Loves Park, Illinois
City in Illinois, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Loves Park is a city in Boone and Winnebago counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. Most of the city is in Winnebago County, with a tiny sliver in the east located in Boone County. The population was 23,397 at the 2020 census.
Loves Park | |
|---|---|
|
Flag  Seal | |
| Motto: The City with a Heart | |
 Location of Loves Park in Boone County & Winnebago County, Illinois. | |
| Coordinates: 42°19′55″N 89°00′48″W[1] | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Illinois |
| County | Winnebago - Boone |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Greg Jury[2] |
| Area | |
• Total | 16.85 sq mi (43.65 km2) |
| • Land | 16.32 sq mi (42.28 km2) |
| • Water | 0.53 sq mi (1.37 km2) |
| Elevation | 853 ft (260 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 23,397 |
| • Density | 1,433.2/sq mi (553.35/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| ZIP codes | 61131, 61132, 61111, 61130 |
| Area codes | 779/815 |
| FIPS code | 17-45031 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2395774[1] |
| Website | https://cityoflovespark.com/ |
Loves Park is part of the Rockford metropolitan area.
History
Malcolm Love, an industrialist in Rockford, Illinois, purchased 236 acres of land in this area in 1901 and set up a gathering place that came to be known as Love's Park. The city of Loves Park was incorporated in 1947.[4] When the city's economy was negatively affected by the early 1980s recession, City Hall was moved from the Grand Avenue fire station into the Marshall Middle School to save money.[5] In 2001, Danfoss moved their plant from Rockford to Loves Park, becoming one of the town's largest employers.[6]
Geography
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Loves Park has a total area of 16.85 square miles (43.64 km2), of which 16.33 square miles (42.29 km2) (or 96.86%) is land and 0.53 square miles (1.37 km2) (or 3.14%) is water.[7]
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition
| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000[10] | Pop 2010[11] | Pop 2020[12] | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 18,247 | 20,346 | 18,004 | 91.03% | 84.79% | 76.95% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 463 | 930 | 1,244 | 2.31% | 3.88% | 5.32% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 39 | 48 | 38 | 0.19% | 0.20% | 0.16% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 361 | 625 | 836 | 1.80% | 2.60% | 3.57% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 5 | 3 | 6 | 0.02% | 0.01% | 0.03% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 7 | 22 | 69 | 0.03% | 0.09% | 0.29% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 267 | 416 | 1,120 | 1.33% | 1.73% | 4.79% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 655 | 1,606 | 2,080 | 3.27% | 6.69% | 8.89% |
| Total | 20,044 | 23,996 | 23,397 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Loves Park had a population of 23,397 and 6,138 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,388.22 inhabitants per square mile (535.99/km2).[13]
The median age was 40.8 years; 20.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.9% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 91.4 males age 18 and over.[13]
99.7% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.3% lived in rural areas.[14]
There were 10,146 households in Loves Park, of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 39.8% were married-couple households, 20.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 30.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[13]
There were 10,640 housing units at an average density of 631.30 per square mile (243.75/km2), of which 4.6% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.5%.[13]
| Race | Number | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| White | 18,583 | 79.4% |
| Black or African American | 1,282 | 5.5% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 71 | 0.3% |
| Asian | 841 | 3.6% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 6 | 0.0% |
| Some other race | 684 | 2.9% |
| Two or more races | 1,930 | 8.2% |
Income
The median income for a household in the city was $57,096, and the median income for a family was $66,914. Males had a median income of $49,182 versus $28,021 for females. The per capita income for the city was $31,504. About 9.9% of families and 14.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.9% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation
Education
The portion in Winnebago County is mostly in the Harlem Unit School District 122, with portions to the east in the Rockford School District 205.[17] The portion in Boone County is almost entirely in the Belvidere Consolidated Unit School District 100, with a piece extending into the Rockford School District.[18]
Notable people
- Dick Kulpa, cartoonist
- Robin Zander, lead singer of the rock band Cheap Trick.