Eureka, Illinois
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Eureka is a city and the
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 ...
of Woodford County, Illinois, United States. The population was 5,295 at the 2010 census. Eureka is part of the Peoria metropolitan area. Eureka is a small community centered on the intersection of what is now U.S. 24 and Illinois 117. It is also one of the towns along the Ronald Reagan Trail, a series of roads that connect towns in central
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 ...
that were of importance to Reagan's early life. President Reagan attended and graduated from Eureka College.


History

Eureka was originally laid out as ''Walnut Grove'' in 1855. The name was changed to ''Eureka'' because of a naming conflict with another Walnut Grove. Sources differ on who proposed the name Eureka. The city is named from the Greek expression Eureka, meaning "I have found it".


Geography

Eureka is located at (40.715620, -89.275220). According to the 2010 census, Eureka has a total area of , of which (or 98.44%) is land and (or 1.56%) is water.


Demographics

Source: As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 4,871 people, 1,754 households, and 1,169 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,831 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.97%
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 ...
, 0.57%
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 ...
, 0.37% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 0.16% from other races, and 0.60% 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 1.03% of the population. There were 1,754 households, out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.9% 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, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.3% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.12. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.3% under the age of 18, 14.5% from 18 to 24, 23.1% from 25 to 44, 16.9% from 45 to 64, and 21.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $44,744, and the median income for a family was $53,590. Males had a median income of $44,816 versus $22,692 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 city was $20,460. About 0.9% of families and 2.4% 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 ...
, including 1.8% of those under age 18 and 2.1% of those age 65 or over.


Economy

The largest employers in Eureka are: * Maple Lawn Homes - Independent and Assisted Living - 240 employees * District 140 - School System - 220 employees * Apostolic Christian Home - Independent and Assisted Living - 190 employees * Woodford County Courthouse - County Seat - 161 employees * Eureka Hospital - 150 employees * Cox Transfer - Trucking Company - 125 employees * Eureka College - 123 employees * Mangold Ford Mercury - Auto Dealership - 64 employees * Washington Equipment Co. - Overhead Cranes - 43 employees


Attractions


Eureka College

Eureka is known for Eureka College, a private liberal arts college associated with the
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States and Canada. The denomination started with the Restoration Movement during the Second Great Awakening, first existing during the 19th ...
and the alma mater of president
Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...
. Reagan graduated in 1932 with a degree in economics and sociology and, throughout his life, remained very close to the college. Reagan returned to the town at least twelve times, including twice as President of the United States. In 1947, serving as the grand marshal for Eureka's annual pumpkin festival parade, the largest recorded parade crowds in the history of Eureka gathered along the streets to welcome back the Hollywood actor to his college hometown. Reports are the crowds were more than tenfold the town's 4,000 residents at the time. In 1967, as newly elected Governor of California and widely rumored prospective presidential candidate, Ronald Reagan returned to Eureka to dedicate the Melick Library at his alma mater, drawing more than 5,000 spectators. Eureka had styled itself the "pumpkin capital of the world" until its pumpkin-processing plant moved to nearby Morton, Illinois. The Reagan Museum and Peace Garden at Eureka College is a top tourist attraction in the community, especially after the 2010-2011 renovation of the Museum and of the Reagan special collection section at Melick Library at Eureka College. It is now estimated to be the largest center of Reagan memorabilia after the Reagan Presidential Library in California. People from all over the world visit the Ronald Reagan museum at Eureka College.


Parks and recreation

Kaufman Park is the local 9 hole public golf course. Eureka Lake Park is a man-made impoundment lake with of land. It was built in the 1940s as a WPA project to provide a water source for the city until 1982. It is located on Walnut Creek, a tributary to Panther Creek and Mackinaw River. Visitors may enjoy its picnic grounds and occasionally fishing, but big catches are rare. The park also contains a dog park and disc golf course. The park is also well known for its annual Fourth of July fireworks display.


Notable people

* Donald Attig (b. 1936), boat designer and yachtsman, graduated from Eureka College * Dan McCoy (b. 1978), comedian and television writer, is a 1996 graduate of Eureka High School * John Peffers (1878–1936), Illinois state representative and lawyer, was born in Eureka *
Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...
, 40th U.S. president, who attended college in Eureka, Illinois at Eureka College * Andy Studebaker (b. 1985) former NFL player, is a 2004 graduate of Eureka High School * Mary Lou Sumner (1927–2002), Illinois state legislator * Ben Zobrist (b. 1981), All-Star
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
player and Most Valuable Player in the 2016 World Series for the
Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...
, was born and raised in EurekaMarc Topkin
"Tampa Bay Rays' Ben Zobrist has taken a surprising path to today's All-Star game,"
''Tampa Bay Times,'' July 13, 2009.


References


External links

{{authority control Cities in Illinois Cities in Woodford County, Illinois Ronald Reagan Trail County seats in Illinois Peoria metropolitan area, Illinois Populated places established in 1855 1855 establishments in Illinois