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Litchfield is a city in Montgomery County,
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...
,
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 territori ...
. The population was 6,605 at the 2020 census. It is located in South Central Illinois, south of Springfield, Illinois, and part of the
Metro East Metro East is a region in southern Illinois that contains eastern and northern suburbs and exurbs of St. Louis, Missouri, United States. It encompasses five Southern Illinois counties (and parts of three others) in the St. Louis Metropolitan Stati ...
of
St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
.


History

Litchfield was platted in October 1853, and was originally named Huntsville, Says Litchfield was laid out in "October 1953", presumably a typo of "1853". Earlier, Hardinsburg, about 2 miles (3 km) to the southwest, had been founded about 1850. Both towns were created in anticipation of the Terre Haute & Alton Railroad. Hardinsburg grew to about 50 people by 1854; but when it became clear that the railroad was going through Huntsville instead of Hardinsburg, many of the buildings in Hardinsburg were pulled across the prairie on runners to Huntsville beginning in January 1854, and most of the residents moved to the new site as well, becoming Litchfield's first residents. The railroad reached Huntsville in the autumn of 1864, and within two more years Hardinsburg had substantially disappeared. The new town of Huntsville was renamed in November 1855 after Electus Bachus Litchfield, who with his brothers earlier that year had donated land and convinced the railroad of where to place its shops and terminals. The residents of Litchfield first voted to incorporate as a village on April 4, 1856. However, the village trustees failed to complete the incorporation; the village charter was dissolved in autumn of 1857 and the trustees closed the books for that village government on January 22, 1858. The state legislature granted a new
municipal charter A city charter or town charter (generically, municipal charter) is a legal document ('' charter'') establishing a municipality such as a city or town. The concept developed in Europe during the Middle Ages. Traditionally the granting of a charter ...
to Litchfield on February 16, 1859, and the first elections under that charter were held on March 7, 1859. Milnot Company, known for its namesake product, Milnot, an evaporated filled milk, was founded in Litchfield in 1912 as The Litchfield Creamery Company by Martin Jensen. In 1916, a new plant was built at 120 W. St. John St. and operated until 1990. As of 2019, it has been repurposed as an indoor sports training facility.


Geography

Litchfield is located at (39.176741, -89.653721). According to the 2010 census, Litchfield has a total area of , of which (or 94.51%) is land and (or 5.49%) is water.


Demographics


2020 Census

As of the census of 2020, there were 6,605 people in 3,104 households residing in the city. 7.7% percent of the population was under the age of 5, 22.8% under the age of 18, and 19.4% over the age of 65. The racial makeup of the city was 96.8% White, 0.8% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.4% Asian, and 1.7% two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.6% of the population. The median income for a household was $50,368, and the per capita income in the city was $26,746. 18.2% of the population lived below the poverty line.


2000 Census

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 in ...
of 2000, there were 6,815 people, 2,772 households, and 1,785 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 3,011 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.31%
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 o ...
, 0.37%
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 ...
, 0.18% Native American, 0.26%
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 ...
, 0.01%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...
, 0.22% 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 0.65% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties forme ...
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 0.95% of the population. There were 2,772 households in 2010, out of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.6% were non-families. 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.0% 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 2.97. The population is distributed with 25.6% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 20.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $28,717, and the median income for a family was $34,139. Males had a median income of $26,238 versus $19,545 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 $14,612. About 15.7% of families and 16.6% 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 22.9% of those under age 18 and 11.2% of those age 65 or over.


Arts and culture


Attractions

The Ariston Café is one of the oldest restaurants along the historic
U.S. Route 66 U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) was one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The h ...
, commonly known as Old Route 66, though the café itself claims it is possibly the oldest. The Ariston Café was founded in 1924 in the town of
Carlinville, Illinois Carlinville is a city and the county seat of Macoupin County, Illinois, United States. It is also the home of Blackburn College, a small college affiliated with the Presbyterian church, and the former home of Prairie Farms Dairy. As of the 2020 ...
, but was moved to its present location. The café was inducted into the Route 66 Hall of Fame in 1992. Another landmark is Litchfield's Lake Lou Yaeger, located northeast of town. The Sky View Theater is a member of the Route 66 Hall of Fame and has been in operation since 1950. It is among the last drive-in theaters still operating along Route 66. The grand opening of the Litchfield Museum and Route 66 Welcome Center was June 1, 2013. The museum is located across from the Ariston Café at 334 North Historic Route 66. The museum is owned by the Litchfield Museum and Route 66 Welcome Center Association and is maintained mainly through donations. In 1934, The Belvidere Motel opened in Litchfield. It is one of the oldest motels around.


Infrastructure


Transportation

Litchfield Municipal Airport is located southwest of the central business district of Litchfield. Litchfield is served by
Interstate 55 Interstate 55 (I-55) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, connecting the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes. The h ...
and
Illinois Route 16 Illinois Route 16 (IL 16) is an east–west highway in central Illinois. Its western terminus is at the Joe Page Bridge over the Illinois River in Hardin, while its eastern terminus is at Paris at Illinois Route 1 and U.S. Route 150, with ...
. Two Class 1 railroad lines (
Burlington Northern Santa Fe Burlington Northern Santa Fe, LLC is the parent company of the BNSF Railway (formerly the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway). The company is an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, which is controlled by investor Warre ...
and
Norfolk Southern The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the company operates 19,420 route miles (31, ...
) cross at the south edge of Litchfield after running parallel through town from north to south.


Notable people

* Estella Bagnelle, county superintendent of schools * Stephen D. Canady (1865–1923), Illinois state legislator and businessman *
Jackie Mayo John Lewis Mayo (July 26, 1925 – August 19, 2014) was an American professional baseball player who appeared in 139 Major League games for the Philadelphia Phillies between 1948 and 1953. Biography Mayo was born in Litchfield, Illinois, and h ...
,
professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...
player who appeared in 139 Major League games for the Philadelphia Phillies; born in Litchfield * Paul Martin Pearson, author, professor, governor of Virgin Islands, father of columnist Drew Pearson; born in Litchfield *
Ray Schalk Raymond William Schalk (August 12, 1892 – May 19, 1970) was an American professional baseball player, coach, manager and scout. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball for the Chicago White Sox for the majority of his career. Known f ...
, Hall of Fame catcher for
Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...
; grew up in Litchfield * Harry C. Stuttle (1879–1947), Illinois state legislator, judge, and lawyer


See also

*
Sunshine (magazine) ''Sunshine'' was a "feel good" monthly digest, filled with uplifting short articles and anecdotes. It was in circulation between 1924 and 1992. Overview ''Sunshine'' was first published in January 1924. The magazine was subtitled ''A Soulful Magaz ...


References


External links


The City of Litchfield, IllinoisAriston CafeThe SkyView theaterLitchfield Illinois
Historical Society of Montgomery County Illinois

{{authority control Cities in Illinois Cities in Montgomery County, Illinois