Freeport, Illinois | |
|---|---|
 Aerial view of Freeport, IL | |
| Nickname(s): Pretzel City, USA | |
 Location of Freeport in Stephenson County, Illinois. | |
  Freeport  Freeport | |
| Coordinates:42°17′31″N89°37′49″W / 42.29194°N 89.63028°W /42.29194; -89.63028 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Illinois |
| County | Stephenson |
| Township | Freeport |
| Founded | 1827 |
| Incorporated | 1838 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Jodi Miller[1] |
| Area | |
• Total | 11.89 sq mi (30.79 km2) |
| • Land | 11.88 sq mi (30.77 km2) |
| • Water | 0.01 sq mi (0.02 km2) |
| Elevation | 778 ft (237 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 23,973 |
| • Density | 2,017.76/sq mi (779.04/km2) |
| ZIP Codes | 61032, 61033 |
| Area code | 815/779 |
| FIPS code | 17-27884 |
| Wikimedia Commons | Freeport, Illinois |
| Website | www |
| [3] | |
Freeport is the largest city inStephenson County, Illinois, United States, and itscounty seat.[4] The population was 23,973 at the2020 census,[5] and the mayor of Freeport is Jodi Miller, elected in 2017. Freeport is known for hosting the secondLincoln–Douglas debate of 1858, and as "Pretzel City, USA", due to a popular local German bakery that became well known for its prolific pretzel production after it opened in 1869.Freeport High School's mascot is the Pretzel to honor its heritage.
The community was originally calledWinneshiek.[6] When it was incorporated, the new municipality took its name from the generosity ofTutty Baker, who was credited with running a "free port" on thePecatonica River. 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 Freeport became its seat of government in 1838. Linked by a stagecoach withChicago, 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, thesecond debate betweenAbraham Lincoln andStephen A. Douglas took place in Freeport and gave the nation direction in the following years. Although Stephen Douglas won the election and retained hisU.S. Senate seat, his reply to a question on slavery alienated the South, which called it the "Freeport Heresy", and split theDemocratic Party.[7] This enabled Abraham Lincoln to win the Presidency in 1860.
A monument to the debate was dedicated in 1903 by PresidentTheodore Roosevelt and stands at this site. A life size statue recreating the event was dedicated in 1992. Another renowned statue,Lincoln the Debator byLeonard Crunelle, is a focal point in the city's Taylor Park. In many years there is also a reenactment of the debate,which has been shown onC-SPAN.
Freeport is known as the "Pretzel City", and its public high school's team is named the Pretzels. The nickname is a reminder of Freeport's ethnic heritage: in the late 1850s, manyGermans, both from Pennsylvania and from their European homeland, resettled in Stephenson County bringing with them their love of pretzel snacks.[8] In 1869, a German immigrant named John Billerbeck[9] established the Billerbeck Bakery, which distributed so many pretzels to residents that the local newspaper later dubbed Freeport the "Pretzel City". The city later capitalized on this nickname in 2003 by starting Freeport's first Pretzel Festival.[10][11]
Before February 1893, a large square of land was purchased from the former Keller-Wittbecker farm in East Freeport.[12] Some of this land had been subdivided and platted as the "Arcade Addition", as Arcade Manufacturing used some of that square of land in 1893 to rebuild its factory after a fire in its original location had destroyed everything.[12] The Arcade Manufacturing Company had been in operation since 1885 when the previousNovelty Iron Works had gone out of business at the corner of Chicago and Jackson streets. That earlier company began as early as 1868. After the 1892 fire, the Arcade Manufacturing Company built an entirely new factory in the Arcade Addition of East Freeport, where they produced coffee mills and other metal products.
Freeport is home to the oldestCarnegie Library in Illinois[13] and one of the first Carnegie Libraries designed by theChicago architectural firm of Patton and Miller. It was renovated into Freeport's city hall[14] and city offices were moved to Carnegie City Hall in February 2017.[15]
The City of Freeport transitioned to thecity manager form of government in May 2017.[citation needed]
Freeport is located approximately 20 miles (32 km) south of the Wisconsin state line, and at the center of a large agricultural area, located about 114 miles (183 km) northwest ofChicago, and 25 miles (40 km) west ofRockford.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.89 square miles (30.8 km2), of which 11.88 square miles (30.8 km2) is land and 0.01 square miles (0.026 km2) is water.[16]
U.S. Route 20 is a four-lane divided highway that skirts the community's northern edge. At Rockford, it links withInterstates 90 and39, giving Freeport residents access to the entire Interstate system. From Freeport, U.S. 20 continues west toGalena, and the metropolitan area ofDubuque,Iowa.
Thearea code for Freeport is 815 with an overlay area code of 779 as of March 17, 2007[update].
