Waterloo, Illinois

Waterloo is a city in Monroe County, Illinois, United States. The population was 7,614 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Monroe CountyTemplate:GR.

Geography

Waterloo is located at 38°20′7″N 90°9′10″W (38.335243, -90.152685)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.6 km² (5.6 mi²). 14.4 km² (5.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.89%) is water.

History

The first permanent Anglo-American settlement in the Northwest Territory was founded here in the 1780s, and was called Bellefontaine (French for Beautiful Spring) at the site of a spring on the Kaskaskia Trail between Kaskaskia, Illinois and Cahokia, Illinois. In 1816, Emery Peters Rogers settled here and started a permanent store, mill, and quarry in this area which became known as Peterstown, after his name. Two historic buildings, the Peterstown House and Bellefontaine House, date from this era.

A local creek divided Peterstown to the north and Bellefontaine to the south. In 1818, Charles Carroll of Ireland built on both sides of the creek, calling the entire settlement "Waterloo", after the Battle of Waterloo of 1815.

The town had an influx of German immigrants in the 1840s. It received its town charter in 1849, and rechartered as a city in 1888. It became the Monroe county seat in 1825.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 7,614 people, 2,912 households, and 2,076 families residing in the city. The population density was 527.8/km² (1,367.8/mi²). There were 3,015 housing units at an average density of 209.0/km² (541.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.78% White, 0.01% African American, 0.29% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 0.17% from other races, 0.42% from two or more races, and 0.68% of the population were Hispanic or Latino.

There were 2,912 households out of which 37.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.3% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.7% were non-families. 25.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.05.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.1% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 88.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $46,938, and the median income for a family was $57,894. Males had a median income of $40,892 versus $24,685 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,081. About 2.1% of families and 3.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.8% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.

Famous Residents

Ron Stelhorn- World Renowned Historian

Tom Wiese- Acclaimed Criminalogist

Mildred Boehne- Eldest Living Member of Monroe County

External links

• City of Waterloo

• Waterloo, IL is viewable in Google Earth.