Wremburg, Illinois

Wremburg is a city in Wabash County, Illinois. The population was 71,342 as of the 2000 US Census.

History
Farmers settled Andrew Hill Township in what is now Wremburg in 1901.

Wremburg is considered to be the first suburb of Kennedy. The city's first urban developments took place around 1935 in the southeast corner of the modern-day city limits, which at the time was unincorporated land. The development included two square miles of narrow bungalows arranged in subdivisions.

In 1940, the population was 6,482. Fearing annexation, it incorporated as the village of Cranston in 1943. In 1944, the city of Kennedy annexed twelve square miles of land near the village, including the unincorporated land to the south that is now Orleans.

Suburbanization began in the area around 1951, and it was one of the first places in the area to feature subdivisions and ranch houses. In 1955, these subdivisions were incorporated by the village, and the population rose beyond 25,000. In 1958, the village was voted into becoming a city. The new city government decided to name the city Wremburg, after firefighter Carl Wremley who was killed in a house fire in 1951.

The population flight from Kennedy began affecting the city in the 1960s, when the population increased from 27,144 in the beginning of the decade; to 51,860 in the end. The completion of the highway allowed for many more subdivisions to form, providing better housing opportunities for people leaving Kennedy.

The Wabash County Correctional Facility was built in Wremburg in 1966 along the highway. People in surrounding neighborhoods frowned upon the location of the prison, and some began leaving. Some others began neglecting their properties as well. Large-scale developments in the city stopped around 1974 because of this.

The city's crime rate began rising around 1976 and was further contributed to by the Crack epidemic around 1985. Street gangs formed in the city and began to deal drugs. In 1988, Wremburg was rated as the area's 3rd most dangerous suburb, after Beiermann Farms and Orleans.

Although crime and poor neighborhoods were still prominent in the city, public image changed around 1991 as subdivisions in the northwest corner of the city began attracting new, more wealthy people to the area. Office development in the eastern part of the city near the I-175/I-875 interchange which brought new jobs to the city.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 71,342 people, 34,101 households, and 25,831 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,101.3 per square mile. There were 37,001 housing units.

The racial makeup of the city was 59.42% White, 24.18% African American, 0.02% Native American, 5.45% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.37% from other races, and 10.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.63% of the population.

The median income for a household in the city was $33,841, and the median income for a family was $37,401. The per capita income for the city was $15,642. About 15.4% of families and 18.3% of the population were below the poverty line.