Braceville is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

in Grundy County,

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 ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, with a portion in Will County. The population was 724 at the 2020 census.

History

Braceville was founded under the name "Sulphur Springs" by Reverend L. S. Robbins in 1834. In 1848, after Robbin's death, the town elected its first official supervisor, B. R. Dowd, who changed the name to Braceville after his home town of Braceville Township, Ohio. When coal was discovered in the region, residents became interested in the mining industry. However, no mines have ever been opened, and gradually, the town shifted its focus on other industries. The population has fluctuated over time, but is now growing at a steady rate.

Geography

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Braceville has a total area of , of which (or 93.17%) is land and (or 6.83%) is water.

Demographics

As of the 2020 census there were 724 people, 288 households, and 202 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 308 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 91.71%

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 ...

, 0.14%

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 ...

, 0.14% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 0.00%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 1.80% from other races, and 6.08% 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 4.83% of the population. There were 288 households, out of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.07% were married couples living together, 8.68% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.86% were non-families. 23.26% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.99% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.77 and the average family size was 3.08. The village's age distribution consisted of 37.2% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 22.2% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 164.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 138.6 males. The median income for a household in the village was $76,667, and the median income for a family was $86,786. Males had a median income of $62,443 versus $27,898 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 $29,773. About 9.9% of families and 9.8% 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 9.4% of those under age 18 and 3.4% of those age 65 or over.

Illinois Route 129 Bridge

]For many years, Route 66 (and later Route 129) crossed a railroad line and a creek via a bowstring arch bridge south of Braceville. Route 53 on the south side of the railroad line did not cross anything, so there was only one bridge on the northern highway. The two state highways traveled parallel to each other for several miles. In 1994 however, the arch bridge was closed off, and was removed in 2000.

Notable people

* Al Braithwood, pitcher for the Pittsburgh Rebels

References

{{authority control Villages in Grundy County, Illinois Villages in Will County, Illinois Villages in Illinois