Cherry Valley, Illinois
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| Village of Cherry Valley | |||
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| Coordinates: | |||
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| County | Winnebago | ||
| Government | |||
| - Village President | Jim E. Claeyssen | ||
| Area | |||
| - City | 9.9 km² (3.8 sq mi) | ||
| - Land | 9.7 km² (3.7 sq mi) | ||
| - Water | 0.1 km² (0 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2000) | |||
| - City | 2,191 (city proper) | ||
| - Density | 225.0/km² (582.7/sq mi) | ||
| ? | |||
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | CST (UTC-5) | ||
| Website: Village of Cherry Valley | |||
Cherry Valley is a village located in the Kishwaukee River valley in Winnebago County, with a portion reaching into Boone County, Illinois. The population was 2,191 at the 2000 census. Its current population (2007) is estimated at 3,042.[citation needed]
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[edit] History
Cherry Valley was settled in either 1835[1] or 1839[2], depending on your source, by Joseph Griggs, and incorporated as a village in 1886. Early landmark events for Cherry Valley was the establishment of a mill on the Kishwaukee river, and the coming of the railroad in 1852.[1]
Cherry Valley was originally called Griggs Ford, and then other names, none of which were found suitable. Accordingly the leaders in the Village decided to change the name; people could make choices and put their suggestions in a hat. A Mrs. Butler, from Cherry Valley, New York placed the name of Cherry Valley in the hat and that name won.[2] The core of the Village, centered on its main street businesses in small brick buildings, is surrounded by several blocks of houses built in the 1800's. This late 19th century appearance is further accentuated by turn of the century style lamp lights as well as the original brick paving along the eastern end of main street. [3]
[edit] Relationship with Rockford
Although located close to Rockford, Cherry Valley was far enough away to be considered, for most of its history, not a part of the Rockford community. However, with the advent of modern transportation Cherry Valley became in essence a suburb of Rockford in the early decades of the 20th Century. As the city of Rockford grew and expanded its bounderies it came in direct contact with Cherry Valley. Since that time there have been land control related issues between the two muncipalities. Ultimately these "issues" culminated in a boundary agreement between the two communities in 1991.[citation needed]
Another issue that has also stood between Cherry Valley and its neighbor involved Rockford police checking for city vehicle stickers. Cherry valley residents caught in these road-blocks would have to produce proof of the legitimacy of their non-Rockford residency. Also, Cherry Valley has refused to contribute to regional economic development efforts which have historically benefited the City of Rockford at the expense of surrounding communities and refuses to pay for Rockford Mass Transit to operate bus service within the village; given that the demand for mass transit service comes from Rockford residents, not Cherry Valley residents.[citation needed]
[edit] Cherry Valley Today
In the last dozen years Cherry Valley has seen a shift towards Chicago, with roughly a third of its new residents being former Chicago suburban residents who live in the Village and commute to work in the Chicago suburbs. Being near to an interchange on I-90 (Northwest Tollway) contributed to this shift, and in 2006 the toll booths on the Cherry Valley interchange and exit were removed because of increased traffic flow and the need to remove the chronic traffic jams that had built over the years.[4]
Cherry Valley is considered by many to be a progressive community within the region. Cherry Valley was the first community in the area to implement a comprehensive, curb side recycling program for all its residents. It was also the first community in the area to require full urban improvements for all new subdivisions (sanitary sewer, municipal water, curb, gutters, sidewalks, etc.) Cherry Valley was also the first community in the region to require subdivison developers to dedicated land or fees for the development of parks and open space. Cherry Valley is also a member of the Illinois Municipal League, National League of Cities, International City / County Managers Association, the American Planning Association, and numerous other organizations.[citation needed]
Most of Cherry Valley is within the Rockford School District, with a small portion in the Belvidere School District. There is an elementary school in the village center named after Cherry valley.[citation needed]
[edit] Geography
Cherry Valley is located at (42.239287, -88.962187)GR1. The core of the Village is located a little north of the confluence of the north and south branches of the Kishwaukee river.[5] There is a slight depression as one moves towards the center of the Village, which is a formation of the Kishwaukee river valley.[6]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 9.9 km² (3.8 mi²). 9.7 km² (3.8 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (1.31%) is water. The north branch of the Kishwaukee River travels through Cherry Valley's central business district. The largest body of water in the village is Cherry Valley Lake which is situated just east of the Kishwaukee River in Baumann Park. The Village is served by Interstate 90, Interstate 39, U.S. Route 20 and U.S. Route 51.[citation needed]
Recent annexations (January of 2007) to the South West of the Village along the Kishwaukee River to Baxter Road and Interstate 39 have increased the total area of the Village to 7.44 square miles.[citation needed]
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 2,191 people, 857 households, and 623 families residing in the village. The population density was 225.0/km² (583.3/mi²). There were 887 housing units at an average density of 91.1/km² (236.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the village was 93.98% White, 1.69% African American, 0.18% Native American, 2.56% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.87% from other races, and 0.68% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.19% of the population.
