Elwood
Village
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Will
Coordinates	41°24′49″N 88°6′38″W / 41.41361, -88.11056
Area	2.7 sq mi (7 km²)
- land	2.7 sq mi (7 km²)
Population	1,620 (2000)
Density	597.6 /sq mi (231 /km²)
Timezone	CST (UTC-6)
- summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Postal code	60421
Area code	815
Location of Elwood within Illinois
Wikimedia Commons: Elwood, Illinois

Elwood is a village in Will County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,620 at the 2000 census.

Geography

Elwood is located at 41°24′49″N, 88°6′38″W (41.413615, -88.110438).^[1]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 2.7 square miles (7.0 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 1,620 people, 637 households, and 461 families residing in the village. The population density was 597.6 people per square mile (230.8/km²). There were 675 housing units at an average density of 249.0/sq mi (96.2/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 97.59% White, 0.02% African American, 0.56% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.31% from other races, and 1.17% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.01% of the population.

There were 637 households out of which 33.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.9% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.6% were non-families. 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the village the population was spread out with 25.2% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 33.5% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 92.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.1 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $53,125, and the median income for a family was $60,707. Males had a median income of $47,396 versus $27,946 for females. The per capita income for the village was $.22,442. About 4.3% of families and 4.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.7% of those under age 18 and 11.9% of those age 65 or over.

History

Elwood was founded in 1854, and incorporated as a village in 1869. The completion of the Joliet-Bloomington railroad played a major role in the founding of Elwood. By 1900, Elwood remained a small farming community, with a population of about 400. In 1942, the federal government required land with which to train soldiers for World War II. The government chose Elwood as one location, buying farmland and building the Joliet Arsenal. The construction of the arsenal had a role in the development of Elwood, bringing about 175 people there. By 1970, Elwood had a population of about 750. In 1990, the city began to develop, and Elwood's population rose to nearly 1,423 people by 1996. Elwood's population is now 2,300, and development is still occurring.

Elwood is also located along historic Route 66 and its successor I-55.

Famous people

Bill Tuttle was born and raised in Elwood. He was a sure-handed major league outfielder with the Minnesota Twins, the Detroit Tigers and the Kansas City Athletics during the 1950s and 1960s.

Wally "Freak" Kozielski, who formerly was on Mancow's Morning Madhouse, currently resides in Elwood.

Elwood is also the first name of the fictional character Elwood Blues in the 1980 film The Blues Brothers. Fires Two major fires have taken place in Elwood, Il.

The first was on August 26,1995. On that day,the fire station caught fire and burnt to the ground.

The Bills Inn fire occurred on May 5, 2008. The bar was considered a Landmark by the Illinois Historian Society.

References

External links

• Elwood, Illinois is at coordinates 41°24′49″N 88°06′38″W / 41.413615, -88.110438 (Elwood, Illinois)Coordinates: 41°24′49″N 88°06′38″W / 41.413615, -88.110438 (Elwood, Illinois)

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