Ina, Illinois
Encyclopedia
Ina is the southern-most village in Jefferson County
, Illinois
, United States
. The population was 2,455 as of the 2000 census. It is part of the Mount Vernon
Micropolitan Statistical Area
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the village has a total area of 2.4 square miles (6.2 km²), all of it land.
Ina was located on high ground adjacent to the Casey Creek/Big Muddy River
bottoms. The Big Muddy has since been dammed to form Rend Lake
.
families settled in Ina around 1840. They were apparently refugees from the Trail of Tears
. In the 1800s Ina was jokingly referred to as "the Cherokee Reservation."
The main settlement in this area was Spring Garden, about three miles northeast of Ina. Spring Garden prospered from 1848 until the Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad
was built in 1905. After that, the population and business shifted over to the depots at Ina and Bonnie
.
Ina is the home of the Big Muddy River Correctional Center and Rend Lake Community College.
A famous double murder occurred in Ina in 1924, when Rev. Lawrence Hight and his lover Elsie Sweeten poisoned Sweeten's husband, in July, and Hight's wife in September. Autopsies revealed arsenic. Hight and Sweeten were both sent to prison.
Elsie Sweeten was granted another trial and was later acquitted of murder and released from Jail.
of 2000, there are officially 2,455 people, 199 households, and 140 families residing in the village. The population density
was 1,020.6 people per square mile (393.3/km²). There were 233 housing units at an average density of 96.9 per square mile (37.3/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 55.15% White, 41.79% African American, 0.45% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 2.12% from other races
, and 0.24% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.48% of the population.
There were 199 households out of which 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.8% were married couples
living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.6% were non-families. 25.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the village the population was spread out with 5.1% under the age of 18, 18.7% from 18 to 24, 54.9% from 25 to 44, 16.7% from 45 to 64, and 4.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 874.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 1,082.2 males. These last two statistics are heavily influenced by the approximately 1850 male inmates in the Big Muddy River Correctional Center.
The median income for a household in the village was $24,453 and the median income for a family was $32,500. Males had a median income of $33,950 versus $20,625 for females. The per capita income
for the village was $8,596. About 10.4% of families and 19.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.4% of those under age 18 and 21.0% of those age 65 or over.
Jefferson County, Illinois
Jefferson County is a county located in the southern part of the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 38,827, which is a decrease of 3.0% from 40,045 in 2000...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 2,455 as of the 2000 census. It is part of the Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon, Illinois
Mount Vernon is a city located near the center of Jefferson County, Illinois, in the United States. In the 2010 census, the city's reported population was 15,277 people....
Micropolitan Statistical Area
Mount Vernon, Illinois micropolitan area
The Mount Vernon Micropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of two counties in southern Illinois, anchored by the city of Mount Vernon....
.
Geography
Ina is located at 38°9′2"N 88°54′17"W (38.150648, -88.904709).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the village has a total area of 2.4 square miles (6.2 km²), all of it land.
Ina was located on high ground adjacent to the Casey Creek/Big Muddy River
Big Muddy River
The Big Muddy River is a river in southern Illinois. It joins the Mississippi River south of Murphysboro. The Big Muddy has been dammed near Benton, forming Rend Lake.The Big Muddy has a mud bottom for most of its length.-Hydrography:...
bottoms. The Big Muddy has since been dammed to form Rend Lake
Rend Lake
Rend Lake is a -long, -wide southern Illinois reservoir in Franklin and Jefferson Counties near Benton, Illinois. The lake contains 18,900 acres of water, stores of water, and supplies over 15 million gallons of water per day to 300,000 persons in over 60 communities. The reservoir is up to ...
.
History
Many CherokeeCherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
families settled in Ina around 1840. They were apparently refugees from the Trail of Tears
Trail of Tears
The Trail of Tears is a name given to the forced relocation and movement of Native American nations from southeastern parts of the United States following the Indian Removal Act of 1830...
. In the 1800s Ina was jokingly referred to as "the Cherokee Reservation."
The main settlement in this area was Spring Garden, about three miles northeast of Ina. Spring Garden prospered from 1848 until the Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad
Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad
The Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad was a Class I railroad that linked Chicago to southern Illinois, St. Louis, and Evansville. Founded in 1877, it grew aggressively and stayed relatively strong throughout the Great Depression and two World Wars before being purchased by the Missouri Pacific...
was built in 1905. After that, the population and business shifted over to the depots at Ina and Bonnie
Bonnie, Illinois
Bonnie is a village located in the southern part of Jefferson County, Illinois. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 424 people. It is part of the Mount Vernon Micropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
.
Ina is the home of the Big Muddy River Correctional Center and Rend Lake Community College.
A famous double murder occurred in Ina in 1924, when Rev. Lawrence Hight and his lover Elsie Sweeten poisoned Sweeten's husband, in July, and Hight's wife in September. Autopsies revealed arsenic. Hight and Sweeten were both sent to prison.
Elsie Sweeten was granted another trial and was later acquitted of murder and released from Jail.
Demographics
The following population figures for Ina are greatly influenced by the approximately 1850 male inmates who are included from the Big Muddy River Correctional Center, which has been annexed to the original village. (The population of the village outside of the Correctional Center is approximately 600 people.) As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there are officially 2,455 people, 199 households, and 140 families residing in the village. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,020.6 people per square mile (393.3/km²). There were 233 housing units at an average density of 96.9 per square mile (37.3/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 55.15% White, 41.79% African American, 0.45% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 2.12% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.24% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.48% of the population.
There were 199 households out of which 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.8% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.6% were non-families. 25.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the village the population was spread out with 5.1% under the age of 18, 18.7% from 18 to 24, 54.9% from 25 to 44, 16.7% from 45 to 64, and 4.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 874.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 1,082.2 males. These last two statistics are heavily influenced by the approximately 1850 male inmates in the Big Muddy River Correctional Center.
The median income for a household in the village was $24,453 and the median income for a family was $32,500. Males had a median income of $33,950 versus $20,625 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the village was $8,596. About 10.4% of families and 19.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.4% of those under age 18 and 21.0% of those age 65 or over.