Canton, Illinois

Canton is the largest city in Fulton County, Illinois in the United States. The population was 18,288 as of the 2000 Census. The Canton Micropolitan Statistical Area covers all of Fulton County; it is in turn part of the wider Peoria-Canton, IL Combined Statistical Area (CSA).

Geography
Canton is located at 40.55774°N, -90.03426°W.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.0 square miles (20.7 km²), of which, 7.8 square miles (20.3 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.4 km²) of it (2.00%) is water.

History
Canton was founded in 1825 by settler Isaac Swan, who mistakenly believed his new town and Canton, China were antipodes. Abundant coal and labor, and the proximity of railroads and the Illinois River made Canton a factory town. The major manufacturing plant in town was P&O (Parlin & Orendorff) Plow Works, later International Harvester, which closed in 1983. In 1997, the 30 acre plant was destroyed by an arson fire, leaving the former industrial heart of the city a smoldering ruin, which has since been leveled. The town's employers now include the Illinois state prison named the Illinois River Correctional Center, the city's Graham Hospital, Spoon River College and retail stores.

Founder Isaac Swan, his infant child, and three other people died in a devastating tornado of June 1835. The city was hit by another F-3 tornado on July 23, 1975. Two people were killed and the storm caused major damage to the downtown area.

Much of the city, particularly the northern portion, has been undermined by room and pillar extraction of coal that took place in the 1800s.

Central Illinois Energy, a locally-financed cooperative, began planning for a corn-fermentation ethanol plant in 2002. Construction and finance delays resulted in its opening in 2007, approximately 4 miles south of the city. Beset by financial problems and construction delays on the plant, the cooperative declared bankruptcy. Central Illinois Energy's assets were bought by a private company, construction was completed, and the plant began production in the Summer of 2008, renamed Riverland Biofuels.

In December 2008, Cook Medical announced that they would open a new medical device factory at the old International Harvester site. Company owner William "Bill" Cook grew up in Canton. Some of the costs related to Cook Medical are planned to be paid for with state funds: a $750,000 Community Development Assistance Program grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and a $1.1 million grant from Illinois Department of Transportation for infrastructure improvements near the plant. Scott Eells, the chief operating officer for Cook Group, has said that the factory will be 45000 sqft and is aiming to have over 300 employees. Bill Cook had previously announced he was buying and renovating several old Canton buildings, including the 1883 Randolph Building on the town square.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 15,288 people, 5,677 households, and 3,616 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,947.8 people per square mile (751.9/km²). There were 6,098 housing units at an average density of 776.9 per square mile (299.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 89.59% White, 8.85% African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.44% from other races, and 0.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.09% of the population.

There were 5,677 households out of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.3% were non-families. 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the city the population was spread out with 20.3% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 31.2% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 18.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 115.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 119.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,011, and the median income for a family was $39,910. Males had a median income of $30,519 versus $20,891 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,012. About 10.1% of families and 13.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.9% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

 * Granville Barrere, (1829–1889) U.S. Representative from Illinois.
 * Tony Blazine, (1912–1963) NFL football player (1935–1941).
 * Burnett M. Chiperfield, (1870–1940) U.S. Representative from Illinois.
 * William "Bill" Cook, (1931–2011) medical device entrepreneur and historic preservationist, founder of the Cook Group.
 * Tim Drummond, (1941–) bass guitarist.
 * Charles Duryea, (1861–1938) automobile manufacturer.
 * Lee Eyerly, (1892–1963) an American civil aviation pioneer and amusement ride manufacturer.
 * Jack Fisk, (1945–) Academy Award-nominated production designer and art director.
 * R. Thomas Flynn, (1938–) retired president of Monroe Community College.
 * James "Boomer" Grigsby, (1981–) NFL football player (2005–2008).
 * Harry Jacobs, (1937–) linebacker at Bradley University and for the Boston Patriots and Buffalo Bills.
 * Elizabeth Magie, (1866–1948) inventor of The Landlord's Game, the precursor to Monopoly.
 * Steven R. Nagel, (1946–) astronaut.
 * Ian Wolfe, (1896–1992) television and movie actor, poet.