Elgin, Illinois

The city is known for its Victorian landmarks, many dating back to the period when it was a center of dairy commerce. The local library is named for Gail Borden[?] who once owned a condensed milk factory here. The Elgin National Watch Company[?], which produced Elgin watches[?], was also located here. Elgin is home to the Elgin Academy[?], the oldest coeducational, non-sectarian college preparatory school west of the Allegheny Mountains[?] as well as Elgin High School[?], which boasts five navy admirals, a Nobel prize-winning chemist (Paul Flory[?]) and a chief executive of General Motors among its alumni. Residents relax at the extensive Lords Park (112 acres) and Wing Park (121 acres). A bike trail runs for miles along the Fox River. Elgin is the sister city of Vientiane, the capital of Laos.

Geography Elgin is located at 42°2'22" North, 88°17'19" West (42.039426, -88.288627)¹.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 65.8 km² (25.4 mi²). 64.7 km² (25.0 mi²) of it is land and 1.0 km² (0.4 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.54% water.

Demographics As of the census of 2000, there are 94,487 people, 31,543 households, and 22,395 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,459.3/km² (3,779.1/mi²). There are 32,665 housing units at an average density of 504.5/km² (1,306.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 70.49% White, 6.80% African American, 0.40% Native American, 3.88% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 15.39% from other races, and 2.98% from two or more races. 34.32% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 31,543 households out of which 39.6% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.6% are married couples living together, 11.3% have a female householder with no husband present, and 29.0% are non-families. 23.3% of all households are made up of individuals and 7.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.94 and the average family size is 3.49.

In the city the population is spread out with 29.0% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 33.6% from 25 to 44, 18.2% from 45 to 64, and 8.6% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 31 years. For every 100 females there are 99.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 98.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $52,605, and the median income for a family is $58,404. Males have a median income of $39,581 versus $28,488 for females. The per capita income for the city is $21,112. 8.1% of the population and 6.4% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 11.6% are under the age of 18 and 4.7% are 65 or older.