Machesney Park, Illinois
Encyclopedia
Machesney Park is a village located in Winnebago County
, Illinois
, United States
. The population was 23,499 at the 2010 census, up from 20,759 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Rockford, Illinois
Metropolitan Statistical Area
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the village has a total area of 12.4 square miles (32.1 km²), of which, 12 square miles (31.1 km²) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (1 km²) of it (3.07%) is water.
of 2000, there were 20,759 people, 7,756 households, and 5,879 families residing in the village. The population density
was 1,728.8 people per square mile (667.4/km²). There were 7,948 housing units at an average density of 661.9 per square mile (255.5/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 95.40% White, 1.37% African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.97% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.81% from other races
, and 1.16% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.81% of the population.
There were 7,756 households out of which 35.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.2% were married couples
living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.2% were non-families. 19.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the village the population was spread out with 26.5% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 24.4% from 45 to 64, and 9.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 98.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.0 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $48,315, and the median income for a family was $53,788. Males had a median income of $38,619 versus $23,279 for females. The per capita income
for the village was $19,685. About 3.2% of families and 5.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.7% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.
aviator. (Note: The Machesney Elementary School across from where the airport was also got named after Fred Machesney's airport) The airfield was Rockford's main airport until the 1950s, when the Greater Rockford airport came on line. In 1928 a famous flight from Rockford to Sweden took off from the field. The attempt failed as the two pilots crashed in Greenland, later being safely rescued. Machesney Field was used by the Army Air Corps during World War II as a stop by fighter aircraft being ferried to the Soviet Union.
This area of unincorporated Winnebago county saw growth pick up after World War II. This led to the formation of North Park, a public water district and volunteer firefighting company, and the unofficial name for the area.
Located next to the Machesney Airport, and located on IL route 251, was a Hires Root Beer stand. It stood out for two reasons; it was shaped like a giant barrel of root beer, and this shape was silhouetted against the flat horizon of the adjacent airport. Machesney Airport closed in 1974, and soon thereafter did the root beer stand. The last known whereabouts of the famous root beer stand...the west side of Hwy.251, north of the mall, under the large powerlines, in the woods where cattle feed.
Several years later the Machesney Park Mall was built on the former airport land. The Mall featured an antique aircraft hanging in the center court. The airplane was to respect Fred Machesney. The first stores to open in the mall were Prange Way and Pranges. The two stores were kitty-corner to each other and they built an indoor walkway that you could walk between the stores. You could then watch the work that was going on in the mall before it completely opened.http://www.labelscar.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/scan0020.jpg
http://www.labelscar.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/scan0017.jpg
Machesney Park became a village in 1981, after being approved in a referendum. Tom Strickland is the current village president.
, with is part of the Harlem School District 122. The Harlem District serves the communities of Loves Park
, Machesney Park, and southern Roscoe
.
Strickland and Terrell also faced each other in the 2005 race for Village President. Strickland, then a Republican, received the Republican nomination by a margin of forty (40) ballots. Defeated by incumbent Democrat Linda Vaughn in the general election, Strickland received a mere 29 percent of the vote.
Tom Strickland was sworn in as village president on May 4, 2009.
Winnebago County, Illinois
Winnebago County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 295,266, which is an increase of 6.1% from 278,418 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 23,499 at the 2010 census, up from 20,759 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Rockford, Illinois
Rockford, Illinois
Rockford is a mid-sized city located on both banks of the Rock River in far northern Illinois. Often referred to as "The Forest City", Rockford is the county seat of Winnebago County, Illinois, USA. As reported in the 2010 U.S. census, the city was home to 152,871 people, the third most populated...
Metropolitan Statistical Area
Rockford metropolitan area
The Rockford Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of two counties in north-central Illinois, anchored by the city of Rockford. As of the 2000 census, the MSA had a population of 320,204...
.
Geography
Machesney Park is located at 42°21′18"N 89°2′27"W (42.354989, -89.040827).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 12.4 square miles (32.1 km²), of which, 12 square miles (31.1 km²) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (1 km²) of it (3.07%) is water.
