Peoria Heights, Illinois
Encyclopedia
Peoria Heights is a village
lying almost entirely in Peoria County
in the U.S. state
of Illinois
. The population was 6,635 at the 2000 census. Peoria Heights is a suburb of Peoria
and is surrounded by the city except for its eastern boundary on Peoria Lake
, a relatively wider section of the Illinois River. It is part of the Peoria, Illinois
Metropolitan Statistical Area
.
, the village has a total area of 6.9 square miles (17.9 km²), of which, 2.6 square miles (6.7 km²) of it is land and 4.3 square miles (11.1 km²) of it (61.79%) is water. That most of the village is water is due to the fact that most of Upper Peoria Lake
lies within its boundaries; this can be seen on official state maps.
Topographically, the village can be roughly divided into three zones. The Illinois River floodplain
, the bluff
, and the plateau
. While its eastern border is fairly regular with the river's edge, the rest of its municipal border, with Peoria, is quite irregular and convoluted.
According to the Census Bureau records through 2007, Peoria Heights lies in three counties (Peoria, Woodford, and Tazewell). While neither Tazewell nor Woodford counties consider Peoria Heights to be within their jurisdiction, the state of Illinois does show that across Peoria Lake from the rest of the village, a small, uninhabited area exists both within Peoria Heights and Woodford County. However, the Census Bureau claim that Peoria Heights is also within Tazewell County is unsupported by any state, county, or municipal websites.
. The road also has several panoramic look-outs of the river and beyond into Tazewell
and Woodford counties as well as a park with a children's playground, picnic area, and baseball diamond. Teddy Roosevelt purportedly called the street the "World's Most Beautiful Drive" when he visited the Peoria area in 1910; WMBD
, a local radio and TV station, gets its call letters from Roosevelt's expression.
The town is also recognized by its distinct, red water tower
. One can ascend the tower in an elevator and survey a sizable portion of Peoria, Tazewell, and Woodford counties. The tower forms the nucleus of Peoria Heights Tower Park. Tower Park is a centerpiece of the community which underwent sweeping and controversial renovations in 2002, costing the Village nearly $800,000.00. The nearby downtown business area includes upscale restaurants and shops. In addition to this water tower there is another modern tower on Toledo Avenue colored a distinctive Red, White, and Blue (the school district colors).
On and below the bluff, there are several parks and recreational areas. Forest Park Nature Center is a nature reserve on the bluff containing several miles of trail
s of varying difficulty and the village's only native prairie restoration
site. The Pimiteoui Trail links up Forest Park Nature Center's visitor center with Grandview Drive. Bielfeldt Park is a more traditional park with sports fields, a paved trail, children's playground, and picnic
area. The southern terminus of Grandview also sports a park with swings, slide, and pavilion.
The Duryea Automobile Company once had a production facility nearby (the reason for the aforementioned visit by Teddy Roosevelt). The town was also the site of a brewery
for Pabst Blue Ribbon
. The closing of the Pabst brewery in 1982 had a severe impact on the local economy and population, from which the community has never completely recovered. The Peoria City mass transit company, CityLink, offers a History Trolley, which starts its tour in the Prospect Commercial Sector.
The Peoria Heights Public Library is located off of Glen and is not far from Grandview Drive or Downtown Peoria Heights.
and the village clerk are each elected at large to a four-year term. The Mayor appoints the Village Treasurer. The Mayor is the Chief Executive Officer of the Village and presides over meetings of the Village Board. With the approval of the Village Board, the Mayor appoints non-elected Village officials. The Village Clerk is the recording officer of the Village, and is responsible for attending all meetings of the Village Board and keeping records of the proceedings. Village Board meetings are the first and third Tuesday of each month.
The Village Board is the legislative body
for the village, and consists of six trustees elected for a four-year term. Their terms are staggered, so that half are elected every two years. Members may be elected for an indefinite number of terms. The Village Board formulates policy and enacts local laws, usually in the form of resolutions and ordinances. The Village Board is directly responsible to the citizens of Peoria Heights.
