, and in the fall of 1836, after his family moved New York, he built the first wooden house in the area. It was located in the southern part of what is now Montgomery, near the west bank of the Fox River.

Daniel Gray is considered the founder of Montgomery, and bought land grants from the federal government, and had ownership of large tracts of land. The settlement was called "Graystown" for several years, but eventually Gray convinced other settlers to call the small village "Montgomery" after the New York County that he and several other settlers had origins.

Daniel Gray founded many companies in Montgomery, including a warehouse, foundry, combine and fabrication shop , and one of the best stone grain mills in the county (Gray–Watkins Mill). Gray was doing preparations for more business operations, including the establishment of a stationary engine factory when he died in October 1855. Upon his death, he still owned the majority of the lots in the village. His heirs continued to sell these lots and the village continued to grow.

In 1858, the town of Montgomery was incorporated.^[2]

For much of the twentieth century, the village grew slowly and steadily. Lyon Steel was founded in Montgomery, and participated in the war effort of World War II. The Aurora Caterpillar manufacturing plant has been producing wheel-loaders since 1959.^[3]

In the beginning of the twenty-first century, Montgomery experienced rapid growth, along with many other communities in Kendall County.

Demographics

As of the census^[4] of 2000, there were 5,471 people, 2,164 households, and 1,465 families residing in the village. The population density was 852.9 people per square mile (329.5/km²). There were 2,222 housing units at an average density of 346.4 per square mile (133.8/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 89.33% White, 3.02% African American, 0.42% Native American, 0.80% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 4.88% from other races, and 1.52% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.54% of the population.

There were 2,164 households out of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.5% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.3% were non-families. 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.10.

In the village the population was spread out with 24.4% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 94.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.8 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $51,028, and the median income for a family was $61,319. Males had a median income of $50,167 versus $26,875 for females. The per capita income for the village was $23,395. About 3.7% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.4% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Gallery

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  Front of the Village Hall

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  Corner view of the Village Hall

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  South entrance to Montgomery Park

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  A view of the Fox River from Montgomery Park

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  Montgomery Park playground

In Fiction

Montgomery was featured as the hometown of Vice President Caroline Reynolds in the fictional TV series, Prison Break. The town actually used in filming was Woodstock, IL.

References

1. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 
2. ^ Montgomery Historical Committee (1990). The History of Montgomery, Illinois in words and pictures. The Committee, 1990. p. 1. ISBN 9780962676505. 
3. ^ "Caterpillar News and Views April-May 1960". Caterpillar. May 1960. http://www.cat.com/cda/files/2028159/7/Aurora+launches+944.pdf. Retrieved 13 April 2011. 
4. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

External links

• Village of Montgomery, Illinois
• Official U.S. Census Information for Montgomery