Roanoke is a village in Roanoke Township, Woodford County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,960 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Early settlement

Until about 1850, much of northern Illinois was still frontier land and sparsely populated, which the exception of Chicago and towns along the rivers. This changed in 1850, when President Millard Fillmore signed a land grant for the construction of the Illinois Central Railroad, lobbied for by then-lawyers Stephen Douglas and Abraham Lincoln. With the railroad expanding into Central Illinois, new opportunities for settlement by German, Dutch, Irish, Italian, Swedish, and other European immigrants opened up in Woodford County.

Roanoke was one of these settlements. On December 17, 1872, Roanoke was mapped out and lots were offered for sale. The plat of Roanoke was composed of 15 blocks and was bounded by Main, Front, Ann and Pleasant Streets. Two years later in 1874, Roanoke officially became a "Village" in the State of Illinois. Building began immediately in Roanoke and by the time the railroad was complete the population had increased to three hundred. On August 15, 1874, the first election was held for the purpose of electing six trustees for the Village of Roanoke. To this day, the Village has continually filled those six positions. Its name comes from Roanoke, Virginia, from which some of the village's earliest settlers arrived.

Coal mining

The Roanoke area, like most of Illinois, is underlain by rich veins of coal. The second coal shaft in Woodford County was sunk in Roanoke in 1881. Another shaft started in a westerly direction, but this coal was "flinty", or mixed with rock, and digging was discontinued. The mine at its peak employed around 300 men and hoisted 500 tons of coal a day. After the accident, the coal mine continued to operate until 1940, when it was permanently closed due to safety concerns and maintenance issues. In 1941, due to its state of disrepair, the tipple at the mine head collapsed into the shaft, leaving a crater. The crater was filled in, and the remaining equipment sold as scrap.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Roanoke had a population of 1,960. The median age was 41.8 years. 23.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 100.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 97.4 males age 18 and over.

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

There were 798 households in Roanoke, of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 56.8% were married-couple households, 17.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 20.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. of 2000, there were 1,994 people, 765 households, and 559 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 809 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 99.15% White, 0.10% African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.05% Asian, 0.10% from other races, and 0.50% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.15% of the population.

There were 765 households, out of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.6% were married couples living together, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.8% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 24.3% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 21.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 96.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.5 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $43,125, and the median income for a family was $54,750. Males had a median income of $38,375 versus $22,614 for females. The per capita income for the village was $24,489. About 2.9% of families and 4.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.3% of those under age 18 and 2.5% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

  • Frank Frantz (1872–1941), Rough Rider and the final Governor of Oklahoma Territory
  • Glen Gray (1900–1963), jazz saxophonist and orchestra leader
  • William E. Warner, industrial arts professor at Ohio State University and founder of Epsilon Pi Tau honor society

Footnotes

  • Village website
  • Roanoke-Benson School District