ThePecatonica River has flooded Freeport seven times since May 2017. The necessary flood cleanup has cost the city more than $1.5 million.[17]
The frequency of severe weather events appears to be increasing. According to the State Climatologist, "the number of days Freeport has experienced heavy rainfall has steadily increased every decade since 1949."[17] The city is seeking funding to buy out homes in flood-prone neighborhoods. One study estimates that for "every $1 communities like Freeport spend to relocate their residents they will save $6 in future clean ups."[17]
| Climate data for Freeport, Illinois (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1973–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 61 (16) | 69 (21) | 85 (29) | 92 (33) | 96 (36) | 100 (38) | 103 (39) | 101 (38) | 96 (36) | 90 (32) | 77 (25) | 67 (19) | 103 (39) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 27.9 (−2.3) | 32.6 (0.3) | 44.9 (7.2) | 58.2 (14.6) | 69.9 (21.1) | 79.3 (26.3) | 82.4 (28.0) | 80.7 (27.1) | 74.3 (23.5) | 61.5 (16.4) | 46.0 (7.8) | 33.3 (0.7) | 57.6 (14.2) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 19.6 (−6.9) | 23.7 (−4.6) | 35.4 (1.9) | 47.3 (8.5) | 59.1 (15.1) | 69.0 (20.6) | 72.4 (22.4) | 70.3 (21.3) | 62.6 (17.0) | 50.4 (10.2) | 37.1 (2.8) | 25.6 (−3.6) | 47.7 (8.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 11.3 (−11.5) | 14.8 (−9.6) | 25.8 (−3.4) | 36.4 (2.4) | 48.4 (9.1) | 58.6 (14.8) | 62.3 (16.8) | 59.9 (15.5) | 51.0 (10.6) | 39.3 (4.1) | 28.2 (−2.1) | 17.9 (−7.8) | 37.8 (3.2) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −31 (−35) | −31 (−35) | −19 (−28) | 9 (−13) | 25 (−4) | 38 (3) | 46 (8) | 40 (4) | 28 (−2) | 15 (−9) | −5 (−21) | −23 (−31) | −31 (−35) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 1.58 (40) | 1.65 (42) | 2.15 (55) | 3.66 (93) | 4.36 (111) | 5.26 (134) | 4.21 (107) | 4.21 (107) | 4.11 (104) | 2.98 (76) | 2.36 (60) | 1.83 (46) | 38.36 (974) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 9.7 (25) | 8.5 (22) | 3.8 (9.7) | 0.8 (2.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.2 (0.51) | 2.6 (6.6) | 8.9 (23) | 34.5 (88) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 8.7 | 8.0 | 9.4 | 10.7 | 13.1 | 11.7 | 9.8 | 9.7 | 9.0 | 9.4 | 8.1 | 8.7 | 116.3 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 6.0 | 5.0 | 2.9 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.2 | 5.0 | 20.8 |
| Source:NOAA[18][19] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1840 | 491 | — | |
| 1850 | 1,436 | 192.5% | |
| 1860 | 5,376 | 274.4% | |
| 1870 | 7,889 | 46.7% | |
| 1880 | 8,516 | 7.9% | |
| 1890 | 10,189 | 19.6% | |
| 1900 | 13,258 | 30.1% | |
| 1910 | 17,587 | 32.7% | |
| 1920 | 19,669 | 11.8% | |
| 1930 | 22,045 | 12.1% | |
| 1940 | 22,368 | 1.5% | |
| 1950 | 22,467 | 0.4% | |
| 1960 | 26,628 | 18.5% | |
| 1970 | 27,736 | 4.2% | |
| 1980 | 26,266 | −5.3% | |
| 1990 | 25,840 | −1.6% | |
| 2000 | 26,443 | 2.3% | |
| 2010 | 25,638 | −3.0% | |
| 2020 | 23,973 | −6.5% | |
| Census Quickfacts[20] | |||
As of thecensus of 2020,[5] the population was 23,973. Thepopulation density was 2,017.8 inhabitants per square mile (779.1/km2). There were 11,888 housing units at an average density of 1,000.6 per square mile (386.3/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 68.9%White, 17.9%Black orAfrican American, 1.0%Asian, 0.4%Native American, 2.9% fromother races, and 8.8% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 7.1%Hispanic orLatino of any race.
As of thecensus[21] of 2000, there were 26,443 people, 11,222 households, and 6,845 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,316.9 inhabitants per square mile (894.6/km2). There were 12,471 housing units at an average density of 1,092.7 per square mile (421.9/km2). 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% fromother races, and 2.22% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 2.12% of the population.
There were 11,222 households, out of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.1% weremarried 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. Theper capita income for the city was $18,680. About 9.9% of families and 13.1% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 18.6% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.
Tourist sites in the area include theDon Opel Arboretum, a botanical garden with over 3,000 different species of ground coverings, trees and shrubs. TheStephenson County Historical Society Museum includesOscar Taylor House, a one-room schoolhouse, the Industrial/Arcade Toy Museum, an Irish homestead log cabin, and an arboretum.[22] The Freeport Art Museum is located on N. Harlem Avenue.[23]
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Local Freeport media includesWFRL (1570 AM),WFPS Radio (92.1 FM) andThe Journal Standard daily newspaper.
Freeport and surrounding Stephenson County is serviced by Pretzel City Area Transit (PCAT) This is a private company in a partnership with the Senior Resource Center, the city of Freeport provides small bus and/or van transportation throughout all of Stephenson County. With a fleet of 14 small buses / vans, PCAT provides over 83,000 rides per year.[39]
US-20 Runs along the north side of freeport.
Albertus Airport is a civil public-use airport located 3-mile (4.8 km) southeast of the city. The airport is owned by the city.
Freeport has a rail line running east and west on the north side of city. Amtrak "Black Hawk" serviced the city until 2014.[citation needed]Freeport station is a historic station.
Places adjacent to Freeport, Illinois | |
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Municipalities and communities ofStephenson County, Illinois,United States | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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