Galva is a city in
Henry County,
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 ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. The population was 2,589 at the 2010 census, down from 2,758 in 2000.
History
Cousins William L. Wiley (1820-1900) and James Wiley (1817-1886) founded Galva in 1854. The name Galva honors the Swedish immigrants of nearby
Bishop Hill and refers to
Gävle
Gävle () is a city in Sweden, the seat of Gävle Municipality and the capital of Gävleborg County. It had 77,586 inhabitants in 2020, which makes it the 13th most populated city in Sweden. It is the oldest city in the historical Norrland (Swede ...
,
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
which is the town's sister city. Today around 80% of the town has
Scandinavian ancestry.
Galva was a railroad town. Galva was laid out along the
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington Route, the Burlington, or as the Q, it operated extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Illin ...
(Burlington Route) with the help of Bishop Hill trustees who invested heavily in Galva. This was the first of three rail lines to locate there. This group was formed in 1852 and ran a line from
Aurora, Illinois
Aurora is a city in the Chicago metropolitan area located partially in DuPage County, Illinois, DuPage, Kane County, Illinois, Kane, Kendall County, Illinois, Kendall, and Will County, Illinois, Will counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. Locat ...
to
Galesburg, Illinois
Galesburg is a city in Knox County, Illinois, United States. The city is northwest of Peoria. At the 2010 census, its population was 32,195. It is the county seat of Knox County and the principal city of the Galesburg Micropolitan Statistical ...
. A second branch of the
Burlington Route
The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwest, Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington Route, the Burlington, or as the Q, it operated extensive trackage in the states of Colora ...
later also came through. Later the
Peoria and Rock Island Railroad (Rock Island Railroad) came through Galva.
Geography
According to the 2010 census, Galva has a total area of , all land.
Climate
Demographics
As of the 2000
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 ...
,
there were 2,758 people, 1,164 households, and 740 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,266 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.59%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 0.25%
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 ...
, 0.22%
Native American, 0.11%
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.33% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 0.51% 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 ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 1.96% of the population.
There were 1,164 households, out of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.9% 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, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.4% were non-families. 32.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.0% 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 3.01.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.7% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $35,071, and the median income for a family was $45,880. Males had a median income of $31,467 versus $21,714 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 city was $17,165. About 6.9% of families and 7.2% 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 11.3% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.
2010 Census
According to the
2020 census, the city had a population of 2,470. Of this, 2,503 (96.68%) were White, 32 (1.24%) were two or more races, 26 (1.00%) were Black or African American, 15 (0.58%) were some other race, 11 (0.42%) were Asian, and 2 (0.08%) were American Indian or Alaska Native. 80 (3.09%) were Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Education
Higher education
Black Hawk College
Black Hawk College is a public community college in Illinois with campuses in Moline and Galva.
History
Black Hawk College is a community college with campuses located in Moline and in Kewanee ( south of Kewanee). Founded in 1946 as Moline ...
, a
community college
A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an "open enrollment" for students who have graduated from high school (also known as senior sec ...
, has one of its campus in the town.
Community organizations
* Galva Arts Council
* Galva American Legion Post #45
Rubezahl statue
There was once a statue set between two buildings, dedicated to
Rubezahl. The sculpture was inscribed, ''"Rubezahl, the vigilant
gnome
A gnome is a mythological creature and diminutive spirit in Renaissance magic and alchemy, first introduced by Paracelsus in the 16th century and later adopted by more recent authors including those of modern fantasy literature. Its characte ...
who guards your home and lights your way at the end of the day."'' Local teenagers would
toast
Toast most commonly refers to:
* Toast (food), bread browned with dry heat
* Toast (honor), a ritual in which a drink is taken
Toast may also refer to:
Places
* Toast, North Carolina, a census-designated place in the United States
Books
* '' ...
to Rubezahl at every passing until one day Rubezahl was found missing atop his perch in between the buildings. Several theories exist, but to this day the whereabouts of the Rubezahl statue are unknown.
Notable people
*
Reuben Beals, Illinois state representative, farmer, and carpenter.
*
Rich Falk, professional basketball player.
*
Rollin Kirby
Rollin Kirby (September 4, 1875 in Galva, Illinois – May 8, 1952 in New York, New York) was an American political cartoonist. In 1922 he was chronologically the first winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning, an honor that he wou ...
, a political cartoonist and three-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize.
References
External links
City of Galva official website
{{authority control
Cities in Illinois
Cities in Henry County, Illinois
Swedish-American culture in Illinois
Populated places established in 1854
1854 establishments in Illinois