Gardner, Illinois

Gardner is a village in Grundy County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,366 at the 2020 census.[3]

Gardner
Village
Location of Gardner in Grundy County, Illinois.
Location of Gardner in Grundy County, Illinois.
Location of Illinois in the United States
Location of Illinois in the United States
Coordinates: 41°11′35″N 88°18′52″W[1]
CountryUnited States
StateIllinois
CountyGrundy
Government
 • MayorMichael Serena
Area
[2]
 • Total2.94 sq mi (7.62 km2)
 • Land2.91 sq mi (7.54 km2)
 • Water0.03 sq mi (0.07 km2)
Elevation
[1]
577 ft (176 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total1,366
 • Density469.09/sq mi (181.11/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP Code(s)
60424
Area code815
FIPS code17-28638
GNIS feature ID2398944[1]
Wikimedia CommonsGardner, Illinois

Gardner is a small mid-west town about 60 miles (97 km) southwest of Chicago on Historic U.S. 66. Gardner hosts an annual celebration on the first weekend in May in conjunction with the Route 66 Red Carpet Corridor. Gardner is known on U.S. 66 for its historic 2-cell jail and the Riviera Restaurant, 1-mile (1.6 km) east of town, a prohibition hangout of Al Capone with a beer cooler located in a basement vault. On June 8, 2010, the Rivera Restaurant was destroyed by a fire that broke out in the basement.

History

Gardner is named for its founder, Henry C. Gardner.[4]

Geography

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Gardner has a total area of 2.94 square miles (7.61 km2), of which 2.91 square miles (7.54 km2) (or 99.01%) is land and 0.03 square miles (0.08 km2) (or 0.99%) is water.[5]

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1870940—
1880786−16.4%
18901,09439.2%
19001,036−5.3%
1910946−8.7%
1920937−1.0%
1930869−7.3%
1940864−0.6%
195098113.5%
19601,0416.1%
19701,21216.4%
19801,3229.1%
19901,237−6.4%
20001,40613.7%
20101,4634.1%
20201,366−6.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]

As of the 2020 census[3] there were 1,366 people, 569 households, and 413 families residing in the village. The population density was 464.47 inhabitants per square mile (179.33/km2). There were 619 housing units at an average density of 210.47 per square mile (81.26/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 91.80% White, 0.51% African American, 0.59% Native American, 0.59% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 1.61% from other races, and 4.90% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.52% of the population.

There were 569 households, out of which 24.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.91% were married couples living together, 4.75% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.42% were non-families. 20.56% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.27% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.96 and the average family size was 2.51.

The village's age distribution consisted of 15.1% under the age of 18, 12.7% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 29.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 110.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 120.1 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $67,441, and the median income for a family was $71,544. Males had a median income of $56,250 versus $40,383 for females. The per capita income for the village was $35,716. About 5.1% of families and 6.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.3% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Gardner has one grade school and one high school. The high school is known as Gardner-South Wilmington (GSW) High School and is actually the result of three towns combined. Students from the towns of Braceville, East Brooklyn and, South Willmington also attend. GSW competes with Dwight Township High School (Dwight, IL) in several sports including football, track, cross country, and golf.

Notable people
  • Lewis M. Long (1878–1938), U.S. Representative from Illinois, born in Gardner.
  • Charles L. Phillips (1856–1937), U.S. Army brigadier general[7]
  • Harry Traver (1877–1961), American Engineer and Roller Coaster designer, born in Gardner.
  • Robert C. Underwood (1915–1988), Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court, was born in Gardner.[8]

References
  1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Gardner, Illinois
  2. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  3. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  4. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 134.
  5. Bureau, US Census. "Gazetteer Files". Census.gov. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  6. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  7. Brewster, Mary Phillips (June 10, 1939). "Obituary, Charles Leonard Phillips". Seventieth Annual Report of the Association of Graduates of the United States Military Academy. Newburgh, NY: Moore Printing Company. p. 139 – via West Point Digital Library.
  8. Illinois Supreme Court-Robert C. Underwood
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