La Salle, Illinois

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The city of La Salle is located in LaSalle County, Illinois, at the intersection of Interstate 80 and Interstate 39. Originally platted in 1837 over one square mile, the city has grown to 12 square miles. City boundaries extend from the Illinois River and Illinois Michigan Canal to a mile north of Interstate 80 and from the city of Peru on the west to the village of North Utica on the east. Starved Rock State Park is located approximately 5 miles to the east. The population was 9,796 at the 2000 census. La Salle's industries include cement and potassium permanganate products.^{[citation needed]}

Downtown La Salle, Illinois

1 Geography
2 History
3 Notable La Salle Residents
4 Economy
5 Demographics
6 Revival
7 External links

[edit] Geography

La Salle is located at 41°20′28″N, 89°5′27″W (41.341056, -89.090834).^GR1

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 16.7 km² (6.4 mi²). 16.4 km² (6.3 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (1.40%) is water.

[edit] History

La Salle was named in honor of the early French explorer, Robert de La Salle. In presettlement times the Illinois River was navigable upstream only to La Salle; beyond La Salle were a series of portages, in which boats had to be carried around rapids. During the 1830s, the Illinois and Michigan Canal was built to connect the Illinois River with Lake Michigan. La Salle was the southwestern terminus of the Canal; Chicago the northeastern. At first La Salle was the larger of the two cities, but it was soon dwarfed by its partner on the Lake.^{[citation needed]}

Although the original town of La Salle was platted in the 1830s, the city was not incorporated until 1852. Six years after incorporation, two men - Frederich W. Matthiessen and Edward C. Hegeler - established the Matthiessen and Hegeler Zinc Company in La Salle. This company would remain one of the largest employers in the city until its closure in the 1960s. Edward Hegeler built the world famous Hegeler Carus Mansion near his company's site. His daughter, Mary, married Paul Carus - the founder of Carus Chemical Company, another of La Salle's large industries.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Notable La Salle Residents

Paul Carus, Ph. D. (1852‑1919), German-American editor and publisher of Open Court Publishing Company and The Monist^{[citation needed]}
Mike Goff, NFL San Diego Chargers Offensive Guard (La Salle-Peru High School) [1] [2]
David Raccuglia, entrepreneur, photographer (founder and CEO of American Crew Hair Products, High Clientele Photographer) [3] [4]
Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki (1870 - 1966), world-famous Buddhism and Zen author who was instrumental in spreading interest in Zen to the West^{[citation needed]}
Thomas L. Kilbride - Illinois Supreme Court Justice

[edit] Economy

La Salle is home to the Carus Chemical Company, Illinois Cement Company, Air Products, and the J.C. Whitney Retail Store, along with many other local industries and businesses.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 9,796 people, 4,161 households, and 2,471 families residing in the city. The population density was 595.6/km² (1,543.6/mi²). There were 4,510 housing units at an average density of 274.2/km² (710.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.73% White, 1.28% African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.48% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 3.07% from other races, and 1.24% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.22% of the population.

There were 4,161 households out of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.0% were married couples living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.6% were non-families. 35.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.4% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 18.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 98.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $32,491, and the median income for a family was $44,638. Males had a median income of $37,095 versus $21,334 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,099. About 12.1% of families and 15.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.2% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Revival

Downtown La Salle is seeing a revival in business, with the introduction of new businesses with city style in the early 2000s.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] External links

Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 41.341056° -89.090834°
- 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

	Municipalities and Communities of LaSalle County, Illinois (County Seat: Ottawa)
Cities, Towns and Villages	Cedar Point \| Dana \| Earlville \| Grand Ridge \| Kangley \| LaSalle \| Leland \| Leonore \| Lostant \| Marseilles \| Mendota \| Naplate \| North Utica \| Oglesby \| Ottawa \| Peru \| Ransom \| Rutland \| Seneca \| Sheridan \| Streator \| Tonica \| Triumph \| Troy Grove
Townships	Adams \| Allen \| Brookfield \| Bruce \| Dayton \| Deer \| Dimmick \| Eagle \| Earl \| Eden \| Fall River \| Farm Ridge \| Freedom \| Grand Rapids \| Groveland \| Hope \| LaSalle \| Manlius \| Mendota \| Meriden \| Miller \| Mission \| Northville \| Ophir \| Osage \| Ottawa \| Otter Creek \| Peru \| Richland \| Rutland \| Serena \| South Ottawa \| Troy Grove \| Utica \| Vermilion \| Wallace \| Waltham