Teutopolis, Illinois
Village in Illinois, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Teutopolis is a village in Effingham County, Illinois. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 1,618.[3][4]
Teutopolis, Illinois | |
|---|---|
| Motto: Home of the Wooden Shoes | |
  Teutopolis, Illinois Location of Teutopolis within Illinois | |
| Coordinates: 39°07′40″N 88°29′30″W[1] | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Illinois |
| County | Effingham |
| Area | |
• Total | 2.04 sq mi (5.29 km2) |
| • Land | 2.04 sq mi (5.29 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 600 ft (180 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 1,618 |
| • Density | 792.1/sq mi (305.82/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| Postal code | 62467 |
| Area code | 217 |
| FIPS code | 17-74743 |
| GNIS ID | 2399962[1] |
| Website | teutopolis |
History
Teutopolis, "City of the Teutons", or Germans, was established in 1839 along the National Road, now U.S. Route 40. It is the only town in the United States with this name.
Clemens Uptmor from the Duchy of Oldenburg, and Kingdom of Hanover, Germany, came to the United States in 1834 along with his brother Herman H. Uptmor and a few neighbors. They settled first in Cincinnati, then the gateway to the west for German Catholics. In 1837 they formed a land company for the purchase of government land under the name of "Deutsche Land-Compagnie oder Ansiedlungsgesellschaft". John F. Waschefort, Clemens Uptmor and Gerard H. Bergfeld were named to find a location for settlement and then give their recommendations to the land company. The committee opposed settling in Missouri because of slavery and were discouraged from settling in the north central area of Illinois because of the swamps and the black soil. The northeast part of Effingham County was recommended because of the woodlands, well-drained uplands and plentiful game.
Gerhardt Meyer and Heinrich Roennebaum accompanied the original trio back to Illinois to inspect the proposed site. The location was approved, and in July 1839 in Vandalia the land was claimed for homestead purposes in the name of John F. Waschefort. 10,000 acres (4,000 ha) were purchased at $1.25 per acre, with an additional 80 acres (32 ha) being purchased for $5.00 an acre. The town site was surveyed and platted by William J. Hankins. The plan of the town was very similar to the plat of the original town of Cincinnati.
Back in Cincinnati the land was allotted at a drawing held in a fire engine house. For each $50.00 a member contributed he received one "in-lot" and one "out-lot" or "garden lot" in the town and an additional parcel of farmland for a total of 40 acres (16 ha).
Geography
Teutopolis is located in northeastern Effingham County and U.S. Route 40 (National Road) passes through the center of the village, leading west 4 miles (6 km) into Effingham, the county seat, and east 5.5 miles (8.9 km) to Montrose.
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Teutopolis has a total area of 2.04 square miles (5.28 km2), all land.[5]
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Teutopolis had a population of 1,618.[7][8] There were 499 families in the village.[9] The population density was 791.97 inhabitants per square mile (305.78/km2).[9]
The median age was 36.0 years. 27.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.1% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 103.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 102.8 males age 18 and over.[7]
93.9% of residents lived in urban areas, while 6.1% lived in rural areas.[10]
Of the 606 households, 35.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 58.7% were married-couple households, 16.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 19.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 23.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[7] The average household size was 2.97 and the average family size was 2.37.[9]
There were 630 housing units, of which 3.8% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.0%.[7] The average housing unit density was 308.37 units per square mile (119.06 units/km2).[9]
| Race | Number | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| White | 1,575 | 97.3% |
| Black or African American | 1 | 0.1% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 2 | 0.1% |
| Asian | 6 | 0.4% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0 | 0.0% |
| Some other race | 9 | 0.6% |
| Two or more races | 25 | 1.5% |
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) | 13 | 0.8% |
Income and poverty
The median income for a household in the village was $72,404, and the median income for a family was $95,583. Males had a median income of $47,794 versus $27,292 for females. The per capita income for the village was $34,393. About 1.0% of families and 3.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.0% of those under age 18 and 13.0% of those age 65 or over.