Kappa is a village in Woodford 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 227 at the 2010 census, up from 170 in 2000. It is part of the

Peoria, Illinois Peoria ( ) is a city in Peoria County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. Located on the Illinois River, the city had a population of 113,150 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Ill ...

Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 1833 Thomas Dixon became the first settler in the Kappa area. Over the next few years, other settlers moved in around the area, and eventually a railroad was built through the area. On May 23, 1853, rail service began, and postal service began. The first postmaster, William Jones, appointed the name ''Montrose'', but the

Illinois Central Railroad The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the Central United States. Its primary routes connected Chicago, Illinois, with New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama, and thus, ...

preferred Kappa. Kappa is the tenth letter in the Greek alphabet, and was applied to the town because it was the tenth town between Dunleith (modern-day

East Dubuque, Illinois East Dubuque is a city in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,505 at the 2020 census, down from 1,704 in 2010. East Dubuque is located alongside the Mississippi River. Across the river is the city of Dubuque, Iowa. ...

) and Bloomington. Kappa sits on the north side of the

Mackinaw River The Mackinaw River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed May 13, 2011 tributary of the Illinois River in the U.S. state of Illinois. Its watershed covers approximately ...

. Approximately five miles to the southeast is Lake Bloomington, while five miles to the southwest is Evergreen Lake. Since its inception, the railroad line from East Dubuque to Bloomington has been decommissioned. In the early 1900s, SBI Route 2 was founded, and then changed to

U.S. Route 51 U.S. Route 51 or U.S. Highway 51 (US 51) is a major south–north United States highway that extends from the western suburbs of New Orleans, Louisiana, to within of the Wisconsin–Michigan state line. As most of the United States Numbered Hi ...

. U.S. 51 now bypasses the town to the west, leaving

Illinois Route 251 Illinois Route 251 is a north–south state highway that runs on the former alignment of U.S. Route 51 before Interstate 39 was built in north central Illinois. It runs from U.S. 51 at the border with Wisconsin to I-39 and U.S. 51 south of ...

as the main north–south road through town.

Geography

Kappa is located at (40.676439, -89.009349). According to the 2010 census, Kappa 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 170 people, 63 households, and 48 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 67 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 97.06%

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 ...

, 1.18% Native American, 1.76% from other 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 2.35% of the population. There were 63 households, out of which 47.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.7% 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, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.8% were non-families. 20.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.08. In the village, the population was spread out, with 32.4% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 34.1% from 25 to 44, 19.4% from 45 to 64, and 8.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.9 males. The median income for a household in the village was $46,786, and the median income for a family was $50,417. Males had a median income of $35,417 versus $21,250 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 $17,451. About 6.0% of families and 9.6% 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 14.6% of those under the age of eighteen and 12.5% of those 65 or over.

Attractions

Recreation and entertainment

The small village's main attraction is the Kappa Gentlemen's Club, a

strip club A strip club (also known as a strip joint, striptease bar, peeler bar, gentlemen's club, among others) is a venue where strippers provide adult entertainment, predominantly in the form of striptease and other erotic dances including lap dances. St ...

that has been the subject of multiple legal cases, including a

prostitution Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, no ...

bust as part of an undercover sting operation in 2008.

References

External links

Kappa, Illinois, Early Families and History
{{authority control Villages in Woodford County, Illinois Peoria metropolitan area, Illinois Populated places established in 1833 1833 establishments in Illinois Villages in Illinois