Peoria Heights has a history of non-national political parties
. The "Village Party" and the "People's Party" were once prominent in local elections. Today the "Village Party" is defunct and the "People's Party" has lost in the last four elections to Independent candidates.
. The district nickname is "The Patriots". Peoria Heights Grade School and High School are located next to one another on Glen Avenue. Peoria Heights High School
was built in the 1970s and is notable for its circular design. Most of the first floor classrooms are arrayed on the outside like spokes on a wheel, much like Maine West High School
, in Des Plaines, Illinois
. When first designed the classes were entirely open
to the majority of the building, visible even from the upstairs offices, nicknamed "the crow's nest". They were later partitioned, first by dividers then by dry wall, constructed by the shop classes. Peoria Heights Grade School was built in the late 1990s and consolidated the Village's earlier two grade schools, Kelly Avenue Grade School and Monroe Grade School. It is recognizable for its large bicycle-shaped clock which used to be afixed to the front of Kelly Avenue School.
St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Elementary School is another prominent school found in the village.
of 2000, there were 6,635 people, 3,122 households, and 1,657 families residing in the village. The population density
was 2,509.0 people per square mile (970.4/km²). There were 3,331 housing units at an average density of 1,259.6 per square mile (487.2/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 92.89% White, 3.45% African American, 0.32% Native American, 1.07% Asian, 1.06% from other races
, and 1.22% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.90% of the population.
There were 3,122 households out of which 22.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.5% were married couples
living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.9% were non-families. 39.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.10 and the average family size was 2.82.
In the village the population was spread out with 20.3% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 31.6% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 93.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.6 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $32,161, and the median income for a family was $42,545. Males had a median income of $33,408 versus $22,000 for females. The per capita income
for the village was $20,999. About 6.7% of families and 8.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.3% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over.
Village (United States)
In the United States, the meaning of "village" varies by geographic area and legal jurisdiction. In many areas, "village" is a term, sometimes informal, for a type of administrative division at the local government level...
lying almost entirely in Peoria County
Peoria County, Illinois
Peoria County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 186,494, which is an increase of 1.7% from 183,433 in 2000. Its county seat is Peoria....
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of 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,...
. The population was 6,635 at the 2000 census. Peoria Heights is a suburb of Peoria
Peoria, Illinois
Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...
and is surrounded by the city except for its eastern boundary on Peoria Lake
Peoria Lake
Peoria Lake is a section of the Illinois River between Peoria in Peoria County, Illinois and East Peoria in Tazewell County, Illinois. The oldest section of Peoria, the largest city on the river, lies at its shores....
, a relatively wider section of the Illinois River. It is part of the Peoria, Illinois
Peoria, Illinois
Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...
Metropolitan Statistical Area
Peoria metropolitan area
The Peoria Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of five counties in Central Illinois, anchored by the city of Peoria...
.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited 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 6.9 square miles (17.9 km²), of which, 2.6 square miles (6.7 km²) of it is land and 4.3 square miles (11.1 km²) of it (61.79%) is water. That most of the village is water is due to the fact that most of Upper Peoria Lake
Upper Peoria Lake
Upper Peoria Lake is a section of the Illinois River primarily between Peoria County and Woodford County, Illinois, United States. The lake runs from South Rome to Peoria Heights, with Spring Bay and the Detweiller Marina area of Peoria near the middle...
lies within its boundaries; this can be seen on official state maps.
Topographically, the village can be roughly divided into three zones. The Illinois River floodplain
Floodplain
A floodplain, or flood plain, is a flat or nearly flat land adjacent a stream or river that stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls and experiences flooding during periods of high discharge...
, the bluff
Hill
A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills often have a distinct summit, although in areas with scarp/dip topography a hill may refer to a particular section of flat terrain without a massive summit A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills...
, and the plateau
Plateau
In geology and earth science, a plateau , also called a high plain or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain. A highly eroded plateau is called a dissected plateau...
