Pleasant Plains is a village in

Sangamon County Sangamon County is located in the center of the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 197,465. Its county seat and largest city is Springfield, the state capital. Sangamon County is included in the Spr ...

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 802 at the 2010 census. It is part of the

Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat and largest city of Sangamon County. The city's population was 114,394 at the 2020 census, which makes it the state's seventh most-populous city, the second largest o ...

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...

Geography

Pleasant Plains is located at (39.874221, -89.920106). According to the 2010 census, Pleasant Plains has a total area of , all land.

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 2010, there were 802 people, 310 households, and 228 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 310 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 97.4%

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 ...

, 0.5%

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 ...

, 0.4%

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 ...

, and 1.2% 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 ...

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 0.9% of the population. There were 310 households, out of which 36.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.1% 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, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.5% were non-families. 23.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.00. In the village, the population was spread out, with 28.2% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 20 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.5 years. 47.1% of the population was male and 52.9% of the population was female. The median income for a household in the village was $46,053, and the median income for a family was $51,111. Males had a median income of $38,482 versus $25,446 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 $18,714. About 3.5% of families and 2.9% 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 4.7% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Pleasant Plains Historical Society

In an effort to re-connect to its historical roots, the Pleasant Plains Historical Society was created by mayor Jim Verkuilan and his friends in 2009. Its stated purpose is “To acquire, restore and maintain historical sites surrounding the community.” The Historical Society promptly took steps to purchase the

Clayville, Illinois Clayville is a former roadside hamlet, inhabited from 1824 into the 1850s, located in Cartwright Township, Sangamon County, Illinois, Cartwright Township near Pleasant Plains, Illinois, Pleasant Plains, Illinois, United States. The settlement was ne ...

site, a goal accomplished in 2010. Clayville, a Lincoln-era stagecoach stop, had been operated by a predecessor of the

University of Illinois Springfield The University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) is a public university in Springfield, Illinois. The university was established in 1969 as Sangamon State University by the Illinois General Assembly and became a part of the University of Illinois ...

from the 1970s until 1992. The Pleasant Plains Historical Society's affiliate, Clayville Historic Site, now operates the stagecoach stop and 1824 tavern building.

Notable people

* Peter Cartwright, politician and

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

church leader * William J. Frey, Illinois state legislator, farmer, and businessman * John Goforth, co-host of Hysteria 51 went to Pleasant Plains High School * Brent Hand, co-host of Hysteria 51 * Matt Kennedy, guitarist for

The Dangerous Summer (band) The Dangerous Summer is an American rock band from Ellicott City, Maryland, United States. The band's name is taken from the book of the same name by Ernest Hemingway. The band has stated influences from Third Eye Blind, Bright Eyes, U2, Phi ...

went to Pleasant Plains High School *

James F. Short Jr. James Franklin Short Jr. (June 22, 1924 – May 13, 2018) was an American sociologist. Biography Born on June 22, 1924, James Franklin Short Jr. was raised on a farm near Pleasant Plains, Illinois. His father was a teacher. Short Jr. served in th ...

, sociologist

References

External links

Pleasant Plains Web Site
{{authority control Villages in Sangamon County, Illinois Villages in Illinois Springfield metropolitan area, Illinois