Girard is a city in Macoupin 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 ...

. The population was 1,785 at the 2020 census, down from 2,103 in

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

History

Girard is named for

Stephen Girard Stephen Girard (born Étienne Girard; May 20, 1750 – December 26, 1831) was a French-born American banker and philanthropist. Born in Bordeaux, Girard subsequently immigrated to the Thirteen Colonies where he established himself in the Banking ...

. When the village incorporated as a city, it became politically separate from Girard Township which surrounded it.

Geography

Girard is located in northeastern Macoupin County at (39.445947, -89.781253).

Illinois Route 4 Illinois Route 4 is a major north–south highway that runs south from the Interstate 55 business loop around the state capital of Springfield, south to Illinois Route 13 just north of Murphysboro. This is a distance of . Route description I ...

passes through the center of town as Third Street, leading southwest to

Carlinville Carlinville is a city in and the county seat of Macoupin County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 5,710. It is the home of Blackburn College (Illinois), Blackburn College, a small col ...

, 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 ...

, and north-northeast to Springfield, the state capital. According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, Girard has a total area of , all land. The city drains west to tributaries of the East Fork of Otter Creek, flowing southwest to Hodges and then

Macoupin Creek Macoupin Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed May 13, 2011 tributary of the Illinois River, which it joins near the village of Hardin, Illinois. The word ''macoup ...

, a west-flowing tributary of the

Illinois River The Illinois River () is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River at approximately in length. Located in the U.S. state of Illinois, the river has a drainage basin of . The Illinois River begins with the confluence of the Des Plaines ...

. Sunset Lake and Otter Lake are west of Girard, respectively.

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 2,245 people, 864 households, and 565 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 926 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.93%

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 ...

, 0.13%

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 ...

, 0.13% Native American, 0.04% Asian, 0.09% from other races, and 0.67% 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 1.11% of the population. There were 864 households, out of which 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.0% 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, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.6% were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.07. In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.5% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $31,806, and the median income for a family was $39,028. Males had a median income of $29,537 versus $22,266 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 $15,090. About 10.2% of families and 13.2% 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 19.8% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.

Recreation

Girard is located at the south end of the Sangamon Valley Trail right-of-way.

Notable people

* Hardin B. Cloud, farmer, merchant, and Iowa state legislator; born in Girard'Death of H. B. Cloud,' Knoxville Express (Iowa), April 17, 1901, pg. 3 *

Charlotte Pierce Charlotte Pierce (October 22, 1904 – November 23, 1996) was an American actress in silent films. Early life Charlotte Elaine Pierce was born in Girard, Illinois, and raised in Salina, Kansas, the daughter of Schuyler Rensselaer Pierce an ...

, silent film actress; born in Girard * Fountain L. Thompson, U.S. senator for

North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...

in early 20th Century; raised in Girard

References

External links

Girard Chamber of Commerce
{{authority control Cities in Illinois Cities in Macoupin County, Illinois