Marengo, Illinois

thumb|alt=Aerial view of downtown Marengo from the north.|Aerial view of downtown Marengo from the north.

thumb|alt=Sky view of Marengo downtown from the west.|Sky view of Marengo downtown from the west.

Marengo is a city in McHenry County, Illinois, United States on the Kishwaukee River. It lies approximately 60 miles west northwest of Chicago and approximately 30 miles east of Rockford. Per the 2020 census, the population was 7,568.

History

24,000 B.C–1835

Marengo Ridge

The Marengo Ridge conservation area, located north of the town, was formed by the retreating of the Wisconsin glacier roughly 24,000 years ago. Native Americans lived around the area prior to European settlers. When early settlers came to the area it proved difficult to farm. As a result, numerous blocks of timber were spared and still remain on the landscape.

1835–1850

First settlers

The first European settler of Marengo was Calvin Spencer. He is the namesake of Calvin Spencer park. He arrived in the spring of 1835 with his wife and sister. In the autumn of that same year, Moses Spencer, the father of Calvin, also moved to Marengo with his wife who died shortly thereafter, becoming the first death in the town.

In the following few years many settlers came to the area including Ward Burley, John Sponable, and Theophilus Renwick.

Marengo was first named Pleasant Grove after a grove of trees near the town site. The first post office was established in 1841, and was kept by Alfred King, at his residence, one mile west of the present city of Marengo. When the post office was established, it was called Marengo, commemorating the Battle of Marengo. which the first railroad built west out of Chicago. An addition enlarged the depot in the late 1800s, by which time it was owned by the Chicago and North Western Railway, and after that it remained used for purposes of freight until the mid 1960s, although passenger service to marengo ended in 1950.

In 1967, the station was acquired by the nearby Illinois Railway Museum, cut into two large sections, transported via truck, and reassembled on its current site at the museum. The depot still houses a working dispatcher's office, which is used by the Museum on many operating days, and a public waiting room. It is the oldest railway station in regular passenger use west of Pittsburgh.

Since the 1990s the track itself is owned by Union Pacific.

Incorporation

Marengo was incorporated as a “village" February 24, 1857. He went on to play for the Cubs from 1902 to 1909. During that time, the Cubs won the 1906 National League pennant, and back-to-back World Series Championships in 1907 and 1908. He then began a second successful career, coaching at Princeton University, University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, and then his alma mater, the University of Illinois at the Urbana-Champaign Campus where Lundgren Hall is named in his honor.

1950–2000

In the post World War Two years, Marengo continued to be a rural farming community, with some industry. By the 2000s, however much of the industry had left while the farming remained.

2000–present

In the modern times Marengo continues to grow, albeit slowly, while still retaining its rustic charm. It continues to have a farming economy, and an industrial one in the form of Mitsubishi Logisnext Americas and other local manufacturing companies. One of its biggest attractions are the gun stores, which attract individuals from Chicago and elsewhere to come purchase firearms. It also has many conservation areas that attract tourists and serve to protect the area's local fauna and wildlife. As of 2020 all the damages have been repaired.

Geography

The north edge of Marengo is bordered by the Kishwaukee River

According to the 2010 census, Marengo has a total area of , all land.

Major streets

20px Grant Highway
20px State Street
20px Telegraph Street

Climate

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

|+Marengo city, Illinois – Racial and ethnic composition

!Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)

!Pop 2000

!Pop 2010

!% 2000

!% 2010

|White alone (NH)

|5,441

|6,305

|style='background: #ffffe6; |5,758

|85.62%

|82.44%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |76.08%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|16

|41

|style='background: #ffffe6; |94

|0.25%

|0.54%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.24%

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|12

|16

|style='background: #ffffe6; |20

|0.19%

|0.21%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.26%

|Asian alone (NH)

|18

|37

|style='background: #ffffe6; |51

|0.28%

|0.48%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.67%

|Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0

|0.00%

|0.01%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%

|Other race alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |16

|0.00%

|0.09%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.21%

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|42

|69

|style='background: #ffffe6; |248

|0.66%

|0.90%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.28%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|826

|1,172

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,381

|13.00%

|15.32%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |18.25%

|Total

|6,355

|7,648

|style='background: #ffffe6; |7,568

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Marengo had a population of 7,568. The median age was 37.9 years. 24.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 15.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 99.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 97.0 males age 18 and over.

97.2% of residents lived in urban areas, while 2.8% lived in rural areas.

There were 2,933 households in Marengo, of which 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 45.0% were married-couple households, 20.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 26.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. of 2000, there were 6,355 people, 2,387 households, and 1,694 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 2,475 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.07% White, 0.30% African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 5.54% of other races, and 1.53% of two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.00% of the population.

There were 2,387 households, out of which 38.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.9% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.0% were non-families. 24.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.17.

The population was spread out, with 29.3% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $50,214, and the median income for a family was $57,209. Males had a median income of $41,298 versus $26,317 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,225. About 3.9% of families and 4.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.4% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.