Tonica is a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...

LaSalle County LaSalle County is located within the Fox Valley and Illinois River Valley regions of the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2020 Census, it had a population of 109,658. Its county seat and largest city is Ottawa. LaSalle County is part of the ...

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. The population was 749 at the 2020 census, down from 768 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Ottawa Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Tonica was originally a small hamlet called Point Republic. The village was founded by Andrew West, the local agent for the

Illinois Central Railroad The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, was a railroad in the Central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois, with New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama. A line also c ...

. The tracks arrived May 23, 1853. Tonica was first incorporated on April 3, 1859, then reincorporated on August 16, 1873. The incorporation was certified on October 16, 1901. Tonica derives its name from the

Tunica people The Tunica people are a group of linguistically and culturally related Native American tribes in the Mississippi River Valley, which include the Tunica (also spelled Tonica, Tonnica, and Thonnica); the Yazoo; the Koroa (Akoroa, Courouais); and ...

that West learned about while growing up in New York State. West likewise named many of the streets in the town after Native American tribes and people.

Geography

Tonica is located in western LaSalle County at (41.215902, -89.067981). Illinois Route 251 passes through the center of the village, leading north to

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and south to Wenona.

Interstate 39 Interstate 39 (I-39) is a highway in the Midwestern United States. I-39 runs from Normal, Illinois, at I-55 to State Trunk Highway 29 (WIS 29) in the town of Rib Mountain, Wisconsin, which is approximately south of Wausau. I- ...

passes through the west side of the village, with access from Exit 48 (N 20th Road). I-39 leads north to Interstate 80 in LaSalle and south to

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 ...

Normal Normal(s) or The Normal(s) may refer to: Film and television * ''Normal'' (2003 film), starring Jessica Lange and Tom Wilkinson * ''Normal'' (2007 film), starring Carrie-Anne Moss, Kevin Zegers, Callum Keith Rennie, and Andrew Airlie * ''Norma ...

. According to the 2020 census, Tonica 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 in ...

of 2020, there were 749 people, 328 households, and 207 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 331 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 86.78%

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 ...

, 0.13% Native American, 0.53% Asian,4.94% 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 0.61% 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 9.48% of the population. There were 328 households, out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.9% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.9% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.7% 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 2.93. In the village, the population was spread out, with 20.8% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 112.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 111.3 males. The median income for a household in the village was $52,206, and the median income for a family was $71,750. Males had a median income of $39,265 versus $32,500 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 $27,672. About 9.7% of families and 14.4% 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 21.0% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The village has its own grade school, Tonica Grade School (K-8).City data.com
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Notable people

* Arthur R. Hall, former

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univer ...

football player and head coach

References

External links

Village of Tonica official website
{{authority control Villages in Illinois Ottawa, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area Villages in LaSalle County, Illinois