. While its eastern border is fairly regular with the river's edge, the rest of its municipal border, with Peoria, is quite irregular and convoluted.
According to the Census Bureau records through 2007, Peoria Heights lies in three counties (Peoria, Woodford, and Tazewell). While neither Tazewell nor Woodford counties consider Peoria Heights to be within their jurisdiction, the state of Illinois does show that across Peoria Lake from the rest of the village, a small, uninhabited area exists both within Peoria Heights and Woodford County. However, the Census Bureau claim that Peoria Heights is also within Tazewell County is unsupported by any state, county, or municipal websites.
Landmarks
The village is perhaps most noteworthy for its Grand View Drive, a residential street on top of the bluff overlooking the Illinois River with many elegant homes and a country clubCountry club
A country club is a private club, often with a closed membership, that typically offers a variety of recreational sports facilities and is located in city outskirts or rural areas. Activities may include, for example, any of golf, tennis, swimming or polo...
. The road also has several panoramic look-outs of the river and beyond into Tazewell
Tazewell County, Illinois
Tazewell County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 135,394, which is an increase of 5.4% from 128,485 in 2000. Its county seat and largest city is Pekin. The majority of the population live in the suburbs and bedroom communities...
and Woodford counties as well as a park with a children's playground, picnic area, and baseball diamond. Teddy Roosevelt purportedly called the street the "World's Most Beautiful Drive" when he visited the Peoria area in 1910; WMBD
WMBD
WMBD may refer to:* WMBD , a radio station licensed to Peoria, Illinois, United States* WMBD-TV, a television station licensed to Peoria, Illinois, United States...
, a local radio and TV station, gets its call letters from Roosevelt's expression.
The town is also recognized by its distinct, red water tower
Water tower
A water tower or elevated water tower is a large elevated drinking water storage container constructed to hold a water supply at a height sufficient to pressurize a water distribution system....
. One can ascend the tower in an elevator and survey a sizable portion of Peoria, Tazewell, and Woodford counties. The tower forms the nucleus of Peoria Heights Tower Park. Tower Park is a centerpiece of the community which underwent sweeping and controversial renovations in 2002, costing the Village nearly $800,000.00. The nearby downtown business area includes upscale restaurants and shops. In addition to this water tower there is another modern tower on Toledo Avenue colored a distinctive Red, White, and Blue (the school district colors).
On and below the bluff, there are several parks and recreational areas. Forest Park Nature Center is a nature reserve on the bluff containing several miles of trail
Trail
A trail is a path with a rough beaten or dirt/stone surface used for travel. Trails may be for use only by walkers and in some places are the main access route to remote settlements...
s of varying difficulty and the village's only native prairie restoration
Prairie Restoration
Prairie restoration is an ecologically friendly way to restore some of the prairie land that was lost to industry, farming and commerce. For example, the U.S...
site. The Pimiteoui Trail links up Forest Park Nature Center's visitor center with Grandview Drive. Bielfeldt Park is a more traditional park with sports fields, a paved trail, children's playground, and picnic
Picnic
In contemporary usage, a picnic can be defined simply as a pleasure excursion at which a meal is eaten outdoors , ideally taking place in a beautiful landscape such as a park, beside a lake or with an interesting view and possibly at a public event such as before an open air theatre performance,...
area. The southern terminus of Grandview also sports a park with swings, slide, and pavilion.
The Duryea Automobile Company once had a production facility nearby (the reason for the aforementioned visit by Teddy Roosevelt). The town was also the site of a brewery
Brewery
A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
for Pabst Blue Ribbon
Pabst Blue Ribbon
Pabst Blue Ribbon is a brand of beer sold by Pabst Brewing Company, originally established in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but now based in Los Angeles. Pabst Blue Ribbon is contract-brewed in six different breweries around the U.S...
