Onarga, Illinois

Onarga is located in western Iroquois County at 40°42′56″N 88°0′25″W (40.715432, -88.006928).[3] U.S. Route 45 passes through the center of the village, leading north 4 miles (6 km) to Gilman and south 8 miles (13 km) to Buckley. Interstate 57 runs along the western border of the village, with access from Exit 280. I-57 leads north 31 miles (50 km) to Kankakee and south 46 miles (74 km) to Champaign. Chicago is 90 miles (140 km) to the north via I-57.

According to the 2010 census, Onarga has a total area of 1.33 square miles (3.44 km²), all land.[4]

Onarga was originally laid out in the mid-19th century alongside the development of the railroad from Chicago. Because of its close proximity to Spring Creek, Onarga was one of the first settled areas of Iroquois County. The town grew rapidly had population growth but it leveled off and it now maintains small population.

Onarga has tree and shrub nurseries that have been in business for over 100 years, earning Onarga the nickname, "The Nursery Capital of the Midwest." Many fields surrounding the town bear rows of trees and bushes rather than corn and soybeans, which are otherwise ubiquitous throughout the region. The prosperous nursery businesses have led to a great amount of ethnic diversity in Onarga, as many Mexican and Mexican-American migrant workers have chosen to maintain roots in the community.

Onarga celebrated its sesquicentennial with a nearly week-long festival in the summer of 2004, which included social events and a strong focus on the history of the community.

Onarga is the final resting place of Civil War spy and Pinkerton detective Timothy Webster.[6] Onarga was also the location of Allan Pinkerton's weekend estate, The Larches.

Onarga has a golf course, several restaurants, and Lake Arrowhead. The only movie theater in Iroquois County is in Onarga.

Onarga welcome sign

As of the census[8] of 2000, there were 1,438 people, 475 households, and 342 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,097.9 inhabitants per square mile (423.9/km²). There were 525 housing units at an average density of 400.8 per square mile (154.7/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 71.21% White, 2.23% African American, 0.35% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 24.41% from other races, and 1.60% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 35.26% of the population.

There were 475 households, out of which 40.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.2% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.8% were non-families. 24.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.87 and the average family size was 3.42.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 33.1% under the age of 18, 10.4% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 109.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.6 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $35,852, and the median income for a family was $46,016. Males had a median income of $31,146 versus $19,732 for females. The per capita income for the village was $13,623. About 8.0% of families and 10.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.1% of those under age 18 and 5.0% of those age 65 or over.

• List of municipalities in Illinois

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