Bethany is a village in

Moultrie County Moultrie County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 United States Census, its population was 14,526. Its county seat is Sullivan, Illinois, Sullivan. The name is pronounced as in "mole tree", ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

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. The population was 1,255 at the 2020 census, down from 1,352 in 2010.

Geography

Bethany is in western Moultrie County along

Illinois Route 121 Illinois Route 121 (IL 121) is a major state highway in the central part of the U.S. state of Illinois. Although it travels from northwest to southeast, it is marked as a north–south highway.Sarjeant, CharlesIllinois 121. Retrieved ...

, which runs along the northern and eastern sides of the village. IL 121 leads southeast to Sullivan, the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

, and northwest to Decatur. According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, Bethany has a total area of , of which , or 0.20%, are water. Marrowbone Creek runs through the western and southern parts of the village, flowing southeast toward the West Okaw River, part of the

Kaskaskia River The Kaskaskia River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed May 13, 2011 in central and southern Illinois in the Un ...

watershed.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, there were 1,287 people, 544 households, and 386 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 580 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 98.99%

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, 0.08%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.16% Native American, 0.31% from

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, and 0.47% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

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of any race were 0.23% of the population. There were 544 households, out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.4% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.0% were non-families. 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.84. In the village, the population was spread out, with 23.0% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 25.6% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.2 males. The median income for a household in the village was $34,091, and the median income for a family was $44,276. Males had a median income of $36,250 versus $20,603 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the village was $16,888. About 5.7% of families and 7.4% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 14.0% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Bethany is home to Okaw Valley Community Unit School District 302. Okaw Valley is a K-12 district that was created in 2001 when the schools of Bethany and Findlay consolidated their individual school districts. The elementary and high school are located in Bethany while the middle school is located in Findlay. Okaw Valley's school sports teams have the nickname "Timberwolves" and compete in the “ Lincoln Prairie Conference.”

Notable people

Wesley Livsey Jones Wesley Livsey Jones (October 9, 1863November 19, 1932) was an American politician who served in the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate representing the state of Washington. Born near Bethany, Illinois days aft ...

, U.S. senator of

Washington state Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first U.S. president—the state was formed from the western part of the Washington ...

1909-32; born in Bethany * Paige Robinson, WNBA player for the

Dallas Wings The Dallas Wings are an American basketball team based in Arlington, Texas. The Wings play in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team is owned by a group which is led by chairman Bill Cameron. Greg ...

References

External links

* {{authority control Villages in Moultrie County, Illinois Villages in Illinois