There were 857 households out of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.9% were married couples living together, 5.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.3% were non-families. 22.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.02.
In the village the population was spread out with 25.4% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 33.9% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 8.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 101.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.5 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $59,871, and the median income for a family was $70,833. Males had a median income of $50,943 versus $29,153 for females. The per capita income for the village was $23,725. About 4.7% of families and 6.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.6% of those under age 18 and 2.0% of those age 65 or over. Cherry Valley has the highest income and education levels of any community within the Rockford metropolitan area.
[edit] Development & Growth
The village is home to the million square foot CherryVale Mall, Magic Waters amusement park (Illinois' largest water park), and Kegel Motorcycle Company (the world's oldest Harley-Davidson dealership).[citation needed] Cherry Valley is currently experiencing the greatest amount of growth in its history. Recent retail development includes the "District At CherryVale" lifestyle center which will encompass over 80,000 square feet of upscale retail stores. Announced tenants for the District include Coldwater Creek Granite City Food And Brewery and Barnes & Noble. CBL, the owners of CherryVale Mall, recently expended millions of dollars renovating the interior and exterior of the mall. In addition; JC Penney constructed a 93,000 square foot store on the north side of the mall in 2004. The addition of the JC Penney store provided a fourth anchor to the mall; the other three anchors being Sears, Macy's and Bergner's.[citation needed]
Cherry Valley has used "sales tax rebates" as a primary means of promoting economic development without risking its own revenues. Its most recent success story was redevelopment of a vacated "Menards Cashway Lumber" big box store for use by Collier RV - the largest RV dealership in the Rockford metro area.[citation needed]
Cherry Valley is one of only a handful of communities within Illinois that does not levy a municipal property tax. Operations of the Village are paid for by a 1% sales tax that is levied and collected by the State of Illinois and then distributed to the community. As a result, the overall property tax rate is significantly less than other communities within the Rockford metro area.[citation needed]
The Village recently (January, 2007) annexed over three square miles of land which will include the development of the "Rock 39" Industrial Park located at the Interstate 39 / Baxter Road interchange. Historically a retail oriented community; this annexation will allow the Village to pursue industrial development.[citation needed]
According to a WREX-TV report on March 27, 2007 a Crystal Lake based developer is working to annex two square miles within unincorporated Flora Township to Cherry Valley. There are plans to build as many as 2,000 single family homes in the area. WREX-TV reports that the developer may look to Stillman Valley, Illinois for the development if Cherry Valley does not allow the annexation.
Unlike other communities within the Rockford metro area, the Village of Cherry Valley actively pursues retail development. Cherry Valley is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers and hosts a booth at its' various midwest trade shows.[citation needed]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Cherry Valley Library web page Retrieved on March 8, 2007
- ^ a b Cherry Valley Historical Society, as included in Cherry Valley.org Retrieved on March 1, 2007
- ^ VisitIllinois page with description of Cherry Valley Retrieved on March 8, 2007
- ^ Winnebago Co. related web page with information about rivers Retrieved on March 8, 2007
- ^ Illinois DNR document describing the terrain and valleys along the Kishwaukee river Retrieved on March 8, 2007
[edit] External links
- Cherry Valley, Illinois, official website
- Cherry Valley's Annual Festival held in August
- Cherry Valley Library District
- Cherry Valley Fire Protection District
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
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Municipalities and Communities of Winnebago County, Illinois (County Seat: Rockford) |
|---|---|
| Cities, Towns and Villages | Argyle | Cherry Valley | Durand | Harrison | Loves Park | Machesney Park | New Milford | Pecatonica | Rockford | Rockton | Roscoe | Seward | Shirland | South Beloit | Winnebago |
| Townships | Burritt | Cherry Valley | Durand | Harlem | Harrison | Laona | Owen | Pecatonica | Rockford | Rockton | Roscoe | Seward | Shirland | Winnebago |
| Airports | Chicago/Rockford International Airport |
Categories: Articles with unsourced statements since March 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since February 2007 | Articles lacking sources from February 2007 | All articles lacking sources | Villages in Illinois | Winnebago County, Illinois | Boone County, Illinois
