Oswego, Illinois

Oswego is a village in Kendall County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, the village population was 30,355. Its population has more than doubled since the 2000 census count of 13,326. Oswego is the largest municipality located completely within Kendall County.

Oswego was known by many Chicago area residents for the town drag strip open from 1955 until 1979 where racers from all over the midwest would race custom muscle cars. The drag days are celebrated today even though the strip has been closed for decades.

Geography
Oswego is located at °N, °W (41.690681, -88.341778) and straddles the Fox River.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 6.7 square miles (17.3 km²), of which, 6.6 square miles (17.0 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) of it (1.50%) is water.

Downtown
Downtown Oswego is home to historic buildings and homes, as well as shops and restaurants. The Village of Oswego launched a project to enhance and restore the historic downtown district. This project included significant infrastructure and street scape improvements, such as the installation of brick pavers, sidewalks, landscaping, and decorative streetlights and benches. Hudson Crossing Park, located along the Fox River, opened in October 2004. The Waubonsee Creek Promenade, which stretches from Main Street to the new park, is the final phase of the downtown enhancements.

Several festivals are thrown here including the annual Drag Strip Days, Prairie Fest, Wine on the Fox, the Christmas Walk, and the Memorial Day Parade. The Village also hosts the Oswego Country Market on Sundays from May through October.

In 2008, the Village celebrated its 175th anniversary. In 1833, the Pearce family settled along the banks of Waubonsee Creek and formed the first permanent white settlement of the area.

Oswego School District 308
The Oswego School District serves Oswego, Boulder Hill, Montgomery, Plainfield, Aurora, and Joliet. It operates the following schools:
 * Oswego High School
 * Oswego East High School
 * Traughber Junior High School
 * Thompson Junior High School
 * Bednarcik Junior High School
 * Plank Junior High School
 * East View Elementary School
 * Churchill Elementary School
 * Boulder Hill Elementary School
 * Fox Chase Elementary School
 * Long Beach Elementary School
 * Homestead Elementary School
 * Old Post Elementary School
 * Fox Chase Elementary School
 * The Wheatlands Elementary School
 * Prairie Point Elementary School
 * Wolf's Crossing Elementary School
 * Grande Park Elementary School
 * Southbury Elementary (Opened August 2008)
 * Hunt Club Elementary School (Opened August 2009)

It also contains the area's Opportunity School.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 13,326 people, 4,476 households, and 3,692 families residing in the village. The population density is 781.9/km&sup2; (2,024.5/mi&sup2;). There are 4,591 housing units at an average density of 269.4/km&sup2; (697.5/mi&sup2;). The racial makeup of the village is 93.49% White, 1.79% African American, 0.18% Native American, 1.37% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.79% from other races, and 1.34% from two or more races. 4.99% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 4,476 households out of which 47.4% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 74.0% are married couples living together, 6.3% have a female householder with no husband present, and 17.5% are non-families. 14.0% of all households are made up of individuals and 4.7% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.96 and the average family size is 3.30.

In the village the population is spread out with 31.8% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 37.0% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 7.0% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 33 years. For every 100 females there are 96.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 91.6 males.

The median income for a household in the village is $71,502, and the median income for a family is $75,929. Males have a median income of $55,580 versus $32,484 for females. The per capita income for the village is $27,204. 2.8% of the population and 1.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 3.4% of those under the age of 18 and 3.8% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

In the 2010 census, the Village had 30,355 residents versus 13,326 residents in the 2000 census.

Notable residents

 * Robinson B. Murphy - Civil War musician, Congressional Medal of Honor recipient.
 * Alex Magee - professional American football player.
 * Paul Scheuring - American screenwriter and director.
 * J. Dennis Hastert - former Congressman and Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (1999–2007)
 * Jarrett Payton - professional American football player and son of Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton.