Clinton, Illinois

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Clinton is the largest city in and the county seat of DeWitt County, Illinois, United States. The population was 6,898 at the 2023 census.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref>

The city and the county are named for DeWitt Clinton, governor of New York, 1817–1823. Clinton Nuclear Generating Station is located six miles away on Clinton Lake.

History

The city was founded in 1835 by Jesse W. Fell of Bloomington, Illinois, a land speculator and lawyer, and James Allen, a representative in the Illinois State Legislature. The two men were on their way from Decatur, Illinois back to Bloomington after a business trip and stopped to rest their horses on the open prairie halfway between the two cities. It occurred to them that this was an ideal location for a settlement, as there was nothing else nearby. They named the town in honor of DeWitt Clinton.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Clinton is on the 8th Judicial Circuit, on which Abraham Lincoln traveled, along with Judge David Davis, for twenty years. Lincoln acted as lawyer because lawyers were scarce in the area at the time.Template:Citation needed

One of the two registered historical locations in DeWitt County, the C.H. Moore House, is located in Clinton. The house was purchased and improved by lawyer Clifton H. Moore in the 1880s, and is now the DeWitt County Museum. Moore's private library of more than 7,000 volumes was left to the city upon his death in 1901. These books would make up the first collection of the Vespasian Warner Public Library, founded by and named for Moore's son-in-law.Template:Citation needed

In 1858, Abraham Lincoln gave a speech in Clinton to which the following quotation has been attributed:<ref>Lincoln Legends: Myths, Hoaxes, and Confabulations associated with our greatest President. Edward Steers, Jr.</ref> Template:Cquote on Sept. 18, according to Carl Sandburg. However, there is no official transcript of the speech. Lincoln's collected papers has a version of the speech taken from a contemporary copy in the Bloomington Pantagraph which doesn't contain it. It has also been attributed to a speech by Lincoln in Bloomington, IL two years earlier, and there is controversy over whether or not Lincoln ever said it at all.Template:Citation needed

Geography

Clinton, Illinois (2015)

Clinton is centrally located in the heart of Illinois and is accessible from Routes 51, 54, and 10.

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Clinton has a total area of Template:Convert, all land.<ref name="gaz2021">Template:Cite web</ref>

Demographics

Template:US Census populationAs of the 2020 census<ref name=":0" /> there were 7,004 people, 3,102 households, and 1,676 families residing in the city. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 3,384 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the city was 91.49% White, 1.06% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.16% Pacific Islander, 2.60% from other races, and 4.21% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.15% of the population.

There were 3,102 households, out of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.78% were married couples living together, 13.25% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.97% were non-families. 42.94% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.67% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.97 and the average family size was 2.18.

The city's age distribution consisted of 24.3% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 25% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 19.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $46,741, and the median income for a family was $63,125. Males had a median income of $40,918 versus $26,554 for females. The per capita income for the city was $27,368. About 9.2% of families and 15.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.2% of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

The major employers in Clinton include the Clinton Nuclear Power Plant, Warner Hospital & Health Services and HNC Products Inc., and Liberty Village of Clinton.Template:Citation needed

Attractions

Recreation and entertainment

  • The annual Apple and Pork Festival draws ten times or more of the population to the city to visit, partake, and purchase items typifying the town.<ref name="clinton-visit-page">Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Terror on Washington Street is an annual haunted house run by Clinton's Chamber of Commerce.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • May Days is an annual festival that has carnival rides as well as live music and various other entertainment events.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Nature and wildlife

Other attractions

Notable people

References

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