Editing Farmer City, Illinois

{{Redirect|Farmer City|the former settlement in Kansas|Farmer City, Kansas}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Farmer City
| official_name = 
| native_name = 
| native_name_lang = 
| other_name = 
| settlement_type = [[List of cities in Illinois|City]]
| image_skyline = Farmer City, Illinois - Aerial (30143724368).jpg
| imagesize = 
| image_alt = 
| image_caption = Aerial view of Farmer City
| image_flag = 
| image_seal = 
| etymology = 
| nickname = 
| motto = 
| anthem = 
| image_map = File:De Witt County Illinois Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Farmer City Highlighted.svg
| mapsize = 
| map_alt = 
| map_caption = Location of Farmer City in De Witt County, Illinois.
| image_map1 = Illinois in United States (US48).svg
| mapsize1 = 
| map_alt1 = 
| map_caption1 = Location of Illinois in the United States
| pushpin_map = 
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| coordinates = {{coord|40|14|53|N|88|38|32|W|display=inline,title}}
| coor_pinpoint = 
| coordinates_footnotes = <ref name=gnis/>
| grid_name = 
| grid_position = 
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = United States
| subdivision_type1 = State
| subdivision_name1 = Illinois
| subdivision_type2 = County
| subdivision_name2 = [[DeWitt County, Illinois|DeWitt]]
| subdivision_type3 = Township
| subdivision_name3 = [[Santa Anna Township, DeWitt County, Illinois|Santa Anna]]
| subdivision_type4 = 
| subdivision_name4 = 
| established_title = Founded
| established_date = 
| founder = 
| named_for = 
| seat_type = 
| seat = 
| government_footnotes = 
| government_type = 
| governing_body = 
| leader_party = 
| leader_title = Mayor
| leader_name = 
| leader_title1 = 
| leader_name1 = 
| total_type = 
| unit_pref = Imperial
| area_footnotes = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_17.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=March 15, 2022|archive-date=March 15, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220315130646/https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_17.txt|url-status=live}}</ref>
| area_total_km2 = 6.33
| area_total_sq_mi = 2.44
| area_land_km2 = 6.20
| area_land_sq_mi = 2.40
| area_water_km2 = 0.12
| area_water_sq_mi = 0.05
| elevation_footnotes = <ref name=gnis/>
| elevation_ft = 715
| population_as_of = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes = 
| population_total = 1828
| population_density_km2 = 294.73
| population_density_sq_mi = 763.26
| timezone1 = [[North American Central Time Zone|CST]]
| utc_offset1 = -6
| timezone1_DST = [[North American Central Time Zone|CDT]]
| utc_offset1_DST = -5
| postal_code_type = [[ZIP code|ZIP Code(s)]]
| postal_code = 61842
| area_code = [[Area code 309|309]]
| geocode = 
| iso_code = 
| blank_name = [[Federal Information Processing Standards|FIPS code]]
| blank_info = 17-25414
| blank1_name = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info = 2394744<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2394744}}</ref>
| blank2_name = 
| blank2_info = 
| blank1_name_sec2 = 
| blank1_info_sec2 = 
| blank2_name_sec2 = Wikimedia Commons
| blank2_info_sec2 = Category:Farmer City, Illinois
| website = {{URL|https://cityoffarmercity.org/}}
| footnotes = 
}}
[[File:Farmer City, IL.jpg|thumb|right|Downtown Farmer City]]
'''Farmer City''' is a city in [[DeWitt County, Illinois|DeWitt County]], [[Illinois]], [[United States]]. The population was 1,828 at the 2020 census.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=1600000US1725414 |access-date=2022-06-28 |website=data.census.gov |archive-date=January 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230117141455/https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=1600000US1725414 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Farmer City is part of [[Blue Ridge Community Unit School District 18]] sharing facilities with nearby [[Mansfield, Illinois|Mansfield]] and [[Bellflower, Illinois]]. Farmer City facilities include the District Unit Office, the Ruth M. Schneider Elementary School (K-3) and [[Blue Ridge High School (Illinois)|Blue Ridge High School]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.blueridge18.org/unit-office--2|title=Blue Ridge CUSD #18|website=www.blueridge18.org|access-date=2019-12-17|archive-date=December 31, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191231205011/http://www.blueridge18.org/unit-office--2|url-status=live}}</ref> On May 30, 2018, the city declared itself a [[Second Amendment sanctuary|second amendment sanctuary]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/farmer-city-becomes-gun-sanctuary-city/article_cbd0ad82-02a5-53d1-8934-cf23da838475.html|title=Farmer City becomes gun sanctuary city|last=kevin.barlow@lee.net|first=KEVIN BARLOW|website=pantagraph.com|date=May 30, 2018 |language=en|access-date=2019-12-17|archive-date=December 17, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191217074116/https://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/farmer-city-becomes-gun-sanctuary-city/article_cbd0ad82-02a5-53d1-8934-cf23da838475.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==History==
The [[Kickapoo people|Kickapoo]] and [[Potawatomi]] Native American tribes lived on the prairie and woodlands around [[Salt Creek (Sangamon River tributary)|Salt Creek]] and other local streams. The westward push of traders and adventurers led to settlers around 1825. Dennis Hurley is believed to be the first white settler in the area. Hurley built a cabin in the area, which became known as Hurley's Grove, with other families settling nearby. Some of the founding families were the Kirbys, McCords, Clearwaters, Watsons, Johnson, Webb, Blalach, Weedmans, Coveys, Cummings, and Huddlestons. Hurley's Grove was just south of present-day Farmer City, with increased population by 1837, becoming part of DeWitt County in 1839.

