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Silvis is a city in
Rock Island County Rock Island County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois, bounded on the west by the Mississippi River. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 147,546. Its county seat is Rock Island; its largest city is neighboring ...
,
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 territo ...
. It is part of a larger metropolitan area known as the
Quad Cities The Quad Cities is a region of cities (originally four, see History) in the U.S. states of Iowa and Illinois: Davenport and Bettendorf in southeastern Iowa, and Rock Island, Moline and East Moline in northwestern Illinois. These cities are t ...
. The Quad Cities Metropolitan Area is situated across four counties in Illinois and Iowa. It is located four miles from the intersection of
Interstate 80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from downtown San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one o ...
and Interstate 88, 165 miles west of Chicago, Illinois, and 165 miles east of Des Moines. It sits next to East Moline and Moline. The area has a rate
media market A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area (DMA), television market area, or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same (or similar) television and radio station offerings, and may also incl ...
with 308,910 TV households in a designated market area, or 2.7% of United States. Silvis also is near two major medical centers, including a critical access center. Silvis also has two community college districts, a liberal arts college, a public university auxiliary campus, two private universities, and two extension services in the area.


Demographics

As of 2019, the population of Silvis is 7,475 with 2,984 households, and 1,939 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 3,135 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 86.09%
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 ...
, 3.45%
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 ensl ...
, 0.47% Native American, 0.81% Asian, 6.51% 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 2.67% 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 form ...
or Latino ethnicities made up 14.36% of the population. There were 2,984 households, out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18, 47.2% 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 ...
, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.0% were non-families. 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41, and the average family size was 3.01. In the city, the population was 25.6% under the age of 18, 8.9% aged 18 to 24, 26.9% aged 25 to 44, 22.3% aged 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 86.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $35,047, and the median income for a family was $41,390. Males had a median income of $32,451, versus $22,050 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 $16,764. About 8.4% of families and 9.5% 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 ...
, including 14.9% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.


History

The City of Silvis (initially named Pleasant Valley) was incorporated in 1906. The city took its name from Richard Shippen Silvis, one of the original settlers whose family operated the Silvis Mining Company. Some older sources give the alternate spelling of "Sylvis" although this spelling is not regularly used today.


Rock Island Line Silvis Workshops

In 1902, the
Rock Island Line "Rock Island Line" is an American folk song. Ostensibly about the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, it appeared as a folk song as early as 1929. The first recorded performance of "Rock Island Line" was by inmates of the Arkansas Cummin ...
decided to build its largest railroad locomotive repair workshop in Silvis, on a 900-acre site between the railroad's main line and 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 ...
’s Rock Island branch. Construction began on May 1, 1903; the facilities eventually included a general stores department, repair shop, 45-stall roundhouse, and two large freight yards east and west. The need for cheap labor brought about a number of immigrants from
Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Gua ...
, who either worked in the stores, the workshops or as part of the track laboring team. The railway developed housing to house all of its workers and families, which it rented to the workers at favorable rates which were possible under an agreement with the town that meant the occupants paid no property taxes. The Mexican section became known as La Yadra, which had its own Mexican-run general stores, and had a Mexican-themed band. When the band waned, the railway donated boxcars that had once housed its instruments were refurbished to create the Lady of Guadalupe church, dedicated on Easter Sunday in 1927. In 1929 the no property tax agreement came to an end, and the city authorities evicted the railway workers, many of whom moved their houses to the area that became second, third and fourth streets. After the
Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...
took over the bankrupt Rock Island Line, the locomotive workshops and facilities began to dwindle, being closed and liquidated in 1980. Sold to
National Railway Equipment National Railway Equipment Company is an American railroad equipment rebuilding, leasing, and manufacturing company, headquartered in Mt. Vernon, Illinois. NREC sells new and rebuilt locomotives to railroad companies worldwide, with an emphasi ...
, the workshops remained a maintenance and refurbishment hub for the wider North American railroad industry. NRE sold the facility to Railroading Heritage of Midwest America in late 2021, who have plans to refurbish the facility to maintain steam, heritage diesel and associated rolling stock, and develop a museum on the site.


