Sorento is a village in Bond 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 429 at the 2020 census. Sorento is part of the St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is also considered 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 ...

region of Illinois.

History

Sorento was founded as a village in 1882.Sorento Centennial Committee. (1982) "Founders". Sorento Centennial 1882-1982 (p 7).Sorento, IL: Sorento Homecoming Association. The town was laid out and platted on August 15, 1882 by August H. Scharf, a local farmer and businessman, and his father, William Scharf. They named the town Sorento after Sorrento, Florida, a town they had once visited. The town grew quickly and by the end of 1883 there were over 500 residents. The Sorento Coal Mine opened in 1883 and was in operation until March 31, 1914.

Charles Lindbergh Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974) was an American aviator, military officer, author, inventor, and activist. On May 20–21, 1927, Lindbergh made the first nonstop flight from New York City to Paris, a distance o ...

is known to have landed in fields just outside Sorento while preparing for his solo transatlantic flight. Jimmy Swaggart preached at the Sorento Assembly of God church in the early 1960s. Famed cave explorer

Floyd Collins William Floyd Collins (July 20, 1887 – February 13, 1925) was an American cave explorer, principally in a region of Kentucky that houses hundreds of miles of interconnected caves, today a part of Mammoth Cave National Park, the longes ...

is known to have visited Sorento and explored caves in the region during the early 1900s.

Education

Sorento was home to the now close
Sorento Elementary School
which educated students ages pre-K through 8th grade. Sorento Elementary was a 2011 Blue Ribbon school, one of only 19 schools in Illinois and 304 in the entire United States.

Geography

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Sorento has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

As of the 2020 census there were 429 people, 216 households, and 114 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 201 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 91.38%

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 ...

, 0.70%

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 ...

, 0.23% Native American, 0.70% 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 6.99% 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 ...

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 2.10% of the population. There were 216 households, out of which 25.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.04% were married couples living together, 12.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.22% were non-families. 38.89% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.81% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.04 and the average family size was 2.31. The village's age distribution consisted of 21.8% under the age of 18, 2.2% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 28.4% from 45 to 64, and 18.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 77.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 72.6 males. The median income for a household in the village was $33,750, and the median income for a family was $47,500. Males had a median income of $34,583 versus $19,688 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 $16,975. About 7.0% of families and 19.1% 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 14.3% of those under age 18 and 17.2% of those age 65 or over.

Places of interest

Ripson Bridge was built in 1895. It is the last

pony truss A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of connected elements, usually forming triangular units. The connected elements (typically straight) may be stressed from tension, compression, or ...

bridge in Bond County and is a local historical landmark that crosses Shoal Creek. The bridge is named after the owner of the property next to the bridge when it was built. The Sorento Homecoming Association was the caretaker of the bridge from the mid-1980s - about 2019. Initially, the Sorento Homecoming Association applied to have Ripson Bridge added to the National Register of Historic Places. However, that process has stopped and the bridge is now owned by private owners. Gnawbone Campground is a local camp ground located on the old grounds of the Sorento Lake and Water Plant. Gnawbone is mainly used by seasonal campers (May–November), but there are a few one-night/weekend camp spots available.

Events

An annual

homecoming Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States, Canada and Liberia. ...

usually lasting for two days is held every summer normally during August. A major arts and crafts festival known as the Sorento Fall Festival (formerly the Ripson Bridge Festival) is held in downtown Sorento each autumn, usually on the first Sunday in October. The event features live music throughout the day, children's games, an old-fashioned cake walk, and arts and craft vendors.

Notable people

Esther Snyder Esther Lavelle Snyder (née Johnson) (January 7, 1920 – August 4, 2006) was an American businesswoman. She co-founded In-N-Out Burger, with her husband Harry Snyder, in 1948. Early life Snyder was born and raised in Sorento, Illinois, as one o ...

, co-founder of

In-N-Out Burger In-N-Out Burger is an American regional chain of fast food restaurants with locations primarily in California and the Southwest. It was founded in Baldwin Park, California, in 1948 by Harry (1913–1976) and Esther Snyder (1920–2006). The ...

* Fred R. Volkmar, director of

Yale Child Study Center The Yale Child Study Center is a department at the Yale University School of Medicine. The center conducts research and provides clinical services and medical training related to children and families. Topics of investigation include autism and r ...

References

{{authority control Villages in Bond County, Illinois Villages in Illinois Populated places established in 1882 1882 establishments in Illinois