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Arthur is a village in Douglas and Moultrie counties in
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
, with Arthur's primary street, Vine Street, being the county line. The population was 2,231 at the 2020 census. The Arthur area is home to the largest and oldest
Amish The Amish (, also or ; ; ), formally the Old Order Amish, are a group of traditionalist Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, church fellowships with Swiss people, Swiss and Alsace, Alsatian origins. As they ...
community in Illinois, which was founded in the 1860s.


History

In 1877, the population was approximately 300 people. The community was incorporated as a village in April of that year. The first village election was held on June 12, 1877, and C. G. McComb, Matt Hunsaker, W. H. Reeder, H. C. Jones, J. W. Sears, and Nick Thompson were elected trustees, and J. W. Barrum, clerk. The original town was laid out on the farms of M. H. Warren on the Moultrie County side and the Pendleton Murphy farm on the Douglas County side. Early additions to the town included those by Murphy, Reeves, Hunsaker, Gibson, Warren, Reeder, followed by Kensington, Campbell, Boyd, Bennet, Fitzjarrald, and others. On April 7, 1998, an F2 tornado struck south of Cadwell and moved northeast to south of Arthur. It lifted near Bourbon. Twenty homes, six barns, and other buildings were either damaged or destroyed. One mobile home was blown off its foundation. There were eight injuries. In 2022, the community council revealed a flag for the village to celebrate its sesquicentennial. The new flag is flown in front of the welcome center and the police department. The new flag was put up upon the start of the Strawberry Festival. On December 31, 2023, the village of Arthur would close a
time capsule A time capsule is a historic treasure trove, cache of goods or information, usually intended as a deliberate method of communication with future people, and to help future archaeologists, anthropologists, or historians. The preservation of holy ...
not set to open until 2073.


Geography

Arthur is in southwestern Douglas County and northeastern Moultrie County, with Illinois Route 133 passing through the southern part of the village, leading east to Arcola and west the same distance to Lovington. Tuscola, the Douglas
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
, is to the northeast, while Sullivan, the Moultrie county seat, is the same distance to the southwest. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Arthur has a total area of , all land. The village is drained to the southeast by tributaries of the
Kaskaskia River The Kaskaskia River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed May 13, 2011 in central and southern Illinois in the U ...
.


Demographics

As of the 2020 census there were 2,231 people, 951 households, and 612 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 1,036 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 92.38%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.22%
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.22% Native American, 0.49% Asian, 2.42% from other races, and 4.26% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino of any race were 6.01% of the population. There were 951 households, out of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.89% were married couples living together, 5.89% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.65% were non-families. Of all households, 32.07% were made up of individuals, and 23.45% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 2.24. The village's age distribution consisted of 20.5% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 22.4% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 30.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 80.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.0 males. The median income for a household in the village was $62,250, and the median income for a family was $79,500. Males had a median income of $45,147 versus $22,105 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the village was $29,574. About 8.2% of families and 8.3% 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 12.3% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.


Amish community

The village of Arthur characterizes itself on its website as an
Amish The Amish (, also or ; ; ), formally the Old Order Amish, are a group of traditionalist Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, church fellowships with Swiss people, Swiss and Alsace, Alsatian origins. As they ...
-friendly community, with more than 4,000 " Plain People" living in the region centered on the village. The Amish settlement near Arthur was founded in 1864 and by 2013 had 30 church districts with about 150 people per district. The Arthur community was the eighth largest Amish settlement in the world, with 4,410 as of 2017.The 12 Largest Amish Communities (2017).
at Amish America


Education

In July 2012, Arthur's longtime school district consolidated with the much smaller school district in nearby Lovington. High school students from both towns attend school in Arthur, while grade schools are maintained in both towns. The two schools have shared a football team for many years. In August 2014, the Atwood Hammond school district consolidated with Arthur Lovington, with the school name being changed to ALAH High School.


Notable people

* Margery C. Carlson, botanist * George Corbett, NFL running back of the 1930s


References


External links

*
Illinois Amish Country

More Information about Arthur, IL
{{Authority control 1877 establishments in Illinois Amish in Illinois Populated places established in 1877 Villages in Douglas County, Illinois Villages in Illinois Villages in Moultrie County, Illinois