Oblong is a village in Crawford County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,466 at the 2010 census, and then was later recorded to be 1,371 in the 2020 census.

History

Oblong was incorporated in 1883. The original town site was on a naturally occurring oblongular prairie, hence the name. The crossroads at the town site was the location of a general store owned by Henry Peck. The prominent sign "Hen. Peck" gave rise to the village's original moniker, Henpeck.

Geography

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Oblong has a total area of , of which (or 99.36%) is land and (or 0.64%) is water.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Oblong had a population of 1,371 and 433 families. The population density was . The median age was 44.0 years. 20.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 25.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 91.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 81.9 males age 18 and over.

0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 597 households in Oblong, of which 25.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 41.5% were married-couple households, 18.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 31.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 35.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

Education

Oblong has one public four-year high school and one public grade school.

References

  • Oblong Chamber of Commerce