Hoopeston, Illinois | |
|---|---|
 Art in McFerren Park, 2007 | |
| Nickname: Sweetcorn Capital of the World | |
 Location of Hoopeston in Vermilion County, Illinois. | |
  Hoopeston, Illinois Hoopeston's location in Vermilion County | |
| Coordinates:40°27′39″N87°39′49″W / 40.46083°N 87.66361°W /40.46083; -87.66361[1] | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Illinois |
| County | Vermilion |
| Township | Grant |
| Founded | 1871 |
| Organized | 1874 |
| Incorporated | 1877 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Jeff Wise[2] |
| Area | |
• Total | 3.69 sq mi (9.55 km2) |
| • Land | 3.69 sq mi (9.55 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 719 ft (219 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 4,915 |
| • Density | 1,333.42/sq mi (514.91/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code | 60942 |
| Area code | 217 |
| FIPS code | 17-36061 |
| GNIS ID | 2394415[1] |
| Website | cityofhoopeston.com |
Hoopeston (/ˈhʊpstən/) is a city inGrant Township,Vermilion County,Illinois, United States. As of the2020 census, the city population was 4,915.
Hoopeston was laid out in 1871. It was named for Thomas Hoopes, one of the men who offered land for the crossing of two railroads: the Lafayette, Bloomington and Western Railroad and theChicago, Danville and Vincennes Railroad.[4][5] The two railroads separated the town into four sections. The latter railroad still exists and is now operated jointly byCSX Transportation andUnion Pacific Railroad.[6]
In 1890, Greer College was established in Hoopeston, funded by a gift of $40,000 and 500 acres (2.0 km2) of land from John Greer.[5]
Business and manufacturing in Hoopeston have historically been related to agriculture. In 1875, S. S. McCall established the Illinois Canning Company to can locally grown vegetables, and this was so successful that in 1878 the Hoopeston Canning Company was established, which later became part of Stokely-Van Camp, Inc.[5] In addition,Silgan Can (formerly American Can) had a factory which manufactured thetin cans themselves, and anFMC plant manufactured agricultural machinery. There was also an engine company there until at least 1915, theHoopeston Gas Engine Company, which catered to agriculture and home use. Hoopeston was also the location of one of several prisoner of war camps housingGerman soldiers duringWorld War II (seeGerman Prisoner of War Camp, Hoopeston, Illinois); many POWs picked crops for the canneries.
In honor of its agricultural roots, including the growing ofsweet corn, Hoopeston holds a Sweet Corn Festival each September, starting the Thursday beforeLabor Day and ending on Labor Day. In association with the festival, theMiss National Sweetheart is held during the same week. Runners-up from the Miss America state pageants are eligible to compete for the title of Miss National Sweetheart.
Hoopeston is now surrounded by manywind turbines that have been organized into computerizedwind farms.[7]
Hoopeston is located at the intersection ofIllinois Route 1 andIllinois Route 9, about one mile from the north edge of Vermilion County. According to the 2010 census, Hoopeston has a total area of 3.69 square miles (9.56 km2), all land.[8]
| Climate data for Hoopeston, Illinois (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1887–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 69 (21) | 73 (23) | 86 (30) | 93 (34) | 101 (38) | 107 (42) | 111 (44) | 106 (41) | 103 (39) | 94 (34) | 81 (27) | 72 (22) | 111 (44) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 33.5 (0.8) | 38.3 (3.5) | 50.4 (10.2) | 63.9 (17.7) | 74.3 (23.5) | 82.7 (28.2) | 84.8 (29.3) | 83.4 (28.6) | 78.6 (25.9) | 65.6 (18.7) | 50.4 (10.2) | 38.1 (3.4) | 62.0 (16.7) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 25.9 (−3.4) | 30.0 (−1.1) | 40.7 (4.8) | 52.6 (11.4) | 63.4 (17.4) | 72.2 (22.3) | 74.7 (23.7) | 72.9 (22.7) | 66.9 (19.4) | 55.0 (12.8) | 41.8 (5.4) | 31.0 (−0.6) | 52.3 (11.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 18.3 (−7.6) | 21.7 (−5.7) | 30.9 (−0.6) | 41.3 (5.2) | 52.5 (11.4) | 61.7 (16.5) | 64.5 (18.1) | 62.5 (16.9) | 55.2 (12.9) | 44.4 (6.9) | 33.2 (0.7) | 23.9 (−4.5) | 42.5 (5.8) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −24 (−31) | −25 (−32) | −10 (−23) | 4 (−16) | 25 (−4) | 34 (1) | 43 (6) | 36 (2) | 25 (−4) | 9 (−13) | −10 (−23) | −22 (−30) | −25 (−32) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 2.12 (54) | 1.96 (50) | 2.82 (72) | 3.95 (100) | 4.78 (121) | 4.89 (124) | 4.59 (117) | 3.96 (101) | 3.36 (85) | 3.43 (87) | 2.91 (74) | 2.12 (54) | 40.89 (1,039) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 6.5 (17) | 5.2 (13) | 2.2 (5.6) | 0.4 (1.