Downs, Illinois

Village in Illinois, United States

Downs, Illinois

Village

Location in McLean County, Illinois

Downs

Location in the United States

Coordinates: 40°23′55″N 88°53′22″W﻿ / ﻿40.39861°N 88.88944°W﻿ / 40.39861; -88.88944[1]
Country| United States
State| Illinois
County| McLean
Townships| Downs, Oldtown
Government

• Mayor| Michael James
Area

[2]

• Total

| 3.00 sq mi (7.76 km2)
• Land| 3.00 sq mi (7.76 km2)
• Water| 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation

[1]

| 755 ft (230 m)
Population

(2020)[3]

• Total

| 1,201
• Density| 400.60/sq mi (154.67/km2)
Time zone| UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)| UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code|

61736 (Downs)
61705 (Bloomington)

Area code| 309
GNIS ID| 2398746[1]
FIPS code| 17-20643
Wikimedia Commons| Downs, Illinois
Website| www.villageofdowns.org

Downs is a village in McLean County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,201 at the 2020 census,[3] up from 1,005 in 2010. It is part of the Bloomington-Normal Metropolitan Statistical Area.

## Geography

[edit]

Downs is in southern McLean County, 9 miles (14 km) southeast of Bloomington, the county seat. U.S. Route 150 passes through the northeast side of the village, leading northwest to Bloomington and southeast 6 miles (10 km) to Le Roy. Interstate 74 passes through the southwest side of the village, with access from Exit 142. I-74 leads northwest to Bloomington and southeast 40 miles (64 km) to Champaign.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Downs has a total area of 3.00 square miles (7.77 km2), all land.[2] Kickapoo Creek flows through the northwest side of the village, leading southwest to Salt Creek, a tributary of the Sangamon River, near Lincoln.

## History

[edit]

Downs was originally a small community known as "Delta", established by McLean County settlers in 1829. Previously, the area served as a trading post for the Kickapoo people. When the Indiana, Bloomington and Western Railway was built in 1869, several buildings were dismantled and reconstructed further south to put the town closer to the railroad. The town was then renamed "Priceville" in honor of John Price, a resident who owned the land near the tracks. In 1902, the town's name was changed to "Downs", after postal clerks commonly confused Priceville with the similarly-named Illinois town of Princeville.[4] Downs is named for Lawson Downs, one of the area's pioneer settlers.[5]

## Demographics

[edit]

Historical population Census| Pop.| Note| %±

|
|
|

1920| 295| | —
1930| 295| | 0.0%
1940| 301| | 2.0%
1950| 299| | −0.7%
1960| 497| | 66.2%
1970| 651| | 31.0%
1980| 561| | −13.8%
1990| 620| | 10.5%
2000| 776| | 25.2%
2010| 1,005| | 29.5%
2020| 1,201| | 19.5%
Decennial US Census

As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 776 people, 284 households, and 220 families residing in the village. The population density was 286.8 inhabitants per square mile (110.7/km2). There were 301 housing units at an average density of 111.3 per square mile (43.0/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 97.81% White, 0.90% African American, 0.13% Asian, 0.52% from other races, and 0.64% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.90% of the population. There were 284 households, out of which 43.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.8% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.5% were non-families. 17.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.13.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 30.3% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 35.4% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 7.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years.

The median income for a household in the village was $53,750, and the median income for a family was $56,932. Males had a median income of $37,188 versus $27,308 for females. The per capita income for the village was $22,468. About 5.0% of families and 4.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.0% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over

As of 2010 the population was 1005. The racial and ethnic make-up of the population is 94.6% Non-Hispanic white, 1.7% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 2.2% two or more races and 0.9% Hispanic or Latino.[7]

## School

[edit]

Most children in Downs attend the Tri-Valley schools which are part of District #3, offices located on Washington Street. The Tri-Valley schools are small, and the elementary, middle and high school are all located next to one another. All three schools have been recognized as National Blue Ribbon Schools by the U.S. Department of Education. At one time all classes were held in one building, which now is rundown. The football team won 2A state final in 2015.[8][citation needed]

* The water tower in Downs.

* Church of Saint Mary in Downs.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Downs, Illinois
2. ^ a b "2022 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Illinois". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
3. ^ a b "P1. Race – Downs village, Illinois: 2020 DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
4. ^ "About the Village of Downs". Village of Downs, IL. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
5. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 108.
6. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
7. ^ 2010 Census report
8. ^ Kane, Dave. "Auburn falls to Downs Tri-Valley in 2A state title game". The State Journal. Retrieved April 9, 2016.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of McLean County, Illinois, United States

County seat: Bloomington

Cities|

* Bloomington
* Chenoa
* El Paso‡
* Le Roy
* Lexington

Map of Illinois highlighting McLean County

Town|

* Normal

Villages|

* Anchor
* Arrowsmith
* Bellflower
* Carlock
* Colfax
* Cooksville
* Danvers
* Downs
* Ellsworth
* Gridley
* Heyworth
* Hudson
* McLean
* Saybrook
* Stanford
* Towanda

Townships|

* Allin
* Anchor
* Arrowsmith
* Bellflower
* Bloomington
* Blue Mound
* Cheney's Grove
* Chenoa
* Cropsey
* Dale
* Danvers
* Dawson
* Downs
* Dry Grove
* Empire
* Funk's Grove
* Gridley
* Hudson
* Lawndale
* Lexington
* Martin
* Money Creek
* Mount Hope
* Normal
* Old Town
* Randolph
* Towanda
* West
* White Oak
* Yates

CDPs|

* Shirley
* Twin Grove

Other
communities|

* Barnes
* Bentown
* Bloomington Heights
* Cropsey
* Covell
* Fletcher
* Funks Grove
* Gillum
* Hendrix
* Holder
* Kerrick
* Laurette
* Lytleville
* Meadows
* Merna
* Osman[1][2]
* Padua
* Randolph
* Sabina
* Watkins‡
* Weedman‡
* Weston
* Yuton

Ghost towns|

* Ballard
* Benjaminville
* Kumler

Footnotes|

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

* Illinois portal
* United States portal

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* United States
* Israel

1. ^ Osman Topo Map in McLean County IL
2. ^ "Osman, Illinois". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.

*[Pop.]: Population
*[%±]: Percent change
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