Gifford, Illinois

Gifford is a village in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 911 at the 2020 Census.

Gifford
Village
A picture of Gifford's Main Street
A picture of Gifford's Main Street
Motto: 
America's Hometown
Gifford is located in Champaign County, Illinois
Gifford
Gifford
Location within Champaign County
Gifford is located in Illinois
Gifford
Gifford
Gifford (Illinois)
Coordinates: 40°18′25″N 88°1′19″W
CountryUnited States
StateIllinois
CountyChampaign
Government
 • Village presidentAdam Pannbacker
Area
[1]
 • Total0.44 sq mi (1.15 km2)
 • Land0.44 sq mi (1.15 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
799 ft (244 m)
Population
 (2020)[2]
 • Total911
 • Density2,050/sq mi (792/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
Postal code
61847
Area code217
FIPS code17-29145
Websitehttps://villageofgifford.com/

History

Gifford was laid out in 1876 and named for Benjamin F. Gifford.[3][4] Along with nearby Penfield, the town had a station on the now-defunct Illinois Central Railroad.[5] On August 9, 1894, a fire originating from the barbershop and billiard hall engulfed the entirety of the business district as well as the grain elevator, destroying both completely.[6]

Gifford was heavily damaged by an EF3 tornado on November 17, 2013. The tornado struck shortly before 1:00 PM, destroying more than 20 homes and damaging 200 others.[7][8][9] It took a diagonal path through the center of the village, and nobody was seriously injured.[10]

Geography

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Gifford has a total area of 0.44 square miles (1.14 km2), all land.[11]

Demographics
The welcome sign near U.S. 136
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1880124—
1960609—
197081433.7%
19808484.2%
1990845−0.4%
2000815−3.6%
201097519.6%
2020911−6.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[12]

As of the 2020 census[13] there were 911 people, 365 households, and 220 families residing in the village. The population density was 2,051.80 inhabitants per square mile (792.20/km2). There were 374 housing units at an average density of 842.34 per square mile (325.23/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 94.29% White, 0.55% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.66% from other races, and 4.06% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.87% of the population.

There were 365 households, out of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.32% were married couples living together, 7.95% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.73% were non-families. 34.52% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.73% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 2.28.

The village's age distribution consisted of 21.3% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 16.6% from 25 to 44, 28.9% from 45 to 64, and 27.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 71.6 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $63,472, and the median income for a family was $80,625. Males had a median income of $50,568 versus $37,000 for females. The per capita income for the village was $34,517. About 3.2% of families and 5.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.5% of those under age 18 and 2.3% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

References
  1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  2. "DP1: PROFILE OF GENERAL POPULATION AND HOUSING CHARACTERISTICS". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
  3. Stewart 1918, p. 206.
  4. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. U.S. Government Printing Office. pp. 137.
  5. Stewart 1918, p. 521.
  6. "Gifford's Mishap: An Account of the Fire of Thursday Morning". Champaign County Gazette. Vol. 43, no. 49. August 10, 1894. p. 2. Retrieved November 8, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Gifford heavily damaged by tornado". The News-Gazette. November 17, 2013. Archived from the original on December 6, 2017.
  8. Wurth, Julie (November 18, 2013). "Live from Gifford". The News-Gazette. Archived from the original on November 5, 2021. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  9. Wurth, Julie (November 19, 2021). "Knocked flat by tornadoes, Gifford starts to fight back (w/video)". The News-Gazette. Archived from the original on November 5, 2021. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  10. Kaclch, Tom (November 16, 2015). "Two years after tornado, Gifford blossoming anew". The News-Gazette. Archived from the original on November 5, 2021. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  11. Bureau, US Census. "Gazetteer Files". Census.gov. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  12. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  13. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved June 28, 2022.

Bibliography

Further reading
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