The area to the south of Hurley's Grove was solidified as a permanent settlement, due to the safety of the area's wooded terrain. North of the primary area became known as Mt. Pleasant. [[Subdivision (land)|Subdivision]] of the land divided the area into 14 blocks, with a central public square. The first residence built was that of Nathan Clearwater, and William McFall opened a store in 1837. Mail delivery was established in 1837, but with [[Mount Pleasant Township, Whiteside County, Illinois|another Mt. Pleasant]] in the state, the name changed to [[Santa Anna Township, DeWitt County, Illinois|Santa Anna]].

Dewitt County was part of the Eighth Judicial District in the early 1850s, and lawyer [[Abraham Lincoln]] traveled in the area many times on his circuit; he was well respected by county residents.<ref>{{cite book|last=Stites|first=Helen|title=Finding Lincoln in DeWitt County|year=2006|publisher=AuthorHouse|location=Bloomington, IN|isbn=978-1-4259-1246-8|page=59|oclc=69992099}}</ref> [[C. H. Moore House]] in nearby [[Clinton, Illinois|Clinton]] is the former residence of Lincoln's co-counsel in various cases.<ref>{{cite web|title=C.H. Moore and Abe Lincoln|url=http://www.chmoorehomestead.org/lincoln.htm|work=C.H. Moore Homestead/DeWitt County Museum|publisher=Dewitt County Museum|access-date=26 May 2011|archive-date=April 20, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110420221018/http://www.chmoorehomestead.org/lincoln.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

{{See also|Early life and career of Abraham Lincoln#Lincoln and Herndon}}

The settlement grew in population and physical size, with the center of activity moving northward. The area became connected in 1870 by rail, prospering; that year's census listed 1276 people in the township, and 537 in Mt. Pleasant. The necessity of an official name arose in 1869, with Farmer City chosen after much discussion and debate. The business district was destroyed in 1879 by a major fire, but the town was rebuilt. The rebuilding process had to be rebooted after an 1894 fire destroyed the new business district.

The early years of the next century saw Farmer City grow into a bustling community. A newspaper, the ''Public Reaper'', first printed on November 27, 1879.<ref>{{cite web|title=Public Reaper - First Edition 1879 |url=http://dewitt.ilgenweb.net/public-reaper-1879.htm |work=Public Reaper |publisher=DeWitt GenWeb Project |access-date=26 May 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110814135949/http://dewitt.ilgenweb.net/public-reaper-1879.htm |archive-date=14 August 2011 }}</ref> City fathers helped usher the area into a modern era, with utilities such as a water tower (1920). The new business district was joined by schools, churches, and fine homes. [[Interstate 74 in Illinois|Interstate 74]] was completed in the early 1970s. In 1980, an extensive study of the dialect of Farmer City was completed, making the city well known in the field of sociolinguistics.<ref>Sound Change in Farmer City: A Sociolinguistic Study Based on Acoustic Data, Timothy Habick, Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, University of Illinois, Urbana. 1980. Habick, Timothy. (1991). "Burnouts versus rednecks: effects of group membership on the
phonemic system," in Penelope Eckert, ed., New Ways of Analyzing Sound
Change (San Diego: Academic Press), 185-212.</ref>

