Editing Ransom, Illinois

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                     = Ransom, Illinois
| official_name            = 
| native_name              = 
| native_name_lang         = 
| other_name               = 
| settlement_type          = [[List of towns and villages in Illinois|Village]]
| image_skyline            = Ransom Il Plumb Street1.jpg
| imagesize                = 
| image_alt                = 
| image_caption            = Plumb Street in Ransom
| image_flag               = 
| image_seal               = 
| etymology                = 
| nickname                 = 
| motto                    = 
| anthem                   = 
| image_map                = File:LaSalle County Illinois Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Ransom Highlighted.svg
| mapsize                  = 
| map_alt                  = 
| map_caption              = Location in LaSalle County, Illinois
| image_map1               = Illinois in United States (US48).svg
| mapsize1                 = 
| map_alt1                 = 
| map_caption1             = Location of Illinois in the United States
| pushpin_map              = 
| pushpin_label_position   = 
| pushpin_label            = 
| pushpin_map_alt          = 
| pushpin_mapsize          = 
| pushpin_relief           = 
| pushpin_map_caption      = 
| coordinates              = {{coord|41|09|31|N|88|39|15|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        = [[LaSalle County, Illinois|LaSalle]]
| subdivision_type3        = Township
| subdivision_name3        = [[Allen Township, LaSalle County, Illinois|Allen]]
| subdivision_type4        = 
| subdivision_name4        = 
| established_title        = Founded
| established_date         = 1885
| founder                  = 
| named_for                = 
| seat_type                = 
| seat                     = 
| government_footnotes     = 
| government_type          = 
| governing_body           = 
| leader_party             = 
| leader_title             = Mayor
| leader_name              = 
| leader_title1            = Village president
| leader_name1             = Randy Stillwell
| 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}}</ref>
| area_total_km2           = 2.59
| area_total_sq_mi         = 1.00
| area_land_km2            = 2.59
| area_land_sq_mi          = 1.00
| area_water_km2           = 0.00
| area_water_sq_mi         = 0.00
| elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis/>
| elevation_ft             = 709
| population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes     = 
| population_total         = 308
| population_density_km2   = 119.00
<!-- 2018 est. -->| population_density_sq_mi = 308.31
| 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              = 60470
| area_code                = [[Area code 815|815]]
| geocode                  = 
| iso_code                 = 
| blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standards|FIPS code]]
| blank_info               = 17-62757
| blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info              = 2399041<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2399041}}</ref>
| blank2_name              = 
| blank2_info              = 
| blank2_name_sec2         = Wikimedia Commons
| blank2_info_sec2         = Ransom, Illinois
| website                  = {{URL|www.villageofransom.com}}
| footnotes                = 
}}
'''Ransom''' is a village in [[LaSalle County, Illinois|LaSalle County]], [[Illinois]], [[United States]]. The population was 308 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], down from 384 at the 2010 census.<ref name="Census 2010">{{cite web| url=https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/SF1DP1/1600000US1762757| title=Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (DP-1), Ransom village, Illinois| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau| website=American FactFinder| access-date=January 3, 2020| archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213152732/https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/SF1DP1/1600000US1762757| archive-date=February 13, 2020| url-status=dead}}</ref> It is part of the [[Ottawa, Illinois|Ottawa]] [[Ottawa, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area|Micropolitan Statistical Area]]. It is part of the subregion known as ''Streatorland''.

== History ==
Ransom was a [[planned community]]; ads were placed in the ''Streator Monitor'' as early as 1876 calling for shopkeepers, craftsmen, and tradesmen to locate and set up shop in the area. In 1885, the village of Ransom was officially incorporated. The earliest businesses in Ransom included a hotel, saloon, doctor, carpenter, pharmacist, grocery store, cash exchange and a blacksmith. On the edge of the newly developing business district a small wooden [[water tower]] was constructed. In 1892 a fire devastated the eastern side of the business district, stymieing the village's growth and causing some business owners to close up shop forever.<ref name=nrhp>Cahill, Marianne. "[http://gis.hpa.state.il.us/hargis/PDFs/200859.pdf Ransom Water Tower]{{dead link|date=April 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}", ([[PDF]]), August 1, 1990, ''[[Illinois Historic Preservation Agency]]'', accessed May 11, 2008.</ref>

After the fire, and much back and forth, the village constructed a new public [[waterworks]] with a [[Ransom Water Tower|68 feet water tower]] at its center in 1896. The village flourished after the fire, eventually reaching a population peak of around 600 following [[World War II]]. On September 7, 1903, the first phone service reached Ransom, and [[American Telephone & Telegraph|AT&T]] opened a [[telegraph]] office in 1905. Between 1905 and 1910 the village constructed a [[sidewalk]] system. The first electric [[street lamp]]s appeared on May 7, 1910, with the acquisition of a dozen electric street lamps from [[Illinois Valley Gas and Electric]]. Electricity gradually made its way into the homes of Ransom following the introduction of the street lamps.<ref name=nrhp />

=== Namesake ===
The village was named for [[American Civil War]] general [[Thomas E. G. Ransom]], who was born in [[Vermont]] but lived as a young man in Illinois.<ref name=gannett>[[Henry Gannett|Gannett, Henry]]. ''The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States'', ([https://books.google.com/books?id=BqwPAAAAIAAJ&dq=Ransom,+Illinois&pg=PA258 Google Books]), [[United States Government Publishing Office|Government Printing Office]], Washington DC: 1905, p. 258</ref>

== Geography ==
Ransom is located in southeastern LaSalle County at the center of [[Allen Township, LaSalle County, Illinois|Allen Township]]. [[Illinois Route 170]] runs along the eastern border of the village, leading north {{convert|13|mi}} to [[Seneca, Illinois|Seneca]] along the [[Illinois River]], and south {{convert|20|mi}} to [[Pontiac, Illinois|Pontiac]].

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Ransom has a total area of {{convert|1.00|sqmi|km2|2}}, all land.<ref name="gaz2021">{{Cite web |publisher=United States Census Bureau |title=Gazetteer Files |url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html |access-date=June 29, 2022 |website=Census.gov}}</ref>

== Demographics ==
{{US Census population
|align=left|1880= 132
|1890= 338
|1900= 339
|1910= 370
|1920= 402
|1930= 456
|1940= 419
|1950= 411
|1960= 415
|1970= 440
|1980= 456
|1990= 438
|2000= 409
|2010= 384
|2020= 308
|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}}</ref>
}}
As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=1600000US1762757 |access-date=June 28, 2022 |website=data.census.gov}}</ref> there were 308 people, 156 households, and 99 families residing in the village. The population density was {{Convert|308.31|PD/sqmi|PD/km2}}. There were 153 housing units at an average density of {{Convert|153.15|/sqmi|/km2}}. The racial makeup of the village was 90.58% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 1.30% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.65% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.65% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 6.82% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 5.84% of the population.

There were 156 households, out of which 37.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.46% were married couples living together, 15.38% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.54% were non-families. 27.56% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 2.28.

The village's age distribution consisted of 27.0% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 31% from 45 to 64, and 9.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 108.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.2 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $63,750, and the median income for a family was $75,313. Males had a median income of $56,250 versus $28,036 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the village was $30,877. About 22.2% of families and 15.5% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 25.0% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
*[http://www.villageofransom.com/ Village of Ransom official website]

{{LaSalle County, Illinois}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Ottawa, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area]]
[[Category:Villages in LaSalle County, Illinois]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1876]]
[[Category:1876 establishments in Illinois]]
[[Category:Villages in Illinois]]