Wyoming, Illinois

Wyoming, Illinois
City
The former CB&Q depot
Location of Wyoming in Stark County, Illinois.
Location of Illinois in the United States
Coordinates: 41°3′49″N89°46′27″W / 41.06361°N 89.77417°W / 41.06361; -89.77417
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Stark
Area [1]
• Total	0.85 sq mi (2.21 km2)
• Land	0.85 sq mi (2.21 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Population  (2020)
• Total	1,300
• Density	1,522.25/sq mi (587.51/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP Code(s)	61491
Area code	309
FIPS code	17-83687
Website	cityofwyoming.com

Wyoming is a city in Stark County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,429 at the 2010 census, up from 1,424 in 2000. It is the headquarters of the Rock Island Trail State Park. Wyoming is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area. The former CB&Q Railroad depot in town is the Rock Island Trail State Park's headquarters.

History

The city of Wyoming was founded on May 3, 1836, by General Samuel Thomas, a veteran of the War of 1812. General Thomas was born in 1787 and died in 1879. He is buried in the Wyoming City Cemetery where a plaque below his stone denotes that he was the founder and benefactor of the town of Wyoming. The main city park in Wyoming is Thomas Park; there is also a Thomas Street in honor of General Thomas. Samuel Thomas as well as many of the other early settlers came from the state of Pennsylvania. It is for the Wyoming Valley in Pennsylvania that the city is named.

Stark County is rural, consisting mostly of farm land. The county was established on March 2, 1839, and named for John Stark, a soldier of the French and Indian wars and a Major General of the Continental Army during the American Revolution, serving with great distinction at Bunker Hill, Trenton, Princeton, and Bennington.

Wyoming is the largest community in Stark County, with 1,429 people as of the 2010 census. The other principal villages are Toulon, Bradford, Lafayette, Castleton, Camp Grove, West Jersey, Duncan, Stark, Speer, Milo, Elmira, Osceola, and Modena. Toulon is the county seat, and an historic courthouse is sited there.

Geography

Wyoming is located at 41°3′49″N89°46′27″W / 41.06361°N 89.77417°W / 41.06361; -89.77417 (41.063576, -89.774041). ^[2] According to the 2010 census, Wyoming has a total area of 0.84 square miles (2.18 km²), all land. ^[3]

Just west of Wyoming is Spoon River.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1870	640		—
1880	1,086		69.7%
1890	1,116		2.8%
1900	1,277		14.4%
1910	1,506		17.9%
1920	1,376		−8.6%
1930	1,408		2.3%
1940	1,360		−3.4%
1950	1,496		10.0%
1960	1,559		4.2%
1970	1,563		0.3%
1980	1,614		3.3%
1990	1,462		−9.4%
2000	1,424		−2.6%
2010	1,429		0.4%
2020	1,300		−9.0%
U.S. Decennial Census [4]

As of the census ^[5] of 2000, there were 1,424 people, 629 households, and 408 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,918.1 inhabitants per square mile (740.6/km²). There were 669 housing units at an average density of 901.2 per square mile (348.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 99.09% White, 0.21% Asian, and 0.70% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.07% of the population.

There were 629 households, out of which 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.1% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.1% were non-families. 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.84.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.3% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 21.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,463, and the median income for a family was $41,797. Males had a median income of $30,074 versus $22,115 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,574. About 9.1% of families and 10.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.5% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.

Schools

Stark County Elementary School and Stark County C.U.S.D. #100 offices are located in Wyoming.

Notable people

• J. Frank Duryea, shares credit with brother Charles for designing the first gasoline-powered automobile built in the United States. Attended high school in Wyoming. ^[6]
• Otho Cromwell Duryea (1880–1941), born in Wyoming, brother of Charles and J. Frank Duryea. President of the O. C. Duryea Corporation and pioneer developer of gasoline-powered automobiles ^{[7] [8]}
• Kirke La Shelle, Wyoming born journalist, playwright and theatrical producer. ^[9]
• Arthur Melvin Otman, probate judge of Peoria County originally from Wyoming. ^{[10] [11]}
• Harry Everett Townsend, Wyoming native who served as a war artist with the United States Army during the First World War. ^[12]

References

1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
2. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
3. "G001 - Geographic Identifiers - 2010 Census Summary File 1". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
4. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
5. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
6. J. Frank Duryea, Auto Maker, Dies. New York Times, February 16, 1967, p. 43
7. Illinois, Deaths and Stillbirths Index, 1916-1947D, Duryea, Otho Cromwell – August 25, 1880, Wyoming, Illinois – April 27, 1941, Chicago, Illinois, Ancestry.com
8. Otho Duryea Dead. Danville Bee, April 29, 1941, p. 10
9. Kirke La Shelle Dead as Result of Accident. New York Times, May 17, 1905, p. 9
10. Rice, James Montgomery, 1912, p. 285, Peoria City and County, Illinois Retrieved June 19, 2014
11. Illinois, Deaths and Stillbirths Index, 1916-1947, Arthur M. Otman (spelled Atman), October 3, 1868, Wyoming, Illinois - October 18, 1919, Peoria, Illinois
12. mU-2qLIb9oASx9oKoBQ&ved=0CGcQ6AEwCQ#v=onepage&q=%22wyoming%2C%20illinois%22%20born&f=false Shearer Benjamin F., 2007, p. 811Home Front Heroes: A Biographical Dictionary of Americans During Wartime, Volume 3 Retrieved June 21, 2014

Further reading

• M.A. Leeson, History of Stark County Illinois, 1887

External links

Media related to Wyoming, Illinois at Wikimedia Commons