Grant Park is a village in northeastern

Kankakee County Kankakee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 107,502. Its county seat is Kankakee. Kankakee County comprises the Kankakee, IL Metropolitan Statistical Area. History ...

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. Grant Park was incorporated in 1883. In 2010, Grant Park had a population of 1,331. It is part of the Kankakee–

Bradley Bradley may refer to: People * Bradley (given name) * Bradley (surname) Places In the United Kingdom In England: * Bradley, Cheshire * Bradley, Derbyshire * Bradley (house), a manor in Kingsteignton, Devon * Bradley, Gloucestershire * ...

Metropolitan Statistical Area. Much of the town was destroyed by a cyclone in 1912, according to

Frank Leslie's Weekly ''Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper'', later renamed ''Leslie's Weekly'', was an American illustrated literary and news magazine founded in 1855 and published until 1922. It was one of several magazines started by publisher and illustrator Fr ...

magazine, which ran pictures.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, Grant Park has a total area of , of which (or 99.24%) is land and (or 0.76%) is water.

Demographics

According to the 2000 census, there were 1,358 people, 497 households, and 389 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 517 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 97.57%

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 ...

, 0.07%

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 ...

, 0.07% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.81% from other races, and 1.25% from two or more races.

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or Latino of any race were 2.72% of the population. There were 497 households, out of which 39.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.8% 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, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.7% were non-families. 17.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.09. In the village, the population was spread out, with 28.4% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 31.4% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males. The median income for a household in the village was $52,153, and the median income for a family was $55,250. Males had a median income of $45,694 versus $22,750 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 $22,403. About 3.5% of families and 4.4% 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 5.0% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.

Weather events

In 1912 a large

tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...

swept through grant park destroying several homes in the northern portion of the village, injuring multiple residents. A second large scale tornado struck grant park April 7, 1948, killing 3, and injuring 8. Extensive damage to homes and livestock was done. this tornado is considered the worst tornado in the history of

. On April 7, 1954, a third tornado caused one fatality, and two minor injuries. Several millions of dollars in damage was done. On August 10, 2020, a relatively small tornado touched down in Grant Park. It caused major damage to trees and roofs along its path, which ended just nearing Lake Matonga. This tornado formed from the bigger

August 2020 Midwest derecho On August 10 and 11, 2020, an extremely powerful progressive derecho devastated much of the Midwestern United States, primarily eastern Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Indiana. It caused high winds and spawned an outbreak of weak torna ...

Education

Grant Park contains a preschool, elementary school, middle school, and a high school. The mascot for the elementary school, middle school, and high school is the Dragons and the colors are green and gold. The high school followed a block schedule in which students attend four 87-minute class periods a day, but is now going back to 8 hours a day and tray lunches.

Notable people

* Richard L. Alexander, World War II fighter ace, was born here

References

External links

*
Grant Park Schools

Chamber of Commerce

{{authority control Villages in Kankakee County, Illinois Populated places established in 1883 Villages in Illinois