Calhoun is a village in Richland County,

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. The population was 222 at the 2000 census.

History

The community of Fairview, now Calhoun, is one of the oldest communities in Richland County. While it was not officially organized under village government, the community of that name was known in the early 1830s. It was originally platted into lots by Shadrach Ruark. Reverend Ruark was an early Methodist who performed the first wedding in Richland County on October 20, 1841, when Ebeneezer Waker and Abigail Reed were united. The original plat was lost and it was replatted in 1848. When the post office was established, it took the name Calhoun, after Hugh Calhoun, the original settler of what was known as Calhoun Prairie. Calhoun School was built in 1912 and was only one story. The upper floor was added in 1920 when a two-year high school was added. In 1922, it became a three-year high school. The high school used two classrooms in the basement in addition to the upper floor. Grades 1 through 8 were taught on the first floor. Calhoun had one of the first three-year high schools in Richland County.

Geography

Calhoun lies just east of Illinois State Route 130, southeast of Olney. According to the 2010 census, Calhoun has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 222 people, 86 households, and 65 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 93 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 94.14%

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 ...

, 1.35% Native American, 3.60% Asian, and 0.90% from two or more races. There were 86 households, out of which 39.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.5% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 15.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.4% were non-families. 18.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 2.94. In the village, the population was spread out, with 31.1% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 19.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.6 males. The median income for a household in the village was $25,809, and the median income for a family was $27,500. Males had a median income of $25,000 versus $19,375 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 $14,679. About 20.0% of families and 27.2% 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 41.9% of those under the age of eighteen and 6.7% of those 65 or over.

Notable people

* James R. Lindsay, U.S. Army brigadier general; raised in Calhoun.

References

{{authority control Villages in Richland County, Illinois Populated places established in 1848 1848 establishments in Illinois Villages in Illinois