Johnson, Illinois

Johnson is a city in Wabash County, Illinois. The population was 115,886 as of the 2000 US Census.

History
Johnson was first formed as a fishing village on the Wabash River in 1832. A mass of shacks and docks were built along the river, and living conditions were very poor. In 1835, the citizens built a small school as well as a town chapel and a series of dirt roads leading through the town.

In June 1863, a squadron of Union soldiers unintentionally met with a squadron of Confederate soldiers in Johnson. Both sides opened fire, but the Confederates responded by sending soldiers in to raid and dismember the village. Many of the town's wood shacks were destroyed in the battle. The final shot was fired by a confederate soldier infront of the school, killing an innocent civillian. The union then withdrew from Johnson.

Villagers in the town began to rebuild it with sturdier materials. Many of the earlier homes built were finished with steel siding, but some were also built with brick, masonry, or wood siding. Even with the rebuilding of the town, the population failed to raise any. It wasn't until the 1904 establishment of Bloemfontein that sparked a population boom. A trade route was built between Bloemfontein, Johnson and nearby McWalter Charter Township.

The town formed as Johnson Township in 1918, with a population of 3,863. The township then began to sell plats of land in order to develop agriculture. One significant plat was Section 25, a square mile of land connecting with the town that was purchased by Bender L. Doyle in 1920. Doyle built roadways all throughout the plat and sold individual lots to approximately 600 families. Doyle then continued to do the same with Sections 27, 28 and 35. The township then sought to connect the miniature societies created by Doyle by creating zoning ordinances and building roadways through Section 26 as well as sections 29 through 35 in 1927.

The township population at the 1930 census was 39,873. The city of Johnson was formed in 1932, encompassing Sections 15 through 36. Using muncipal funds, the city continued "Doyle Development" on these sections. By 1950, the city boasted a population of 84,985.

While some sections thrived, others were lined with vacant lots highlighted with overgrown grass and garbage, causing property values to drop significantly. Ghettos began developing heavily in Johnson around 1953. While some middle class families saw Bloemfontein, Johnson Township and Sanders as an alternative, most decided they should just wait it out until conditions improved. However, the poor population only increased, and with it came crime.

Nonetheless, this increased housing demand for the poor allowed real estate companies to develop the vacant lots. New high-rise apartment buildings were also constructed Downtown

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 115,886 people, 71,825 households, and 50,292 families residing in the city. The population density was 6,981.1 per square mile.

The racial makeup of the city was 49.39% White, 46.45% African American, 0.15% Native American, 2.76% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.64% from other races, and 0.60% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.89% of the population.

Top ancestries in the city were Hispanic (11.89%), Polish (8.74%), Welsh (5.45%) and English (4.92%)

Income
The median income for a household in the city was $25,195, and the median income for a family was $27,638. The per capita income for the city was $10,498. About 21.2% of families and 24.3% of the population were below the poverty line.

Income by Race

 * Native American: $16,114 (Family: $18,716)
 * White: $19,101 (Family: $22,776)
 * Multi-Racial: $19,319 (Family: $23,115)
 * Black: $22,618 (Family: $25,411)
 * Hispanic: $32,118 (Family: $36,270)
 * Asian: $46,821 (Family: $53,025)

Education
According to the 2000 US Census:
 * 43.7% did not finish High School
 * 56.3% of citizens were high school graduates
 * 8.2% attended less than one year of college
 * 5.4% attended college for more than one year but did not finish


 * 10.2% of citizens held a college degree
 * 3.7% associates
 * 4.1% bachelors
 * 1.8% masters
 * 0.6% doctorate