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.1 (0.25) | 0.6 (1.5) | 5.3 (13) | 20.3 (52) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 8.8 | 8.1 | 8.6 | 11.0 | 11.4 | 10.4 | 9.1 | 8.0 | 7.5 | 8.7 | 8.5 | 7.8 | 107.9 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 4.1 | 3.5 | 1.5 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.9 | 2.6 | 13.0 |
| Source:NOAA[9][10] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 1,272 | — | |
| 1890 | 1,911 | 50.2% | |
| 1900 | 3,823 | 100.1% | |
| 1910 | 4,698 | 22.9% | |
| 1920 | 5,451 | 16.0% | |
| 1930 | 5,613 | 3.0% | |
| 1940 | 5,381 | −4.1% | |
| 1950 | 5,992 | 11.4% | |
| 1960 | 6,606 | 10.2% | |
| 1970 | 6,461 | −2.2% | |
| 1980 | 6,411 | −0.8% | |
| 1990 | 5,871 | −8.4% | |
| 2000 | 5,965 | 1.6% | |
| 2010 | 5,351 | −10.3% | |
| 2020 | 4,915 | −8.1% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
Hoopeston is part of theDanville, Illinois,Metropolitan Statistical Area.
As of thecensus[11] of 2010, there were 5,351 people residing in the city. Thepopulation density was 1,451.7 people per square mile. There were 2,529 housing units. The racial makeup of the city was 91.79%White, 0.82%African American, 0.28%Native American, 0.13%Asian, 5.60% fromother races, and 1.37% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 8.38% of the population.
There were 2,369 households, out of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.5% weremarried couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.7% were non-families. 31.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.8% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 20.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,947, and the median income for a family was $39,368. Males had a median income of $31,656 versus $20,474 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $15,055. About 12.3% of families and 13.8% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 16.6% of those under age 18 and 11.7% of those age 65 or over.
Honeywell School, formerly serving 3rd and 4th-grade students, was closed at the end of the 2015–2016 school year due to funding cuts and declining enrollment.[12]
The school teams are named the "Cornjerkers", a term describing farm workers who pickedcorn prior to the use of mechanizedcorn picker implements.
Hoopeston Area High School is the alma mater of formerOhio State University head men's basketball coachThad Matta.
Hoopeston is served by theHoopeston Carnegie Public Library.[13]
The Miss National Sweetheartbeauty pageant was created in 1941. Its contestants are runners-up from theMiss America state pageants who have been invited to Hoopeston for the competition.[14] The event, which has no official ties to the Miss America Organization, is sponsored by the HoopestonJaycees and is held on Labor Day weekend in conjunction with the town's annual Sweetcorn Festival.[15][16] Most contestants were the first runners-up in their state pageants, but second and other runners-up are invited if the first runner-up chooses not to attend.[17] The winner of the title receives a $1,200 scholarship and a pendant shaped like an ear of corn.[17]
Winning this title does not guarantee that a contestant will win a Miss America state title, but since 1980, five Miss National Sweetheart winners have gone on to win both their state and the Miss America title.[17] Since 1970 there have been nine Miss America titleholders who have competed in the National Sweetheart pageant.[18]
In 2016, the Miss America organization officially disassociated itself with the Miss National Sweetheart Organization. Pursuant to their decision, Miss America state pageant contestants are prohibited from competing for Miss National Sweetheart.[19]
Municipalities and communities ofVermilion County, Illinois,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities |  | |
| Villages | ||
| Townships | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Other communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
