Port Byron, Illinois

Port Byron
Village
Seal
Motto(s):  "Honoring the past and Building the future" "Just Down the Stream..."
Location of Port Byron in Island County, Illinois.
Location of Illinois in the United States
Coordinates: 41°37′5″N90°19′58″W / 41.61806°N 90.33278°W / 41.61806; -90.33278
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Rock Island
Founded	1828
Area [1]
• Total	2.48 sq mi (6.43 km2)
• Land	2.43 sq mi (6.29 km2)
• Water	0.06 sq mi (0.14 km2)
Population  (2020)
• Total	1,668
• Density	686.99/sq mi (265.30/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP Code(s)	61275
Area code	309
FIPS code	17-61223
Wikimedia Commons	Port Byron, Illinois
Website	portbyronil.com

Port Byron is a village in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States and part of the Quad Cities Metropolitan Area. The population was 1,668 at the time of the 2020 census; up from 1,647 at the 2010 census. ^[2]

Geography

Port Byron is located at 41°37′5″N90°19′58″W / 41.61806°N 90.33278°W / 41.61806; -90.33278 (41.618051, -90.332789). ^[3]

According to the 2010 census, Port Byron has a total area of 2.48 square miles (6.42 km²), all land. ^[4]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1860	652		—
1870	576		−11.7%
1880	799		38.7%
1890	775		−3.0%
1900	732		−5.5%
1910	642		−12.3%
1920	510		−20.6%
1930	587		15.1%
1940	861		46.7%
1950	1,050		22.0%
1960	1,153		9.8%
1970	1,222		6.0%
1980	1,289		5.5%
1990	1,002		−22.3%
2000	1,535		53.2%
2010	1,647		7.3%
2020	1,668		1.3%
U.S. Decennial Census [5]

As of the census ^[6] of 2010, there were 1,676 people, 623 households, and 419 families residing in the village. The population density was 664.3 inhabitants per square mile (256.5/km²). There were 659 housing units at an average density of 285.2 per square mile (110.1/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 98.83% White, 0.07% African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.07% from other races, and 0.78% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.63% of the population.

There were 623 households, out of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.9% were married couples living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.6% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the village, the age distribution of the population shows 25.6% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.0 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $47,768, and the median income for a family was $59,000. Males had a median income of $44,926 versus $26,208 for females. The per capita income for the village was $24,363. About 2.1% of families and 4.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.0% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.

Tug Fest

The event of the year in this small town is the Great River Tug Fest, held since 1987 on the second full weekend in August. Following a fireworks display on Friday night, the Mississippi River is closed on Saturday afternoon. The tug-of-war is made up of 10 men teams of 20 and one woman's team of 25. After a large rope is pulled across the river to Le Claire, Iowa, a tug of war takes place. The side with the most wins gets bragging rights for the year, along with the traveling alabaster trophy. Port Byron, the 2016 champion, holds an overall record of 21-11 in the competition. The rope used for the tug is 2700 feet in length and weighs about 700 lbs. Tug Fest is the only event in the United States that allows the Mississippi River to be closed down. The Illinois women are the only undefeated team in Tug Fest history. ^[7]

Will B. Rolling

Will B. Rolling is the name of a 30' high statue of a rider perched atop his Penny-farthing. Erected on November 13, 2013 along the Great River Trail in Port Byron, the statue was a gift to the village from former mayor Lawrence Bay and his wife Carol. ^[8] The "Will B. Rolling" statue was inspired by, and made from the same mold as, a statue named "Ben Bikin'" in Sparta, Wisconsin, and each year in October there is a bicycle-ride event from Port Byron to Sparta, called the "Will to Ben." ^{[9] [10]}

On April 25, 2014 River Action awarded Will B. Rolling the 2014 Eddy Award for Art. ^[11]

Port Byron Online

The official city website is located on the internet at www.portbyronil.com.

Notable person

• Bill Malarkey, MLB pitcher for the New York Giants

References

1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
2. "Port Byron Illinois Family Vacations - Ideas on Hotels Attractions & Reviews".
3. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
4. "G001 - Geographic Identifiers - 2010 Census Summary File 1". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
5. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
6. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
7. www.tugfest.org
8. Ickes, Barbara. "Will B. Riding". Village of Port Byron website. Quad City Times. Retrieved October 28, 2018.
9. "Port Byron to host bicycle tour across Illinois, Wisconsin". Quad City Times. April 7, 2015.
10. "Will To Ben". BikeWisconsin.com. Retrieved October 28, 2018.
11. "River Action - Eddy Winners". RiverAction.org. Retrieved October 28, 2018.

External links

• Village of Port Byron, Illinois website
• Port Byron, Illinois Great River Tug Fest
• Port Byron, Illinois Facebook page