Toluca, Illinois
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2397034 Toluca is a city in Marshall 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 population was 1,340 at the 2020 census. 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.


Geography

Toluca is located in eastern Marshall County. Illinois Route 117 passes through the city as Main Street and Santa Fe Avenue, leading north to
Illinois Route 17 Illinois Route 17 (IL 17) is a rural, arterial east–west state highway that runs east from a former ferry crossing in New Boston, Illinois, New Boston along the banks of the Mississippi RiverIllinois Highway EndsIllinois 17. Retrieved Apri ...
and south to Roanoke. Via Route 17, Wenona is to the northeast and
Lacon Lacon can refer to: ;People: * Demetrius Lacon (late 2nd century BC), Greek philosopher * Lacon family, a Sardinian dynasty * Lacon baronets, of the English baronetcy * William Lacon (ca. 1540–1609), English politician * Roland Lacon (ca. 1537â ...
, the Marshall
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 ...
, is to the west. 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 ...
, Toluca has a total area of , all land. The North Branch of Crow Creek runs through the south side of the city, flowing west to Crow Creek and eventually 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 ...
.


History

Toluca was established in 1887 as a stop on the
Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the largest Class 1 railroads in the United States between 1859 and 1996. The Santa Fe was a pioneer in intermodal freight transport; at variou ...
, on land owned by Marshall County native William Twist. In that year, local farmers led by Twist requested that the railroad make Toluca a regular stop. Their request was granted. With the backing of a Chicago firm, a
grain elevator A grain elevator or grain terminal is a facility designed to stockpile or store grain. In the grain trade, the term "grain elevator" also describes a tower containing a bucket elevator or a pneumatic conveyor, which scoops up grain from a lowe ...
was built and maintained by Thomas Colehower of Long Point, Illinois. Colehower built the first house in the area of Toluca now called Old Town. In 1892, the Devlin Coal Company began mining coal at Toluca.The History of Toluca
/ref> The population of Toluca increased, and by 1894 it was incorporated as a city. Its growth continued, fueled by immigrants from
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
,
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
, and
Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...
who came to work in the coal mines. In 1900, it had approximately 2,629 inhabitants. But by 1924, the coal mines were unprofitable and they closed down. The population shrank drastically as a result. Miners from Toluca led a mob for the lynching of F. W. Stewart at Lacon on November 7, 1898.


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 1,339 people, 581 households, and 343 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 633 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.13%
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 ...
, 5.07%
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, 0.37% Asian, 0.60% from other races, and 0.75% 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 0% of the population. There were 581 households, out of which 25.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% 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, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.8% were non-families. 35.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.81. In the city, the population was spread out, with 20.9% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 26.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $37,072, and the median income for a family was $45,956. Males had a median income of $31,964 versus $23,558 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 $20,243. About 4.8% of families and 6.5% 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 7.2% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.


Notable person

*
Ernani Bernardi Ernani Bernardi (October 29, 1911 – January 4, 2006) was a big band musician and politician. Bernardi served on the Los Angeles City Council from 1961 to 1993, representing 7th district and becoming the second longest-serving council member in ...
, big-band musician and member of the Los Angeles City Council, 1961–93


References


External links

* {{authority control Cities in Marshall County, Illinois Cities in Illinois Peoria metropolitan area, Illinois Populated places established in 1887 1887 establishments in Illinois