| Freeport, Illinois |
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| cities in illinois | |
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| stephenson county, illinois | |
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| settlements established in 1838 | |
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GEOGRAPHY Freeport is located at 42°17'31" North, 89°37'49" West (42.292003, -89.630377). It is located approximately 20 miles south of the Wisconsin Border, and at the center of a large agricultural area, located about 25 miles west of Rockford. Highway 20. U.S. 20 is a four-lane divided highway that skirts the community's northern edge. At Rockford, it links with Interstate 90 and 39, giving Freeport residents easy access to the entire Interstate system. I-90 is the major route between Chicago and Minneapolis-St.Paul . I-39 extends from Rockford to Bloomington where it links with I-74 and I-55. From Freeport, Route 20 continues west to historic Galena, Illinois , and the metropolitan area of Dubuque, Iowa . According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 29.6 Km&2 (11.4 Mi&2 ). 29.6 km&2 (11.4 mi&2) of it is land and 0.09% is water. The courthouse of Stephenson County is located in this city. The Areacode for Freeport is 815. SHORT HISTORY OF FREEPORT Originally called Winneshiek, the community took its name from the fact of Tutty Baker and his renowned generosity of a "Free Port" on the river Pecatonica when it incorporated. The name 'Winneshiek' was later adopted, and is preserved to this day, by the Freeport Community Theatre Group. In 1837, Stephenson County was formed and in 1838, Freeport became its seat of government. Linked by a stagecoach with Chicago, the community grew rapidly. In 1840, a frame courthouse was erected and the first school was founded. Within two years, Freeport had two newspapers and in 1853, the two were joined by a third which published in German. By then, the community had a population of 2,000. On August 27, 1858, the most significant of the historic Abraham Lincoln vs. Stephen A. Douglas debates took place in Freeport and gave the nation direction in the following years. Although Stephen Douglas won the election and retained his senate seat, his reply to a question on slavery alienated the South, which called it the "Freeport Heresy," and split the Democratic Party . This enabled Abraham Lincoln to win the Presidency in 1860. A monument to the debate was dedicated in 1903 by President Theodore Roosevelt and stands at this site. A life size statue recreating the event was dedicated in 1992. Another renowned statue, "Lincoln the Debator." by Leonard Crunelle, is a focal point in the city's Taylor Park. Each year there is also a reenactment of the debate, which has been shown on CSPAN television. Freeport is known as "Pretzel City" which gave the High School the mascot of a Pretzel. The Freeport Pretzels, named for a Pretzel factory which once operated here. In 1858, during the migration of the Pennsylvania Germans they decided to locate in Freeport and vicinity. Making of pretzels and brewing of beer then was introduced in Freeport. A pretzel factory was erected, and as a result Freeport became known as the "Pretzel City". At one point a certain baseball coach was petitioning to change the name to the Pioneers. This never happened, and the Pretzel mascot lived on. DEMOGRAPHICS As of the Census of 2000, there were 26,443 people, 11,222 households, and 6,845 families residing in the city. The Population Density was 894.8/km&2 (2,316.9/mi&2). There were 12,471 housing units at an average density of 422.0/km&2 (1,092.7/mi&2). The racial makeup of the city was 81.77% White , 13.81% African American , 0.19% Native American , 0.97% Asian , 0.04% Pacific Islander , 1.00% from Other Races , and 2.22% from two or more races. 2.12% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 11,222 households out of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.1% were Married Couples living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.0% were non-families. 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.1% 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 2.93. In the city the population was spread out with 24.5% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 18.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 87.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $35,399, and the median income for a family was $43,787. Males had a median income of $35,870 versus $25,095 for females. The Per Capita Income for the city was $18,680. 13.1% of the population and 9.9% of families were below the Poverty Line . 18.6% of those under the age of 18 and 9.5% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line. CLAIM TO FAME Freeport's has three primary claims to fame (or infamy). First, it was the site of the second of the Lincoln-Douglas Debates Of 1858 and where Stephen A. Douglas articulated his Freeport Doctrine . Second, Freeport is the birthplace of Charles Guiteau , the assassin of U.S. President James Garfield in 1881 . Third, William Avery Rockefeller , father of John D. Rockefeller , lived in Freeport; he died and was buried there. Freeport is the birthplace of several celebrities. Among them are:
FREEPORT COMMUNITY FESTIVALS
COLLEGES Highland Community College is located in the city. POINTS OF INTEREST REFERENCES
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