Danville, Illinois

Danville is a city in Vermilion County, Illinois, United States. It is the principal city of the 'Danville, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area' which encompasses all of Danville and Vermilion County. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 33,904. It is the county seat of Vermilion County.

Geography
Danville is located approximately 120 miles south of Chicago, 35 miles east of Champaign-Urbana, and 90 miles west of Indianapolis, Indiana. Illinois Route 1, U.S. Route 136, and U.S. Route 150 intersect in Danville; Interstate 74 passes through the south end of town. Lake Vermilion is located on the northwest side of town.

Danville's coordinates are °N, °W (40.139273, -87.621507).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 17.1 square miles (44.3 km²), of which, 17.0 square miles (44.0 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) of it (0.58%) is water.

History
Danville was founded in 1827 on sixty acres of land donated by Guy W. Smith and twenty donated by Dan W. Beckwith. The sale of lots was set for April 10, 1827 and advertised in newspapers in Indianapolis, Indiana and the state capital of Vandalia. The first post office was established in May of the same year in the house of Amos Williams, organizer of Vermilion and Edgar Counties and a prominent Danville citizen. Williams and Beckwith drew up the first plat map; the city was named after Dan Beckwith at Williams' suggestion, although Beckwith suggested the names "Williamsburg" and "Williamstown". Beckwith was born in Pennsylvania in 1795 and moved to Indiana as a young man; in 1819 he accompanied the first white explorers to the area where Danville later existed because of his interest in the salt springs of the Vermilion River. He died in 1835 of pneumonia contracted on a horseback ride back from Washington; he was 40 years old. Danville became a major industrial city in the late 19th and early twentieth centuries. From the 1850s to the 1940s, Danville was an important coal mining area; some of the first open pit mining techniques were practiced here. The coal formation underlying eastern Illinois and western Indiana is named the "Danville Member," after the area where it was first discovered. With the closure of the mines and many factories, Danville's economic base suffered in the later half of the 20th century. Today the former mines are still an important natural resource; the pits have been restored into lakes, creating fishing and recreation opportunities at parks such as Kickapoo State Recreation Area.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 33,904 people, 13,327 households, and 8,156 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,994.0 people per square mile (770.0/km²). There were 14,886 housing units at an average density of 875.5/sq mi (338.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 70.19% White, 24.37% African American, 0.21% Native American, 1.20% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 2.09% from other races, and 1.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.57% of the population.

There were 13,327 households out of which 28% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.0% were married couples living together, 15.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.8% were non-families. 33.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.9% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 99.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $30,431, and the median income for a family is $39,308. Males have a median income of $31,027 versus $22,303 for females. The per capita income for the city is $16,476. 18.1% of the population and 13.4% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 26.8% are under the age of 18 and 10.5% are 65 or older

Retail
Danville's main shopping center is the Danville Village Mall, which includes Sears, Elder-Beerman and County Market.

Education
Colleges:
 * Danville Area Community College, host of the NJCAA Men's Division II Basketball Championship
 * Lakeview College of Nursing

High schools:
 * Danville High School
 * Schlarman High School
 * First Baptist Christian School

Middle schools:
 * North Ridge Middle School
 * South View Middle School
 * First Baptist Christian School

Grade schools:
 * Cannon
 * Danville Lutheran School
 * First Baptist Christian School
 * East Park
 * Edison
 * Garfield
 * Liberty
 * Meade Park
 * Northeast
 * Southwest
 * Holy Family
 * Saint Paul's
 * First Baptist Christian School

Notable people from Danville

 * Irving Azoff - Record producer.
 * Joseph Cannon - Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, 1903–1911. Considered to be one of the most powerful Speakers in the history of the House.
 * Keon Clark - former NBA Player and 13th pick in the 1998 NBA Draft
 * Joshua Ferris - Novelist and author of Then We Came to the End.
 * Gene Hackman - Academy Award-winning actor. (Unforgiven, The French Connection)
 * Helen Morgan - Stage and screen star. (Show Boat)
 * Donald O'Connor - Film star and dancer. (Singin' in the Rain)
 * Bobby Short - Cabaret singer, TV/film star and recording artist. Longtime fixture at the Cafe Carlyle in Manhattan.
 * Joseph R. Tanner - NASA astronaut.
 * Dick Van Dyke - Film, TV, and stage star. (Mary Poppins, The Dick Van Dyke Show)
 * Jerry Van Dyke - Film, TV, and stage star. (Coach)
 * Reginald Weaver - President of the National Education Association (NEA)
 * Robin Yount - MLB Hall of Fame Center fielder/Shortstop with the Milwaukee Brewers.
 * Jack Doan- WWE Ref for the RAW brand.
 * Jason Anderson (baseball), baseball player.
 * Helen Wells (1910-1986) - author of nurse Cherry Ames series of books for young girls; wrote volumes #1-7 and 17-27.

Recent mayors

 * 1967-1971: Al Gardner
 * 1971-1975: Rolland E. Craig
 * 1975-1985: David S. Palmer, namesake of David S. Palmer Arena
 * 1985: Wilbur Scharlau, appointed acting mayor by city council following Palmer's death.
 * 1985-1986 Hardin W. Hawes, appointed acting mayor following Scharlau's resignation.
 * 1986-1987 Wilbur Scharlau, appointed mayor following resignation of Hawes.
 * 1987-2003: Robert E. Jones, namesake of Danville Municipal building.
 * 2003-current: Scott Eisenhauer
 * See also: Complete list from 1867 to present

Transportation
The general aviation community is served by the Vermilion County Airport.

Danville is known as a major railroad intersection with at least four different tracks entering town from different directions, resulting in many crossings throughout the town. CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern Railway, and Kankakee, Beaverville and Southern Railroad all operate rail lines that pass through Danville.