Belvidere, Illinois

Encyclopedia : B : BE : BEL : Belvidere, Illinois

Belvidere is a city in Boone County, Illinois, United States. The population was 20,820 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Boone County^{[Geographic references#6GR6]}.

Contents

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 History

3.1 Early Belvidere
3.2 1967 Tornado
3.3 Businesses in Belvidere

4 External links

Geography

Belvidere is located at [42°15′17″N, 88°50′39″W] (42.254758, -88.844093)^{[Geographic references#1GR1]}, and sits at an altitude that is approximately 800 feet above sea level. Located in north central Illinois, Belvidere is approximately 75 miles northwest of the downtown of Chicago, Illinois, and approximately 12 miles east of Rockford, Illinois. Belvidere is divided by the Kishwaukee River.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 23.6 km² (9.1 mi²). 23.5 km² (9.1 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.55%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census^{[Geographic references#2GR2]} of 2000, there were 20,820 people, 7,531 households, and 5,324 families residing in the city. The population density was 886.3/km² (2,295.3/mi²). There were 7,970 housing units at an average density of 339.3/km² (878.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 84.53% White, 1.15% African American, 0.37% Native American, 0.45% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 11.57% from other races, and 1.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 20.07% of the population.

There were 7,531 households out of which 38.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.9% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.3% were non-families. 24.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.26.

In the city the population was spread out with 29.7% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 31.2% from 25 to 44, 18.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 97.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $42,529, and the median income for a family was $50,601. Males had a median income of $37,116 versus $24,454 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,804. About 7.8% of families and 10.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.0% of those under age 18 and 8.0% of those age 65 or over.

History

Early Belvidere

The location where Belvidere now sits was first settled in 1835 by a Mr. Whitney, who in tribute named the place Elysian Fields. The name was later changed to Belvidere by a Mr. Peck.

Belvidere was originally built on the north side of the Kishwaukee River. In 1851, a railroad was built south of the river, the business section followed to the south side of the river, where Belvidere's "downtown" is now located.

1967 Tornado

On April 21, 1967 a devastating tornado struck Belvidere. Twenty-four lives were lost in the tornado, many of whom were school children. The F4 tornado struck at the end of the school day of Belvidere High School, while many children including those that attended area grade schools were waiting on school buses outside of the high school. Out of sixteen school buses outside of the high school, twelve were overturned or thrown. The tornado did US$ 22 million in damage, demolished over 100 homes, and injured over 300 (see the Belvidere Tornado Outbreak).

Businesses in Belvidere

[Belvedere Company] 2964 Newburg Rd, Belvidere, IL 61008 815-544-3131 Industry: Beauty Salon Equipment

[Belvidere School District 100] 1201 5th Ave, Belvidere, IL 61008 815-544-0301 Industry:Education System

[CamCar/Textron Inc.] 826 E.Madison Street, Belvidere, IL 61008 815-544-0331 Industry: Fastener Manufacturing

[Carpenter Components Of Illinois] 2340 Newburg Rd, Belvidere, Il 61008 815-544-1699 Industry: Carpentry

[DaimlerChrysler Corporation] 3000 Chrysler Drive, Belvidere, Il 61008 815-547-2200 Industry: Automotive Plant

[Dean Foods] 630 Meadow Street, Belvidere, Il 61008 815-544-2105 Industry: Food Distribution Facility

[Franklin Wire Works] 910 East Lincoln Ave , Belvidere, Il 61008 815-544-6676 Industry: Wire Products Manufacturing

[General Mills] 915 East Pleasant Street, Belvidere, Il 61008 815-547-5311 Industry: Food Distribution Facility

[Cassens Transportation Company] 3060 U. S. Route 20, Belvidere, Il 61008 (815) 547-6357 Industry: Transportation

[PACTIV Corporation] 801 5th Ave, Belvidere, Il 61008 815-547-1200 Industry: Manufacturing of Paperboard and Trays

[Physicians Immediate Care] 303 Andrews Dr. Suite 301, Belvidere, Il 61008 815-544-0040 Industry: Urgent Care/ Healthcare

[Practice Velocity] 303 Andrews Dr. Suite 302, Belvidere, Il 61008 815-544-7480 Industry: Electronic Medical Records

[Walmart] 2101 Gateway Center Drive, Belvidere, Il 61008 815-547-5447 Industry: Retail

[T6 Broadband] 1890 Chrysler Drive, Belvidere, Il 61008 815-547-3885 Industry: Wireless Internet Service Provider (WISP)

[Horizon Distributors] 1890 Chrysler Drive, Belvidere, IL 61008 815-547-3737 Industry: Cleaning/Janitorial Supplies

External links

[1967 Tornado]

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