Carthage (Illinois)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Carthage
Carthage (Illinois)
Carthage
Carthage
Location in Illinois
Basic data
Foundation : 1838
State : United States
State : Illinois
County : Hancock County
Coordinates : 40 ° 25 ′  N , 91 ° 8 ′  W Coordinates: 40 ° 25 ′  N , 91 ° 8 ′  W
Time zone : Central ( UTC − 6 / −5 )
Residents : 2,455 (as of 2009)
Population density : 598.8 inhabitants per km 2
Area : 4.1 km 2  (approx. 2 mi 2 ) of
which 4.1 km 2  (approx. 2 mi 2 ) are land
Height : 204 m
Postal code : 62321
Area code : +1 217
FIPS : 17-11527
GNIS ID : 405658
Mayor : Jim Nightingale

Carthage is a city and administrative seat of Hancock County in western US -amerikanischen state of Illinois . In 2000 Carthage had 2,725 residents; by the 2009 estimate, the population had decreased to 2,455.

Carthage became famous in 1844 for the murder of Joseph Smith , the founder of the Mormon movement.

geography

Carthage lies at 40 ° 24'52 "north latitude and 91 ° 08'00" west longitude and extends over 4.14 km², which consists entirely of land.

Carthage is about 20 km east of the Mississippi , which forms the border with Iowa . A few kilometers downstream is the interface between the three states of Illinois, Iowa and Missouri .

The closest major cities are Burlington , Iowa (35 miles north), Illinois' capital city of Springfield (173 miles southeast), Hannibal , Missouri (59 miles southwest), and Keokuk , Iowa (14 miles west).

US Highway 136 runs through Carthage in a west-east direction and meets Illinois State Route 19 in the city center .

history

The first white settlers settled in the region at the beginning of the 19th century. In 1833 the first simple buildings were erected in the area of ​​today's city, the city was founded in 1838. At the same time, the city became the seat of the county administration.

In 1839, the only execution in Hancock County took place. Efram Fraim , whose defense attorney was later President Abraham Lincoln , was sentenced to hang up for murder and executed.

On June 27, 1844, Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormon Movement, was killed while on remand in Carthage Prison by an angry crowd. He was fatally hit by several bullets while trying to jump out of the window. Shortly before, he had used a Masonic distress signal to convince members of the Masons who were in the crowd to assist him. This made Smith the first US presidential candidate to be murdered during the election campaign.

Demographic data

In the official census in 2000 , the population was 2,725. These were distributed over 1,184 households in 709 families. The population density was 657.6 inhabitants per square kilometer. There were 1,313 residential buildings, which corresponded to a building density of 316.8 buildings per square kilometer.

The population in 2000 was 98.1 percent white , 0.5 percent African American , 0.5 percent Native American and 0.6 percent Asian . 0.3 percent said they came from at least two of these groups. 0.3 percent of the population were Hispanics belonging to any of the above groups.

23.6 percent were under 18 years of age, 7.3 percent between 18 and 24, 25.4 percent between 25 and 44, 21.8 percent between 45 and 64 and 21.9 percent 65 and over. The mean age was 40 years. For every 100 women there were statistically 85.0 men, among those over 18 years old 79.2.

The median income per household was 34,677  US dollars  (USD), the median family income 50,142 USD. The median income for men was $ 36,058 and that for women was $ 19,972. The per capita income was $ 18,269. Around 3.6 percent of families and 8.4 percent of the total population had their income below the poverty line .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ US Census Bureau 2009 Estimate for Carthage, Illinois. Retrieved June 22, 2011
  2. ↑ Google Maps: Carthage, IL - Mississippi River
  3. ↑ Google Maps: Carthage, IL - Burlington, IA
  4. ↑ Google Maps: Carthage, IL - Springfield, IL
  5. ↑ Google Maps: Carthage, IL - Quincy, IL
  6. ↑ Google Maps: Carthage, IL - Keokuk, IA
  7. ^ Hancock County Courthouse. Retrieved June 22, 2011
  8. ↑ Andrew Jenson, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, Salt Lake City, 1901, p. 698; Mervin B. Hogan, Freemasonry and the Lynching at Carthage Jail, Salt Lake City, pp. 10f .; Times & Seasons, July 15, 1844 (5: 585); Orson Whitney, Life of Heber C. Kimball, Salt Lake City, 1888, p. 26; Cecil McGavin, Mormonism & Masonry, Salt Lake City, 1956, p. 17
  9. ↑ US Census Bureau - Carthage, Illinois

Web links

Commons : Carthage, Illinois  - Collection of images, videos, and audio files