Orleans, Illinois

Orleans is a city in Wabash County, Illinois.

History
The town of Orleans was originally founded in 1879 as a mass of shacks and shotgun houses along the Stuyvesant River. Among the outskirts of the town was the Skeeterville Ranch, founded by farmer Skeeter Rayes, which fueled much of the town's economy with sharecropping opportunities.

Orleans was incorporated into McWalter Charter Township in 1894 as one of the westernmost towns. Industrialization in the early 1900s allowed neighborhoods to develop to the east of Orleans which sparked development in the former town around 1917 as many urban homes began sprouting up in that section of the township.

During the early 1920s, rapid industrial development began west of Orleans near what is now the city's eastern border. The establishment of automotive suppliers furthered residential additions in the Orleans neighborhood of the township.

However, as the United States entered the Great Depression, the demand for smaller and more affordable housing was enormous. Orleans was seen as a prime area to establish this housing because of it's immediate location near industrial areas. In 1934, the newly incorporated city of Stuyvesant which encompassed Orleans annexed five square miles to the south and west of the township limits, giving more breathing room for further depression housing development. However, as homes downsized, poverty and unemployment increased greatly by 1937.

Development in the western annex was very limited. However, after World War II, many homes were built in the remaining land of the southern annex. With a population of 54,393 in 1954, the city of Orleans was incorporated.

However, due to the fact that Orleans remained a poor area, suburban flight began around 1956. The population dropped from 54,393 in 1954 to 45,127 in 1960. As more middle class families left, the poverty rate grew larger. Abandonment was common as Orleans was not classified as a desirable city and many properties were left in poor condition. Delinquent taxes ravaged the city's budget as it attempted to reverse the damages of suburban flight.

During the 1970s, high rise apartments were built in the industrial area of the city in order to attract more people in order to restore the tax base. The apartments succeeded in bringing in tax dollars, but with that also created many undesirable criminal elements in the city.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 39,603 people, 18,501 households, and 12,518 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,910.8 per square mile.

The racial makeup of the city was 58.71% White, 10.29% African American, 0.94% Native American, 6.72% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.22% from other races, and 23.17% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.91% of the population.

The median income for a household in the city was $24,786, and the median income for a family was $32,612. The per capita income for the city was $13,045. About 37.1% of families and 46.9% of the population were below the poverty line.

Crime
Orleans is the second most dangerous suburb in Wabash County behind Beiermann Farms. Because of it's location and it's former status as a Kennedy neighborhood, Orleans has faced many of the typical inner city issues which Kennedy and other inner ring suburbs.

However, crime in Orleans is also stimulated by widespread poverty affecting many of the younger residents. As a result burglaries and car thefts have become very popular in the past 30 years. Industrial burglaries have also become very common and as a result many larger factories have hired armed guards to secure the facilities.

Education
According to the 2000 US Census:
 * 46.4% did not finish High School
 * 53.6% of citizens were high school graduates
 * 2.8% attended less than one year of college
 * 0.5% attended college for more than one year but did not finish


 * 2.3% of citizens held a college degree
 * 1.3% associates
 * 0.5% bachelors
 * 0.3% masters
 * 0.2% doctorate