Dallas City, Illinois

Dallas City, Illinois
City
IL 9 and IL 96 intersect in downtown Dallas City
Location of Dallas City in Henderson County, Illinois.
Location of Illinois in the United States
Coordinates: 40°38′12″N91°9′55″W / 40.63667°N 91.16528°W / 40.63667; -91.16528
Country	United States
State	Illinois
Counties	Hancock, Henderson
Townships	Dallas City, Pontoosuc, Lomax
Area [1]
• Total	3.28 sq mi (8.48 km2)
• Land	2.37 sq mi (6.15 km2)
• Water	0.90 sq mi (2.33 km2)
Elevation [2]	584 ft (178 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	805
• Density	339.09/sq mi (130.90/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP Code(s)	62330
Area code	217
FIPS code	17-18420
GNIS feature ID	2393708 [2]
Wikimedia Commons	Dallas City, Illinois
Website	www.dallascity-il.com

Dallas City is a city in Hancock and Henderson counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. The population in 2020 stands at an estimate of 805, a decline from the 2010 census of 945, ^[3] which was a decline from 1,055 in 2000.

The Hancock County portion of Dallas City is part of the Fort Madison – Keokuk, IA –IL– MO Micropolitan Statistical Area, and the Henderson County portion of Dallas City is part of the Burlington, IA–IL Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

According to historical records, a man named Israel Atherton purchased the land around present-day Dallas City in 1836. He built a log cabin but he didn't seem to stay very long. He sold the land to John Finch, who built a village, which today is still recognized as, Dallas City. ^[4] It was laid out in 1848, and named in honor of George Mifflin Dallas, 11th Vice President of the United States of America, from 1845 to 1849. ^[5] A post office has been in operation at Dallas City since 1850. ^[6]

Abraham Lincoln Monument

On October 23, 1858, Abraham Lincoln stopped in Dallas City, Illinois to deliver a speech. Many local men were instrumental in persuading Lincoln to visit Dallas in 1858, including George M. Ames, H.F. Black, and Ben Mendenhall. According to the Dallas City Review newspaper, several efforts were made by Democrats to tear down the platform that had been erected for Lincoln to use during his speech. Republican forces, however, were present and did not allow it to happen. A monument to represent Lincoln's visit sits on the Mississippi River on the Riverfront Park at the end of Oak St. ^[7]

Stone site where Abraham Lincoln gave his speech.

There was supposed to be two stones with bronze plaques, one for Lincoln's visit, the other for President James Polk along with his Vice-President, George M Dallas. There is no information given as to why that other plaque was not included on the stone, but it is assumed Lincoln's was more impactful. ^[9]

The day before (October 22, 1858), Lincoln had spoken at the second courthouse made in Hancock County, the county Dallas City is a part of, to residents as he and Stephen A. Douglas were running against one another for the US Senate. ^[10]

Geography

Dallas City is located at 40°38′12″N91°9′55″W / 40.63667°N 91.16528°W / 40.63667; -91.16528 (40.636565, -91.165256). ^[11]

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Dallas City has a total area of 3.28 square miles (8.50 km²), of which 2.37 square miles (6.14 km²) (or 72.47%) is land and 0.90 square miles (2.33 km²) (or 27.53%) is water. ^[12]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1870	78		—
1880	829		962.8%
1890	747		−9.9%
1900	970		29.9%
1910	1,288		32.8%
1920	1,140		−11.5%
1930	1,114		−2.3%
1940	1,149		3.1%
1950	1,275		11.0%
1960	1,276		0.1%
1970	1,284		0.6%
1980	1,408		9.7%
1990	1,037		−26.3%
2000	1,055		1.7%
2010	945		−10.4%
2020	805		−14.8%
U.S. Decennial Census [13]

As of the 2020 census ^[14] there were 805 people, 464 households, and 290 families residing in the city. The population density was 245.73 inhabitants per square mile (94.88/km²). There were 471 housing units at an average density of 143.77 per square mile (55.51/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.02% White, 0.25% African American, 0.37% Native American, 0.50% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.00% from other races, and 2.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.75% of the population.

There were 464 households, out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.24% were married couples living together, 13.79% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.50% were non-families. 34.48% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 2.24.

The city's age distribution consisted of 25.2% under the age of 18, 4.6% from 18 to 24, 21.9% from 25 to 44, 28.9% from 45 to 64, and 19.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 111.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $47,857, and the median income for a family was $66,500. Males had a median income of $34,402 versus $35,302 for females. The per capita income for the city was $26,409. About 7.9% of families and 14.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.0% of those under age 18 and 11.2% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Amtrak’s Southwest Chief , which operates between Los Angeles and Chicago, passes through the town on BNSF tracks, but makes no stop. The nearest station is located in Fort Madison, 8 miles (13 km) to the west.

Education

Dallas Elementary School District 327 operates the public elementary school; it formerly was known as Dallas City Community School District #336.

Dallas City High School

Although there is no exact date other than the early 1900s, the Dallas City High School was opened. The design of the building imitates the making of a castle. The school's nickname and mascot were the "Bulldogs", and their colors were red and black. The school's athletic teams did not fall far from greatness. Within the time it was open, the boy's teams won a total of 12 regional championships, 6 of which were earned in the 1940s. ^[16]

In 2001 Dallas City High School closed and was converted into the Great River Community Center; the city government installed additional parking in front of the former high school. The Dallas City area was reassigned to Nauvoo-Colusa Community Unit School District 325 for high school, so that year 70 students and all but two of the Dallas City High teachers moved to Nauvoo-Colusa High School. ^[17] In 2008 the Nauvoo-Colusa district closed its high school and redirected students to Warsaw Community Unit School District 316's Warsaw High School. ^[18] Upon promoting from the eighth grade, students attend high school at Illini West in Carthage, Illinois.

References

1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
2. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Dallas City, Illinois
3. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Dallas City city, Illinois". American Factfinder. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved June 12, 2017.^{[ dead link ]}
4. Klinkenberg, Dean (August 28, 2015). "Dallas City". Mississippi Valley Traveler. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
5. Callary, Edward (September 29, 2008). Place Names of Illinois. University of Illinois Press. p. 86. ISBN   978-0-252-09070-7.
6. "Hancock County". Jim Forte Postal History. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
7. "Politics and Lincoln Historical Marker". www.hmdb.org. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
8. "File:Lincoln Spoke Here - Dallas City Illinois (42910308392).jpg" by formulanone from Huntsville, United States is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
9. "History - Dallas City". www.dallascity-il.com. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
10. "Carthage, Hancock County, IL, USA". illinois.outfitters.com. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
11. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
12. Bureau, US Census. "Gazetteer Files". Census.gov. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
13. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
14. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
15. "City of Dallas City, Illinois". www.dallascity-il.com. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
16. "The Dallas City "Bulldogs"". leopardfan.tripod.com. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
17. Dutton, Natalie (August 15, 2001). "Nauvoo-Colusa High School ready for 70 students from Dallas City". Hancock County Journal-Pilot . Retrieved March 29, 2017.
18. Vance, Diane (MVM News Network) (February 12, 2008). "Voters approve Warsaw/Nauvoo-Colusa deactivation plans". Hancock County Journal-Pilot . Retrieved March 29, 2017.

External links

• Official website