Mattoon is a city located in Coles County, Illinois. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 18,291. Mattoon may be best known today for the Mad Gasser attacks of the 1940s.
Mattoon is located at 39°28'44" North, 88°22'23" West (39.478850, -88.373086).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 24.1 km2 (9.3 mi2). 24.1 km2 (9.3 mi2) of it is land and none of it is covered by water.
The terminal moraine of the Wisconsin Glacier is located just to the south of Mattoon. Heading south on I-57 there is an impressive vista from the top of the moraine at the south Mattoon exit. While the moraine is of Wisconsinan age (about 10,000 years before present), the land to the south is of Illinoian age (about 100,000 years before present). The small oil field to the south of the moraine is also attributed to glacial activity: The weight of the glacier to the north created cracks in the underlying bedrock. Oil collected adjacent to these cracks.
As of the census of 2000, there are 18,291 people, 8,105 households, and 4,676 families residing in the city. The population density is 758.6/km2 (1,964.8/mi2). There are 8,830 housing units at an average density of 366.2/km2 (948.5/mi2). The racial makeup of the city is 96.64% White, 1.42% African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.41% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races. 1.27% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 8,105 households out of which 26.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.6% are married couples living together, 10.5% have a female householder with no husband present, and 42.3% are non-families. 35.6% of all households are made up of individuals and 14.9% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.21 and the average family size is 2.87.
In the city the population is spread out with 22.3% under the age of 18, 11.3% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 18.1% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 38 years. For every 100 females there are 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 85.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $31,800, and the median income for a family is $43,780. Males have a median income of $32,339 versus $21,949 for females. The per capita income for the city is $18,186. 13.4% of the population and 7.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 15.5% of those under the age of 18 and 10.0% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
The early settlements near Mattoon were along the headwaters of the Little Wabash River to the southwest of the present town. The River has been dammed to form Lake Paradise. The early settlers were from the South, and tended to settle in the forested areas along creeks. The early settlers distrusted the prairie, which they saw as the source of fevers.
The history of Mattoon is tied to that of local railroads. In 1853, railroad surveyors from the Illinois Central Railroad and Terre Haute and Alton Railroad found their railroads would cross in the Mattoon area, and a burst of investment and land speculation began. The two railroads raced to the meeting point, on the understanding that the first to arrive would not have to pay to maintain the crossing. Local settlers marked out the plots for sale with pegs, and the village was originally known as "Pegtown."
In 1861, the town was officially named after William B. Mattoon, the chief construction engineer working for the Terre Haute and Alton Railroad. The reason for this honor is unclear; some say he won the naming rights because his rail crew arrived first. Others say he beat other claimants in a card game, or that Pegtown residents hoped the wealthy Mattoon would invest in the town if they named it after him. With its combination of excellent transportation and remarkably fertile prairie soils, Mattoon expanded rapidly. By the dawn of the 20th century, Mattoon's growing population and rail access brought manufacturing and industry.
On the night before the Lincoln-Douglas debate of September 18, 1858, at the Coles County Fairgrounds, both Lincoln and Douglas had slept in nearby Mattoon, ,. On June 17, 1861, General Ulysses S. Grant took his first post of the American Civil War when he assumed command of the 21st Illinois Infantry in Mattoon.
In 1865, Amish settlers began a community to the north near Arthur, IL. Amish farmstands and horse-drawn buggies are not uncommon sights in the northern part of Mattoon today.
In the 1890s, Mattoon lead the successful campaign to have a proposed college in eastern Illinois located in Coles County. The citizens were chagrined when neighboring Charleston was chosen as the home of the future Eastern Illinois University instead.
Mattoon has a strong tradition of baseball. The town was home to several minor-league teams in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and still has a thriving junior league. The last stadium, with a capacity of approximately 2,000 seats, was torn down in the late 1950s.
Source:
MattoonIllinois.com
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