Lanark, Illinois

Place in Illinois, United States

Lanark

The City of Lanark

Historic commercial buildings in Lanark's business district

Nickname:

Tree City U.S.A.

Location of Lanark in Carroll County, Illinois.

Location of Illinois in the United States

Coordinates: 42°06′08″N 89°50′00″W﻿ / ﻿42.10222°N 89.83333°W﻿ / 42.10222; -89.83333
Country| United States
State| Illinois
County| Carroll
Founded| 1861
Government

• Type| Mayor-Council
• Mayor| (R)
• Mayor| Mark Macomber
Area

[1]

• Total| 1.12 sq mi (2.90 km2)
• Land| 1.12 sq mi (2.90 km2)
• Water| 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation

[2]

| 879 ft (268 m)
Population

(2020)

• Total| 1,504
• Density| 1,341.66/sq mi (518.21/km2)
Time zone| UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)| UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP Code(s)|

61046

Area code| 815
FIPS code| 17-41859
Wikimedia Commons| Lanark, Illinois
Website| http://www.lanarkil.com/

Lanark is a city in Carroll County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,504 at the 2020 census, down from 1,584 at the 2010 census. The city was named after Lanark, in Scotland.[3]

## History[edit]

Under the auspices of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road), Daniel W. Dame purchased 500 acres (200 ha), laid out the city of Lanark, and was elected its first mayor in 1861. In 1886, 40 residents each donated one dollar to form a public library, and a primary and secondary school was completed in August 1871. On November 25, 1893, the original school was destroyed by fire.[4]

Early in the Twentieth Century, Lanark was home to the Cotta steam car company.[5]

In 1986 Lanark High School was consolidated with nearby Shannon High School to form the Eastland School District. The high school and grade school were originally located in Lanark, with the middle school in Shannon. After the end of the 2012–2013 school year, the Eastland School Board made the decision to close the Elementary building in Lanark, and move those students to the Shannon building. The Middle School students were then relocated to the High School building in Lanark, now known as the Eastland Jr/Sr High School.

## Demographics[edit]

Historical population Census| Pop.| Note| %±

|
|
|

1870| 972| | —
1880| 1,198| | 23.3%
1890| 1,295| | 8.1%
1900| 1,306| | 0.8%
1910| 1,175| | −10.0%
1920| 1,297| | 10.4%
1930| 1,208| | −6.9%
1940| 1,292| | 7.0%
1950| 1,359| | 5.2%
1960| 1,473| | 8.4%
1970| 1,495| | 1.5%
1980| 1,483| | −0.8%
1990| 1,382| | −6.8%
2000| 1,584| | 14.6%
2010| 1,457| | −8.0%
2020| 1,504| | 3.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]

As of the 2020 census[7] there were 1,504 people, 617 households, and 433 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,341.66 inhabitants per square mile (518.02/km2). There were 696 housing units at an average density of 620.87 per square mile (239.72/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 93.88% White, 0.60% African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 1.20% from other races, and 3.66% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.53% of the population.

There were 617 households, out of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.38% were married couples living together, 14.59% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.82% were non-families. 25.45% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.18% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 2.32.

The city's age distribution consisted of 22.4% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 21.7% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 23.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $47,917, and the median income for a family was $77,614. Males had a median income of $41,146 versus $23,354 for females. The per capita income for the city was $29,028. About 11.3% of families and 15.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.7% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.

## Geography[edit]

Lanark is located at 42°6′5″N 89°49′56″W﻿ / ﻿42.10139°N 89.83222°W﻿ / 42.10139; -89.83222 (42.101346, -89.832120).[8]

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Lanark has a total area of 1.12 square miles (2.90 km2), all land.[9]

### Climate[edit]

Climate data for Lanark, Illinois

Month  | Jan  | Feb  | Mar  | Apr  | May  | Jun  | Jul  | Aug  | Sep  | Oct  | Nov  | Dec  | Year
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)  | 28
(−2)  | 36
(2)  | 46
(8)  | 61
(16)  | 72
(22)  | 82
(28)  | 84
(29)  | 82
(28)  | 75
(24)  | 64
(18)  | 46
(8)  | 34
(1)  | 59
(15)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)  | 7
(−14)  | 12
(−11)  | 25
(−4)  | 36
(2)  | 46
(8)  | 54
(12)  | 59
(15)  | 55
(13)  | 46
(8)  | 36
(2)  | 27
(−3)  | 14
(−10)  | 35
(2)
Average precipitation inches (mm)  | 1.43
(36.3)  | 1.52
(38.6)  | 2.63
(66.8)  | 3.67
(93.2)  | 4.34
(110.2)  | 4.77
(121.2)  | 3.83
(97.3)  | 4.54
(115.3)  | 3.48
(88.4)  | 2.73
(69.3)  | 2.84
(72.1)  | 2.02
(51.3)  | 37.8
(960)
Source: weather.com[10]

## Education[edit]

Lanark is a part of Eastland Community Unit School District #308, which also includes Shannon and Lake Carroll. Lanark, Shannon and Lake Carroll are the home of the Eastland Cougars. Eastland Elementary School, is located in Shannon and Eastland Jr./Sr. High School, is located in Lanark.

## References[edit]

1. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
2. ^ "USGS detail on Newtown". Retrieved October 21, 2007.
3. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Government Printing Office. pp. 180.
4. ^ "Lanark High School Beavers".
5. ^ Georgano, G.N. Cars: Early and Vintage, 1886-1930. (London: Grange-Universal, 1985).
6. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
7. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
8. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
9. ^ Bureau, US Census. "Gazetteer Files". Census.gov. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
10. ^ "Monthly Averages for Lanark, Illinois". The Weather Channel. Retrieved May 14, 2011.

## External links[edit]

* City of Lanark Homepage
* Lanark Chamber of Commerce
* Eastland School District

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Carroll County, Illinois, United States

County seat: Mount Carroll

Cities|

* Lanark
* Mount Carroll
* Savanna

Map of Illinois highlighting Carroll County

Villages|

* Chadwick
* Milledgeville
* Shannon
* Thomson

Townships|

* Cherry Grove-Shannon
* Elkhorn Grove
* Fairhaven
* Freedom
* Mount Carroll
* Rock Creek-Lima
* Salem
* Savanna
* Washington
* Woodland
* Wysox
* York

CDP|

Lake Carroll

Other
communities|

* Argo Fay
* Arnold
* Ashdale Junction
* Ayers
* Blackhawk
* Burke
* Center Hill
* Ebner
* Elkhorn Grove
* Fair Haven
* Georgetown
* Hazelhurst‡
* Hickory Grove
* Hitt
* Ideal
* Kittredge
* Marcus
* Polsgrove
* South Elkhorn
* Wacker
* Zier Cors

Ghost town|

* Daggett
* Laird's Plat

Footnotes|

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

* Illinois portal
* United States portal

*[Pop.]: Population
*[%±]: Percent change
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template