Gifford, Illinois

Gifford
Village
A picture of Gifford's Main Street
Motto(s):  America's Hometown
Location of Gifford in Champaign County, Illinois.
Gifford Location within Champaign County Show map of Champaign County, Illinois Gifford Gifford (Illinois) Show map of Illinois
Coordinates: 40°18′25″N88°1′19″W / 40.30694°N 88.02194°W / 40.30694; -88.02194 Coordinates: 40°18′25″N88°1′19″W / 40.30694°N 88.02194°W / 40.30694; -88.02194
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Champaign
Government
• Village President	Derald Ackerman
Area [1]
• Total	0.44 sq mi (1.15 km2)
• Land	0.44 sq mi (1.15 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	799 ft (244 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	8,366
• Density	18,842.34/sq mi (7,275.98/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
Postal code	61847
Area code(s)	217
FIPS code	17-29145
Website	https://villageofgifford.com/

Gifford is a village in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 911 at the 2020 Census.

History

Gifford was laid out in 1876 and named for Benjamin F. Gifford. ^{[2] [3]} Along with nearby Penfield, the town had a station on the now-defunct Illinois Central Railroad. ^[4] On August 9, 1894, a fire originating from the barbershop and billiard hall engulfed the entirety of the business district as well as the grain elevator, destroying both completely. ^[5]

Gifford was heavily damaged by an EF3 tornado on November 17, 2013. The tornado struck shortly before 1:00 PM, destroying more than 20 homes and damaging 200 others. ^{[6] [7] [8]} It took a diagonal path through the center of the village, and nobody was seriously injured. ^[9]

Geography

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Gifford has a total area of 0.44 square miles (1.14 km²), all land. ^[10]

Demographics

The welcome sign near U.S. 136

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1880	124		—
1960	609		—
1970	814		33.7%
1980	848		4.2%
1990	845		−0.4%
2000	815		−3.6%
2010	975		19.6%
2020	911		−6.6%
U.S. Decennial Census [11]

As of the 2020 census ^[12] there were 911 people, 365 households, and 220 families residing in the village. The population density was 2,051.80 inhabitants per square mile (792.20/km²). There were 374 housing units at an average density of 842.34 per square mile (325.23/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 94.29% White, 0.55% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.66% from other races, and 4.06% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.87% of the population.

There were 365 households, out of which 46.58% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.32% were married couples living together, 7.95% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.73% were non-families. 34.52% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.73% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 2.28.

The village's age distribution consisted of 21.3% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 16.6% from 25 to 44, 28.9% from 45 to 64, and 27.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 71.6 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $63,472, and the median income for a family was $80,625. Males had a median income of $50,568 versus $37,000 for females. The per capita income for the village was $34,517. About 3.2% of families and 5.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.5% of those under age 18 and 2.3% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

• Dennis J. Collins, Illinois state legislator and lawyer
• Michelle Franzen, television and radio journalist
• Michael Frerichs, Incumbent Treasurer of Illinois

References

1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
2. Stewart 1918, p. 206.
3. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. U.S. Government Printing Office. pp.  137.
4. Stewart 1918, p. 521.
5. "Gifford's Mishap: An Account of the Fire of Thursday Morning". Champaign County Gazette. Vol. 43, no. 49. August 10, 1894. p. 2. Retrieved November 8, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
6. "Gifford heavily damaged by tornado" . The News-Gazette . November 17, 2013. Archived from the original on December 6, 2017.
7. Wurth, Julie (November 18, 2013). "Live from Gifford" . The News-Gazette . Archived from the original on November 5, 2021. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
8. Wurth, Julie (November 19, 2021). "Knocked flat by tornadoes, Gifford starts to fight back (w/video)" . The News-Gazette . Archived from the original on November 5, 2021. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
9. Kaclch, Tom (November 16, 2015). "Two years after tornado, Gifford blossoming anew" . The News-Gazette . Archived from the original on November 5, 2021. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
10. Bureau, US Census. "Gazetteer Files". Census.gov. Retrieved 2022-06-29.
11. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
12. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved 2022-06-28.

Bibliography

• Stewart, J.R., ed. (1918). A Standard History of Champaign County Illinois. Vol. I. Chicago and New York: The Lewis Publishing Company. LCCN   20003364.

Further reading

• The Centennial Book: Gifford, Illinois 1875–1975. Potomac, IL: Bluegrass Printing. 1975.
• "Gifford's Growth: A Flourishing Village" . The Champaign County News. Vol. 2, no. 18. June 18, 1892. p. 2. Retrieved November 8, 2021– via Newspapers.com  | Newspaper scan cuts off at the bottom.

External links

• Media related to Gifford, Illinois at Wikimedia Commons
• Official website