. The closing of the Pabst brewery in 1982 had a severe impact on the local economy and population, from which the community has never completely recovered. The Peoria City mass transit company, CityLink, offers a History Trolley, which starts its tour in the Prospect Commercial Sector.
The Peoria Heights Public Library is located off of Glen and is not far from Grandview Drive or Downtown Peoria Heights.
Government and politics
The Village of Peoria Heights is a home rule municipality governed by a Village Board of Trustees form of government. The mayorMayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
and the village clerk are each elected at large to a four-year term. The Mayor appoints the Village Treasurer. The Mayor is the Chief Executive Officer of the Village and presides over meetings of the Village Board. With the approval of the Village Board, the Mayor appoints non-elected Village officials. The Village Clerk is the recording officer of the Village, and is responsible for attending all meetings of the Village Board and keeping records of the proceedings. Village Board meetings are the first and third Tuesday of each month.
The Village Board is the legislative body
Legislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...
for the village, and consists of six trustees elected for a four-year term. Their terms are staggered, so that half are elected every two years. Members may be elected for an indefinite number of terms. The Village Board formulates policy and enacts local laws, usually in the form of resolutions and ordinances. The Village Board is directly responsible to the citizens of Peoria Heights.
Peoria Heights has a history of non-national political parties
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
. The "Village Party" and the "People's Party" were once prominent in local elections. Today the "Village Party" is defunct and the "People's Party" has lost in the last four elections to Independent candidates.
Schools
The village has its own school district, District 325Peoria Heights Community Unit School District 325
Peoria Heights Community Unit District 325 is the unit school district of Peoria Heights and an adjacent area of Peoria along Illinois Route 29 and the Illinois River to the north, all in Peoria County, Illinois...
. The district nickname is "The Patriots". Peoria Heights Grade School and High School are located next to one another on Glen Avenue. Peoria Heights High School
Peoria Heights High School
Peoria Heights High School, or PHHS, is a public four-year high school located at 508 East Glen Avenue in Peoria Heights, Illinois, a village in Peoria County, in the Midwestern United States. PHHS is part of Peoria Heights Community Unit School District 325, which serves the community of Peoria...
was built in the 1970s and is notable for its circular design. Most of the first floor classrooms are arrayed on the outside like spokes on a wheel, much like Maine West High School
Maine West High School
Maine West High School, or MWHS, is a public four-year high school located in Des Plaines, Illinois, a north-west suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States...
, in Des Plaines, Illinois
Des Plaines, Illinois
Des Plaines is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It has adopted the official nickname of "City of Destiny." As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 58,720. It is a suburb of Chicago, and is next to O'Hare International Airport...
. When first designed the classes were entirely open
Open classroom
An open classroom is a student-centered classroom design format popular in the United States in the 1970s. In its most extreme form, entire schools were built without interior walls, which made teaching loud and disruptive in worst case scenarios - for most schools this has not been as big a...
to the majority of the building, visible even from the upstairs offices, nicknamed "the crow's nest". They were later partitioned, first by dividers then by dry wall, constructed by the shop classes. Peoria Heights Grade School was built in the late 1990s and consolidated the Village's earlier two grade schools, Kelly Avenue Grade School and Monroe Grade School. It is recognizable for its large bicycle-shaped clock which used to be afixed to the front of Kelly Avenue School.
St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Elementary School is another prominent school found in the village.
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 6,635 people, 3,122 households, and 1,657 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 2,509.0 people per square mile (970.4/km²). There were 3,331 housing units at an average density of 1,259.6 per square mile (487.2/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 92.89% White, 3.45% African American, 0.32% Native American, 1.07% Asian, 1.06% 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 1.22% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.90% of the population.
There were 3,122 households out of which 22.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.5% 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 46.9% were non-families. 39.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.10 and the average family size was 2.82.
In the village the population was spread out with 20.3% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 31.6% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 93.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.6 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $32,161, and the median income for a family was $42,545. Males had a median income of $33,408 versus $22,000 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 $20,999. About 6.7% of families and 8.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.3% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over.