==Geography==

According to the 2010 census, Farmer City has a total area of {{convert|2.449|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which {{convert|2.4|sqmi|sqkm|2}} (or 98%) is land and {{convert|0.049|sqmi|sqkm|2}} (or 2%) is water.<ref name="census-g001">{{cite web
  |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US1725414
  |title=G001 - Geographic Identifiers - 2010 Census Summary File 1
  |access-date=2015-12-27
  |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]
  |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213042435/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US1725414
  |archive-date=2020-02-13
  |url-status=dead
  }}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1870= 537
|1880= 1289
|1890= 1367
|1900= 1664
|1910= 1603
|1920= 1678
|1930= 1621
|1940= 1833
|1950= 1752
|1960= 1838
|1970= 2217
|1980= 2252
|1990= 2114
|2000= 2055
|2010= 2037
|2020= 1828
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015|archive-date=April 26, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150426102944/http://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
}}As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]]<ref name=":0" /> there were 1,828 people, 848 households, and 563 families residing in the city. The population density was {{Convert|748.26|PD/sqmi|PD/km2}}. There were 884 housing units at an average density of {{Convert|361.85|/sqmi|/km2}}. The racial makeup of the city was 93.98% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.88% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.05% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.11% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.11% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.33% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 4.54% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 2.02% of the population.

There were 848 households, out of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.08% were married couples living together, 6.01% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.61% were non-families. 31.49% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.92% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.93 and the average family size was 2.37.

The city's age distribution consisted of 24.1% under the age of 18, 2.5% from 18 to 24, 17.6% from 25 to 44, 36.4% from 45 to 64, and 19.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 80.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $66,591, and the median income for a family was $84,625. Males had a median income of $36,750 versus $31,725 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $27,409. About 7.6% of families and 10.6% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 17.8% of those under age 18 and 10.0% of those age 65 or over.

==Transportation==
[[Interstate 74]], which is paralleled by [[US Route 150|US 150]], and [[Illinois Route 54|State Route 54]] intersect near Farmer City. They are paralleled by routes of the [[Norfolk Southern Railway]] and [[Illinois Central Railroad]], respectively.

==Education==
Farmer City is home to [[Blue Ridge Community Unit School District 18]], the sports teams have the nickname “Knights”.

==Media==
Farmer City is the home of [[WPEO-FM]], an FM radio station broadcasting on a frequency of 98.3 mHz. Its programming consists of Christian radio.

==Notable people==
*[[Samuel B. Garver]], Illinois state representative, businessman, and farmer, lived in Farmer City.
*[[Lott R. Herrick]], Illinois Supreme Court justice, was born in Farmer City.<ref>'Lott R. Herrick, State Justice, Dead At Age 65,' '''Chicago Tribune,''' September 19, 1937, part 1, pg. 18</ref>
*[[George Rock]], American Singer, sung the popular song with the Spike Jones Band 'All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth'<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.songfacts.com/facts/spike-jones/all-i-want-for-christmas-is-my-two-front-teeth|title=All I Want For Christmas (Is My Two Front Teeth) by Spike Jones - Songfacts|access-date=February 22, 2023|archive-date=February 22, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230222225628/https://www.songfacts.com/facts/spike-jones/all-i-want-for-christmas-is-my-two-front-teeth|url-status=live}}</ref>
*[[Vespasian Warner]], U.S. Representative 1895–1905, was born in Farmer City.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [https://cityoffarmercity.org/ Official site]

{{DeWitt County, Illinois}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Cities in Illinois]]
[[Category:Cities in DeWitt County, Illinois]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1837]]