Golf course

The city is home to TPC Deere Run, a public golf course designed by former
PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also k ...
professional D.A. Weibring along the area's famous Rock River.
Golf Digest ''Golf Digest'' is a monthly golf magazine published by Warner Bros. Discovery through its sports unit under its Warner Bros. Discovery Golf division. It is a generalist golf publication covering recreational golf and men's and women's competit ...
once ranked it No. 42 among U.S. public golf courses, while Golfweek Magazine has called it among the state's top five courses. Since 2000, TPC Deere Run has hosted the
PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also k ...
's annual John Deere Classic, previously known as the
Quad Cities Open The John Deere Classic is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour. It is played annually in July, usually the week before The Open Championship, at TPC Deere Run in the Quad Cities community of Silvis, Illinois. History The tournament beg ...
. The John Deere Classic is held in July the week before the
British Open The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...
.


Hero Street USA

The name of the city's Second Street—a muddy two-block thoroughfare that was once home to Mexican immigrants who worked for the Rock Island Railroad—was changed in 1967 to Hero Street to honor people who lived on the two-block street and served in the U.S. military. A total of 84 men served in World War II,
Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and Sout ...
, and in
Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making it ...
. Eight died during World War II: Joseph Gomez, Peter Macias, Johnny Muños, Tony Pompa, Frank Sandoval, Joseph "Joe" Sandoval, William "Willie" Sandoval, and Claro Solis.Sealift Honoring Hispanic Heroes
U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command. September 2004. Retrieved on July 27, 2007.
Eduvigis and Angelina Sandoval immigrated to the U.S. from Romita, Mexico. Their son, Frank, was a combat engineer assigned to help build the Ledo Road in Burma. He was killed when his unit was sent to the front to fight for control of a key airbase. His older brother, Joe, assigned to the 41st Armored Infantry Division in Europe, was killed in April 1945, just days before the war ended. Joseph and Carmen Sandoval also immigrated to the United States from Mexico. When the war broke out, they consented to their son Willie's request to enlist in the army. Trained as a paratrooper and assigned to the
82nd Airborne Division The 82nd Airborne Division is an airborne infantry division of the United States Army specializing in parachute assault operations into denied areasSof, Eric"82nd Airborne Division" ''Spec Ops Magazine'', 25 November 2012. Archived from thori ...
, he fought in Italy and Germany, and was killed on October 6, 1944, during a combat mission related to
Operation Market-Garden Operation Market Garden was an Allied military operation during the Second World War fought in the Netherlands from 17 to 27 September 1944. Its objective was to create a salient into German territory with a bridgehead over the River Rhine, ...
, the largest airborne operation of all time. Silvis Mayor, William Tatmen renamed the street Hero Street USA in May 1967. On 30 October 1971 a city park was built and dedicated as Hero Street Park to honor the eight deceased Hispanic (Latin American) servicemen from Hero Street USA. The park contains a pictorial monument, a grotto, a playground, and a pavilion. The monument contains pictures and biographies of the eight-deceased veteran from Hero Street, the grotto displays the names of all war dead from Silvis. In 2015, Fourth Wall Films released a documentary, "Letters Home to Hero Street", by Emmy-nominated filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle.


Schools

Silvis public schools belong to three districts, Carbon Cliff-Barstow School District 36, East Moline School District 37, and Silvis School District 34. There are three Silvis preschool schools., three elementary schools, one junior high school and one high school belonging to the Silvis school districts.


Preschools

* George O. Barr Elementary * Learning Tree Child Care Center * It's a Child's World


Elementary schools

* George O. Barr Elementary * Eagle Ridge * Bowlesburg Elementary


Middle/Junior High schools

* North East Junior High School


High schools

* United Township High School


References


External links


Official Website
* https://web.archive.org/web/20070820005754/http://www.neta.com/~1stbooks/hero.htm * https://web.archive.org/web/20050827020515/http://www.herostreetusa.org/HeroStMain.htm * http://www.city-data.com/county/Rock_Island_County-IL.html * http://developsilvis.com/index.html * http://www.johndeereclassic.com * http://herostreetusa.org * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cX5dbkD69Wc * https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/hero-street-a-documentary-film {{authority control Cities in Rock Island County, Illinois Cities in Illinois Cities in the Quad Cities Populated places established in 1906 1906 establishments in Illinois