Kewanee is a city in Henry County, Illinois, United States. "Kewanee" is the Winnebago word for greater prairie chicken, which lived there. The population was 12,916 at the 2010 census, down from 12,944 in 2000.
According to the 2010 census, Kewanee has a total area of 6.722 square miles (17.41 km2), of which 6.71 square miles (17.38 km2) (or 99.82%) is land and 0.012 square miles (0.03 km2) (or 0.18%) is water.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,944 people, 5,353 households, and 3,377 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,062.1 people per square mile (795.8/km²). There were 5,879 housing units at an average density of 936.6 per square mile (361.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.27% White, 3.68% African American, 0.06% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 3.69% from other races, and 1.95% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.10% of the population.
There were 5,353 households out of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.0% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.9% were non-families. 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the city, the population was spread out with 24.8% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 20.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $29,895, and the median income for a family was $37,730. Males had a median income of $29,065 versus $19,792 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,746. About 10.7% of families and 13.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.0% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.
2010 census
According to the 2010 census, the city had a population of 12,916. Of this, 11,241 (87.03%) were white, 633 (4.90%) were black or African American, 624 (4.83%) were some other race, 325 (2.52%) were two or more races, 51 (0.39%) were Asian, 38 (0.29%) were American Indian or Alaska Native. 1,350 (10.45%) were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Industry
Kewanee was well known in the steam industry for fire-tube boilers. The Kewanee Boiler Corporation manufactured and sold thousands of boilers throughout the world for well over one hundred years. However, the company failed in 2002 and was forced to go out of business. However, these boilers are still extremely common. The Kewanee High School athletic teams are nicknamed the "Boilermakers".
Parks
Kewanee has many different types of parks in the immediate area, offering a variety of activities such as boating, camping, hunting, fishing, playgrounds, baseball fields, and more. Parks inside the city limits are run by the Kewanee Park District.
Schools
Kewanee has had two school districts, dating to when the community of Wethersfield was a separate municipality. Though the towns merged long ago, the two school districts both remain in the city of 13,400, divided at Division Street in the middle of Kewanee. While Kewanee School District #229 has around 2,015 students (533 High School), Wethersfield #230 has about 600 students. The two schools enjoy a usually friendly rivalry, since both district high schools are in different divisions for most sports. However, this rivalry did become very heated in the sports the two high schools once competed in, most notably basketball.
There are also other schools in Kewanee like Visitation Catholic School: home of the Giants, and a community college, Black Hawk College. Black Hawk College-East Campus is recognized nationally for its equestrian program, as well as livestock judging teams. (Another Campus is located in the Quad Cities.)
Festivals
The most notable festival held in the community is Hog Days. It is held annually on Labor Day weekend. Events include a carnival, mud volleyball, a parade, and more.
Local media
FM radio
93.9 KQCJ "Rewind 93.9", Oldies
102.1 W271BL (Translates 93.9 KQCJ), Oldies
102.5 WJRE "HOGG Country 102.5", Country (RDS)
104.3 W282AL (Translates 1450 WKEI), News/Talk
AM radio[edit]
1450 WKEI, News/Talk
Notable businesses
Hotel Kewanee
Sandy's Drive-In National Headquarters
Notable people
Walter T. Bailey, architect
B. Frank Baker, Illinois state senator, businesman, and Mayor of Kewanee
Neville Brand, actor, decorated World War II veteran
Mike Cernovich, American alt-right social media personality and conspiracy theorist
Richard Estes, artist
Frederick Dilley Glidden (pen name Luke Short), Western writer, known for Ramrod (1947) and Blood on the Moon (1948)
Bill Goffrier, guitarist for The Embarrassment[9]
Belden Hill, MLB third baseman for the Baltimore Orioles
Em Lindbeck, MLB outfielder for the Detroit Tigers
Glenn McDonald, player for the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks
Albinus Nance, 19th Century governor of Nebraska, was raised in Kewanee
Sod Ryan, American football player
Lindsay Stalzer, professional volleyball player for the Foton Tornadoes, Philippines
Marjabelle Young Stewart, writer and expert on etiquette
Teresa A. Sullivan, President of the University of Virginia
Transportation
The Kewanee Amtrak station serves trains on the Carl Sandburg and Illinois Zephyr daily. The current station was completed April 13, 2012.
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| The osage-orange tree is the lone survivor of a hedgerow planted c. 1840, a concept promoted by Illinois College professor Jonathan Baldwin Turner that became the shelterbelt system saving America’s soils from the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. Because of its significance, Illinois arborist Guy Sternberg led a rally to preserve the 170-year-old tree. THIS TREE IS NOW 179 YEARS OLD AND IT'S STILL HEALTHY. |
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| Kewanee Library |
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