HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Sterling is a city in Whiteside County, Illinois, United States, along the Rock River. The population was 14,782 at the 2020 census, down from 15,370 in 2010. Formerly nicknamed "Hardware Capital of the World", the city has long been associated with manufacturing and the steel industry.


History

In 1834, Hezekiah Brink built the first cabin in what was to become Harrisburg. Two years later, William Kirkpatrick settled downstream in an area that became Chatham. In 1838, Harrisburg and Chatham merged to become the Town of Sterling in an effort to become the county seat. The name ''Sterling'' was chosen to honor Major James Sterling, who distinguished himself in the area during the Blackhawk War in 1832. On February 16, 1857, Sterling was incorporated as a city by state law. On July 18, 1856,
Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...
visited Sterling to speak at a rally for the presidential candidate
John C. Fremont John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...
. He spent the night at the home of Sheriff William Manahan, which has since been preserved and renovated into the Lincoln-Manahan Home. He gave his speech in Propheter Park, where a statue has been erected in his honor. The Rock River failed to become a major navigational route as once hoped, but it provided power for the
saw A saw is a tool consisting of a tough blade, Wire saw, wire, or Chainsaw, chain with a hard toothed edge used to cut through material. Various terms are used to describe toothed and abrasive saws. Saws began as serrated materials, and when man ...
and
grist mill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that h ...
s, and later to a booming industrial base. In 1856, the first rail lines were laid in the area. With the power from the river and the transportation provided by the railroads, Sterling's business and industry grew. During the late 19th and early 20th century, the community's industrial bedrock was laid with the founding of Northwestern Steel & Wire Co., Lawrence Brothers Inc, National Manufacturing Co., The Frantz Manufacturing Company, and the Wahl Clipper Corporation. Sterling has diversified and adapted to the 21st century. Its industrial base has expanded; the city has filled two
industrial park An industrial park, also known as industrial estate or trading estate, is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development. An industrial park can be thought of as a more heavyweight version of a business park or office par ...
s and made development for a third and fourth. Retail sales for the region have expanded as Sterling has emerged as a regional retail hub. Outside the city, the landscape is dominated by agricultural fields that typify most of the Midwest. The cities of Sterling, Nebraska, and Sterling, Colorado, were both founded by former residents of Sterling, Illinois, as they branched out across the West.


Geography

Sterling lies along the north bank of the Rock River, opposite its twin city, Rock Falls. The terrain is mostly flat. The land immediately outside of town is almost entirely farmland. The prairie soil is part of one of the world's most fertile growing areas. According to the 2010 census, Sterling has a total area of , of which (or 96.08%) is land and (or 3.92%) is water.


Demographics


2020 census

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 15,596 people, 6,234 households, and 3,946 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 6,596 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 84.36%
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 ...
, 2.25%
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 ...
, 0.41% Native American, 0.81% Asian, 0.01%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 9.82% from other races, and 2.35% 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 19.24% of the population. There were 6,234 households, out of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.2% 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, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.7% were non-families. 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.04. In the city, the population was spread out across age groups, with 25.1% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $37,664, and the median income for a family was $45,531. Males had a median income of $33,047 versus $21,944 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 $19,432. About 7.6% of families and 10.8% 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 17.0% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.


Education

Sterling is served by Sterling Community Unit District 5,
Text list
/ref> which operates Sterling High School, Challand Middle School, Franklin Elementary, Jefferson Elementary, Lincoln Elementary, and Washington Elementary Schools. Wallace School serves as Sterling's public
pre-K Pre-kindergarten (also called pre-K or PK) is a voluntary classroom-based preschool program for children below the age of five in the United States, Canada, Turkey and Greece (when kindergarten starts). It may be delivered through a preschool ...
institution, along with classrooms in Franklin and Jefferson Elementary Schools. Sterling is also home to the Whiteside Area Career Center, adjacent to Sterling High School. WACC hosts a variety of vocational courses, available to students of its member schools in the Sauk Valley. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockford runs two schools in the city: St. Mary's School, serving as both grade school and
middle school Middle school, also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school, is an educational stage between primary school and secondary school. Afghanistan In Afghanistan, middle school includes g ...
, and Newman Central Catholic High School. These schools serve both local
parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...
es, Sacred Heart Church and St. Mary's Church. Christ Lutheran, a
Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
school affiliated with the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, serves students from age 3 through 8th grade.


Notable people

* Frances Cleveland Axtell, legislator; born in Sterling * Chris Birch, Alaska Senator * Terry Brooks, fantasy author * Keith L. Brown, United States diplomat * Clarence Clinton Coe, member of the
Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Assembly is controlled by the Republican ...
* Steve Eddy, pitcher with the
California Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Since 1966, the team has pl ...
* Don E. Fehrenbacher, historian of politics, slavery, and Abraham Lincoln, born in Sterling * Virgil Ferguson, state senator, spent most of adult life in Sterling * Paul J. Flory, Nobel laureate in chemistry; born in Sterling * Mike Foltynewicz, pitcher for the
Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...
and
Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...
; born in Sterling * Austin Hubbard, mixed martial artist competing in the UFC; born in Sterling * Jakob Junis, pitcher for the
Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...
,
San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
* Caroline Kent, abstract artist; born in Sterling * Dan Kolb, pitcher for the Texas Rangers,
Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...
,
Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...
, and the
Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...
; born in Sterling * Jon Krick, Football player * Tim Lawson, author * Joel Ryce-Menuhin, classical pianist and psychologist * Harry B. Mulliken, early 20th century New York City architect; born in Sterling * Michael Bryan Murphy, musician; former lead singer for REO Speedwagon * Kenje Ogata, dentist; Japanese-American WWII pilot * Barbara Riley, author * Jigar Shah, clean energy entrepreneur * Jacqueline Grennan Wexler, American Roman Catholic nun and academic administrator * Jesse Lynch Williams, awarded the first Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1918 * Lexi Rodriguez, former Nebraska Cornhusker volleyball player, Current LOVB Omaha Player


See also

* Northwestern Steel and Wire * Paul W. Dillon Home * Edward N. Kirk * Newman Central Catholic High School


References


External links

* {{Authority control Cities in Illinois Micropolitan areas of Illinois Cities in Whiteside County, Illinois Populated places established in 1838 1838 establishments in Illinois