Bridgeport is a city in Lawrence County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 census, Bridgeport had a population of 1,800.
History
Bridgeport was established in the mid-1850s as a stop along the Ohio and Mississippi Railway. It was named by a railroad official for the bridge that spanned Indian Creek, in the southern part of the city. Bridgeport incorporated in 1896.
Geography
Bridgeport lies southwest of Lawrenceville along Illinois State Route 250.
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Bridgeport has a total area of , of which (or 97.72%) is land and (or 2.28%) is water.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Bridgeport had a population of 1,800. The median age was 39.4 years. 25.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 100.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.6 males age 18 and over.
0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 719 households in Bridgeport, of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 42.1% were married-couple households, 20.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 31.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
In 1960, Bridgeport High School had a total school enrollment of only 385. That year the boys basketball team advanced to the State of Illinois IHSA basketball tournament finals to face a much larger Chicago team, John Marshall. At the time, Illinois, like Indiana in the movie Hoosiers, held a single-class tournament where all schools competed for the same championship. Chicago Marshall's enrollment was listed at 2,333, more than six times that of Bridgeport. Unlike the Indiana team in Hoosiers, Bridgeport lost the championship game, finishing its season with a 33–2 record.
Notable people
<!-- Note:
· Only people who already have a Wikipedia article may appear here. This establishes notability.
· The article must mention how they are associated with Bridgeport, whether born, raised, or residing.
· The fact of their association should have a reliable source cited.
· Alphabetical by last name please.
· All others will be deleted.
-->
- John Lankston, tenor with the New York City Opera and actor in Broadway musicals
- Gary Wagner, a pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Red Sox, was born in Bridgeport.