Washington Park, Illinois

This article is about the St. Clair County village. For the Chicago community area, see Washington Park, Chicago (neighborhood).

Washington Park
Village
Location of Washington Park in St. Clair County, Illinois.
Location of Illinois in the United States
Coordinates: 38°37′47″N90°5′41″W / 38.62972°N 90.09472°W / 38.62972; -90.09472
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	St. Clair
Founded	December 19, 1923 [1]
Area [2]
• Total	2.55 sq mi (6.61 km2)
• Land	2.55 sq mi (6.61 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation [3]	423 ft (129 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	2,592
• Density	1,015.67/sq mi (392.14/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP Code(s)	62204 [1]
Area code	618
FIPS code	17-79085
GNIS feature ID	2400099 [3]
Wikimedia Commons	Washington Park, Illinois
Website	https://villageofwp.com/

Washington Park is a village in St. Clair County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,592 as of the 2020 census, down from 4,196 in 2010.

History

Washington Park filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection in July 2009, citing assets of less than $50,000 and debt of more than $1 million. ^[4] U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Pamela Pepper threw out the filing in December 2010 after finding there was no state law enabling a municipality to declare bankruptcy. ^[5] Washington Park filed for bankruptcy in 2004 as well, claiming a $1.6 million debt, but that filing was dismissed when the village briefly emerged from insolvency. ^[6]

In 2010, the mayor of Washington Park, John Thornton, was found to have been fatally shot; he was discovered in his car injured on the morning of April 1, and died at a hospital at 6 AM. ^{[6] [7]}

On July 25, 2012 the chief of police called for the disbanding of the police force.

Geography

Washington Park is located at 38°37′47″N90°5′41″W / 38.62972°N 90.09472°W / 38.62972; -90.09472 (38.629750, -90.094606). ^[8]

According to the 2010 census, Washington Park has a total area of 2.63 square miles (6.81 km²), all land. ^[9]

The city is served by Washington Park station on the St. Louis MetroLink light rail system.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1920	1,516		—
1930	3,837		153.1%
1940	4,523		17.9%
1950	5,840		29.1%
1960	6,601		13.0%
1970	9,524		44.3%
1980	8,223		−13.7%
1990	7,431		−9.6%
2000	5,345		−28.1%
2010	4,196		−21.5%
2020	2,592		−38.2%
U.S. Decennial Census [10]

2020 census

Washington Park village, Illinois – Racial and Ethnic Composition
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.

Race / Ethnicity	Pop 2010 [11]	Pop 2020 [12]	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	427	413	10.18%	15.93%
Black or African American alone (NH)	3,599	2,017	85.77%	77.82%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	7	4	0.17%	0.15%
Asian alone (NH)	5	1	0.12%	0.04%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	0	0	0.00%	0.00%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	2	10	0.05%	0.39%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)	41	48	0.98%	1.85%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	115	99	2.74%	3.82%
Total	4,196	2,592	100.00%	100.00%

As of the census ^[13] of 2000, there were 5,345 people, 1,692 households, and 1,218 families residing in the village. The population density was 2,180.4 inhabitants per square mile (841.9/km²). There were 2,007 housing units at an average density of 818.7 per square mile (316.1/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 6.06% White, 91.94% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 0.75% from other races, and 0.97% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.89% of the population.

There were 1,692 households, out of which 40.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 27.0% were married couples living together, 38.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.0% were non-families. 23.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.15 and the average family size was 3.77.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 37.0% under the age of 18, 10.8% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 6.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 27 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.1 males. For every 100 women age 18 and over, there were 78.7 men.

The median income for a household in the village was $21,132, and the median income for a family was $23,266. Males had a median income of $30,924 versus $20,463 for females. The per capita income for the village was $8,495. About 42.6% of families and 44.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 54.9% of those under age 18 and 33.9% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Washington Park is a part of the East St. Louis School District. Avant Elementary School is located in Washington Park. ^{[14] [15]}

Manners Elementary School and Woodrow Wilson Elementary School were formerly located in Washington Park. ^{[15] [16]} Wilson opened in 1927. ^[17] In July 2004 the district CEO, Stan Mims, toured Wilson and then determined that the school needed to be closed; the school closed in fall 2004 and students were transferred to three other elementary schools in the area, including Hawthorne, Nelson Mandela, and Manners. ^[18]

References

1. "Washington Park, Illinois (IL 62204) profile: Population, maps, real estate, averages, homes, statistics, relocation, travel, jobs, hospitals, schools, crime, moving, houses, news, sex offenders".
2. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
3. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Washington Park, Illinois
4. "Washington Park, Illinois Chapter 9 Voluntary Petition" (PDF). PacerMonitor. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
5. "Judge throws out Ill. Village's bankruptcy case - Yahoo News". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
6. Suhr, Jim. "|htmlws-main-w|dl1|link6|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aolnews.com%2Fcrime%2Farticle%2Fwashington-park-illinois-mayor-john-thornton-shot-dead%2F19423581 Mayor of Troubled Illinois Town Is Slain." Associated Press . April 1, 2010. Retrieved on April 2, 2010. ^{[ dead link ]}
7. Spriggs, Afton. "Mayor of Washington Park found shot to death, 1 person in custody Archived 2010-04-04 at the Wayback Machine ." KMOV . April 1, 2010. Retrieved on April 1, 2010.
8. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
9. "G001 - Geographic Identifiers - 2010 Census Summary File 1". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
10. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
11. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Washington Park village, Illinois". United States Census Bureau .
12. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Washington Park village, Illinois". United States Census Bureau .
13. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
14. "Avant Elementary School." East St. Louis School District. Retrieved on April 1, 2010.
15. "Washington Park village, Illinois Archived 2011-06-06 at the Wayback Machine ." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on April 1, 2010.
16. "Schools." East St. Louis School District. Retrieved on April 1, 2010.
17. "About Us." Woodrow Wilson Elementary School. Retrieved on April 1, 2010.
18. "WILSON STUDENTS TO BE MOVED TO OTHER AREAS." Belleville News-Democrat . August 4, 2004. Retrieved on April 1, 2010.