Long Creek, Illinois

Long Creek, Illinois
Village
Location in Macon County, Illinois Location in Macon County, Illinois
Coordinates: 39°48′26″N 88°51′45″W
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Macon
Township	Long Creek
Area
• Total	Template:Infobox settlement/areadisp
• Land	Template:Infobox settlement/areadisp
• Water	Template:Infobox settlement/areadisp
Elevation	Template:Infobox settlement/lengthdisp
Population  (2020)
• Total	1,261
• Density	Template:Infobox settlement/densdisp
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	62521
Area code(s)	217
FIPS code	17-44498
GNIS feature ID	2398470

Long Creek is a village in Macon County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 census there were 1,261 people. It is included in the Decatur, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Long Creek is named for the creek that runs through the area.

The first settlers arrived in 1828 from North Carolina and subsequently built log cabins and made improvements on the surrounding land. In the fall of 1828, a band of Native Americans from the Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma arrived and set up camp along Long Creek and began trapping, hunting, and fishing. When they were relatively unsuccessful at catching game, the Kickapoo began killing hogs and stealing poultry from the early settlers. Eventually a group of settlers drove them from the county.

During the early 1830s the area saw more settlers arriving, and the first schoolhouse was constructed in 1834. The school also served as a place of worship before the first church was built in 1842.

Geography

Long Creek is located in eastern Macon County. It is bordered to the northwest by the city of Decatur, the county seat, and to the southwest by the village of Mount Zion. U.S. Route 36 runs along the northern edge of Long Creek village, leading northwest 6 miles (10 km) to the center of Decatur and east 31 miles (50 km) to Tuscola.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the village of Long Creek has a total area of 2.83 square miles (7.33 km²), all land. Long Creek flows through the center of the village limits, running west to Finley Creek at the southeast arm of Lake Decatur, a reservoir on the Sangamon River.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Long Creek had a population of 1,261. The median age was 48.0 years. 20.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 25.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 104.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 101.6 males age 18 and over.

93.9% of residents lived in urban areas, while 6.1% lived in rural areas.

There were 508 households in Long Creek, of which 25.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 64.0% were married-couple households, 11.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 18.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 535 housing units, of which 5.0% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 0.0%.

Racial composition as of the 2020 census

Race	Number	Percent
White	1,183	93.8%
Black or African American	5	0.4%
American Indian and Alaska Native	1	0.1%
Asian	4	0.3%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	2	0.2%
Some other race	3	0.2%
Two or more races	63	5.0%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)	23	1.8%

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 1,364 people, 486 households, and 408 families residing in the village. The population density was 513.2 inhabitants per square mile (198.1/km²). There were 500 housing units at an average density of 188.1 per square mile (72.6/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 98.61% White, 0.44% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.07% from other races, and 0.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 0.51% of the population.

There were 486 households, out of which 38.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 74.1% were married couples living together, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.0% were non-families. 13.8% 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 2.81 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 27.7% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 28.3% from 45 to 64, and 8.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.6 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $56,083, and the median income for a family was $58,056. Males had a median income of $43,958 versus $27,344 for females. The per capita income for the village was $23,141. About 3.5% of families and 5.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.4% of those under age 18 and 2.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

It is a part of the Mount Zion Community Unit School District 3.