Demographics
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 were 20,759 people, 7,756 households, and 5,879 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 1,728.8 people per square mile (667.4/km²). There were 7,948 housing units at an average density of 661.9 per square mile (255.5/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 95.40% White, 1.37% African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.97% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.81% 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 1.16% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.81% of the population.
There were 7,756 households out of which 35.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.2% 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, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.2% were non-families. 19.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the village the population was spread out with 26.5% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 24.4% from 45 to 64, and 9.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 98.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.0 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $48,315, and the median income for a family was $53,788. Males had a median income of $38,619 versus $23,279 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 $19,685. About 3.2% of families and 5.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.7% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.
History
The name Machesney Park has its roots in Machesney Airport, which was located on the main street North Second where the Machesney Mall stands today, which was founded in 1927 by Fred Machesney, a BarnstormingBarnstorming
Barnstorming was a popular form of entertainment in the 1920s in which stunt pilots would perform tricks with airplanes, either individually or in groups called a flying circus. Barnstorming was the first major form of civil aviation in the history of flight...
aviator. (Note: The Machesney Elementary School across from where the airport was also got named after Fred Machesney's airport) The airfield was Rockford's main airport until the 1950s, when the Greater Rockford airport came on line. In 1928 a famous flight from Rockford to Sweden took off from the field. The attempt failed as the two pilots crashed in Greenland, later being safely rescued. Machesney Field was used by the Army Air Corps during World War II as a stop by fighter aircraft being ferried to the Soviet Union.
This area of unincorporated Winnebago county saw growth pick up after World War II. This led to the formation of North Park, a public water district and volunteer firefighting company, and the unofficial name for the area.
Located next to the Machesney Airport, and located on IL route 251, was a Hires Root Beer stand. It stood out for two reasons; it was shaped like a giant barrel of root beer, and this shape was silhouetted against the flat horizon of the adjacent airport. Machesney Airport closed in 1974, and soon thereafter did the root beer stand. The last known whereabouts of the famous root beer stand...the west side of Hwy.251, north of the mall, under the large powerlines, in the woods where cattle feed.
Several years later the Machesney Park Mall was built on the former airport land. The Mall featured an antique aircraft hanging in the center court. The airplane was to respect Fred Machesney. The first stores to open in the mall were Prange Way and Pranges. The two stores were kitty-corner to each other and they built an indoor walkway that you could walk between the stores. You could then watch the work that was going on in the mall before it completely opened.http://www.labelscar.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/scan0020.jpg
http://www.labelscar.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/scan0017.jpg
Machesney Park became a village in 1981, after being approved in a referendum. Tom Strickland is the current village president.
Education
The Village is home of Harlem High SchoolHarlem High School (Illinois)
Harlem High School is a public secondary school and part of the Harlem School District 122. With approximately 2,600 students it is located on two campuses in Machesney Park, Illinois. Their sport teams are named the Harlem Huskies. The current principal is Joe Hazen.-External links:...
, with is part of the Harlem School District 122. The Harlem District serves the communities of Loves Park
Loves Park, Illinois
Loves Park is a city in Winnebago County, Illinois, United States. In recent years, the city spread across the eastern Winnebago county line and now reaches into Boone County, Illinois...
, Machesney Park, and southern Roscoe
Roscoe, Illinois
Roscoe is a village in Winnebago County, Illinois, a suburb of Rockford incorporated in 1965. The village is in a suburban area along the Rock River. It is part of the Rockford, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the village population was 10,785, up from 6,244 at the...
.
2009 Elections
The 2009 village president election was a major upset. Eight year incumbent Linda Vaughn (D) was defeated by long-time resident and political rival Tom Strickland (D) in a primary race most people believed Vaughn would win. Strickland then went on to the general election where he defeated Republican challenger Joe Terrell by a 59 to 41 margin. This is the first village president election in Machesney Park history where the Democrat received less than 70 percent of the vote.Strickland and Terrell also faced each other in the 2005 race for Village President. Strickland, then a Republican, received the Republican nomination by a margin of forty (40) ballots. Defeated by incumbent Democrat Linda Vaughn in the general election, Strickland received a mere 29 percent of the vote.
Tom Strickland was sworn in as village president on May 4, 2009.