Decatur

 

City (1990 pop. 83,885), seat of Macon co., central Ill., on the Sangamon River (dammed there to form Lake Decatur); inc. 1839. A railroad and industrial center in a fertile farm and livestock area, Decatur has railroad repair shops and huge plants for processing corn and soybeans. Other manufactures include transportation and mining equipment and machinery. Coal deposits underlie the area. Of interest are the Lincoln Log Cabin Courthouse, where Abraham Lincoln practiced law; Lincoln Square, where he received his first endorsement for the presidential nomination; and the city library, with its Lincoln collection. The site of Lincoln's first home in Illinois is in a state park nearby. The Grand Army of the Republic was organized in Decatur in Apr., 1866. Millikin Univ. is in the city.

For other uses, see Decatur.

Decatur is the largest city and the county seat of Macon County in the U.S. state of Illinois. The city, known as "The Soybean Capital of the World" was founded in 1836 and is located in Central Illinois along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur. In 2000, its population was 81,860.

With its central Illinois location it forms the center of the Decatur, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area, (population 125,000) which includes surrounding towns of Argenta, Bement, Bethany, Boody, Blue Mound, Cerro Gordo, Clinton, Dalton City, Elwin, Findlay, Forsyth, Harristown, Illiopolis, Kirksville, La Place, Macon, Maroa, Monticello, Moweaqua, Mt. Auburn, Mt. Zion, Niantic, Oakley, Oreana, Stonington, Sullivan, and Warrensburg.

This town is named after War of 1812 naval hero Stephen Decatur, Jr.

Decatur has many tree-lined streets, older restored homes, and historic residential districts and restored downtown commercial areas. In the transition from a manufacturing to a service economy, Decatur has experienced some population shifting outward in the area as decentralization has led much of the area's new homebuilding activity to the surrounding areas.

The city symbol is the Transfer House, an early 20th century Victorian structure originally located in the center of town where the city's mass transit lines met. The Transfer House was moved in 1963 to save it from destruction as roads were being built for the increasing automobile traffic.

Decatur was awarded the All-America City Award in 1960.

The city's motto is "Decatur, We Like it Here". The old motto was "The Pride of the Prairie". "The Soybean Capital of the World" is the unofficial motto.

Geography

Decatur is located at 39°51′6″N, 88°56′39″W (39.851636, -88.944228)¹.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 118.8 km² (45.9 mi²). 107.6 km² (41.6 mi²) of it is land and 11.2 km² (4.3 mi²) of it (9.42%) is water. Lakes include Lake Decatur, formed in 1923 by the damming of the Sangamon River

History

Decatur was the first home in Illinois of Abraham Lincoln, who settled just west of Decatur with his family in 1831. There is a restaurant in Decatur, the Lincoln Square Lounge, which is built on the site where he gave a speech to the people in Decatur while campaigning for President.

On May 9-10, 1860 the Illinois Republican State Convention was held in Decatur. At this convention Lincoln received his first endorsement for president of the United States.

Post No. 1 of the Grand Army of the Republic was founded by Civil War veterans in Decatur on April 6, 1866.

The Edward P. Irving House, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built in 1911, is located at #2 Millikin Place, Decatur.

Infrastructure

Education

Decatur is the location of private Millikin University (enrollment 2600), founded by James Millikin, and public Richland Community College (enrollment 7600).

Industry

Decatur is well known for its industrial, agricultural processing and manufacturing strengths, with vast production facilities for Caterpillar, Archer Daniels Midland, Mueller Co. and Tate & Lyle (previously A. E. Staley). The corporate world headquarters for ADM, the leading agricultural processor and ethanol producer is in Decatur. A large former Firestone factory is abandoned.

Parks

Local Macon County park resources include Lake Decatur, Lincoln Trail Homestead State Memorial, Rock Springs Conservation Area, and Spitler Woods State Natural Area.

Sports

Decatur was the original home of the Chicago Bears, from 1919-1920. The football team was known as the Decatur Staleys and played at Staley Field, both named after the local food product manufacturer.

From 1900-1974 Decatur was the home of The Commodore minor league baseball team, playing at Fans Field.

Starting in 2007, Decatur has hosted the Rodney T. Miller Lakeside Triathlon. This sprint-distance triathlon is presently scheduled the first weekend each July.

Transportation

Decatur's Municipal Airport is served by 2 daily commercial flights to and from Chicago Midway Airport. Mesa Airlines and American Airlines include Decatur on their routes. The airport facility has hosted notable visitors Presidents John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Vice-President Dan Quayle and Soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev (at the invitation of his longtime friend, Dwayne Andreas, former CEO of Archer Daniels Midland).

Interstate 72, U.S. Route 51, U.S. Route 36, Illinois Route 48, Illinois Route 105, and Illinois Route 121 are key highway links for the area as well.

A bus trolley system operates in the downtown and college campus areas.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 81,860 people, 34,086 households, and 21,099 families residing in the city. The population density was 760.5/km² (1,969.7/mi²). There were 37,239 housing units at an average density of 346.0/km² (896.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 77.59% White, 19.47% African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.66% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.43% from other races, and 1.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.19% of the population.

There were 34,086 households out of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.1% were married couples living together, 14.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.1% were non-families. 32.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.0% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 87.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $33,111, and the median income for a family was $42,379. Males had a median income of $36,920 versus $22,359 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,009. About 12.1% of families and 16.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.1% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.

Sister cities

Decatur is a sister city to Tokorozawa, Saitama, Japan, and to Seevetal, Lower Saxony, Germany.

Partial list of mayors

• Charles M. Borchers (1909-1911;1919-1923)
• Robert A. Grohne (1959-1963)
• Terry M. Howley (1995-2003)
• Paul Osborne (2003-)

People from Decatur

• Stephen Ambrose (1936-2002) — author, historian, and presidential biographer
• Walter "Boom-Boom" Beck (1904-1987) — Former Major League Baseball player
• Charles E. Boles — famed western outlaw "Black Bart" — former Decatur resident
• Jenny Lou Carson (born Virginia Lucille Overstake; 1915-1978) — American country singer/songwriter; sister of Judy Martin
• June Christy (1925-1990) — 1950s popular jazz singer
• Dale Connelly — co-host of Minnesota Public Radio's The Morning Show
• Brian Culbertson — jazz musician
• Todd Day — former NBA player — born in Decatur
• John Doe — founder of L.A. punk band X
• Chuck Dressen (1898-1966) — former Major League Baseball player, manager, and coach
• Steve Fairchild — offensive coordinator, NFL Buffalo Bills
• Charles J. Givens (1941-1998) — financial lecturer and author
• Steve Hunter - guitarist (has played with Mitch Ryder, Lou Reed, Alice Cooper, Peter Gabriel and more)
• Jeff Innis — former Major League Baseball pitcher
• Alison Krauss — bluegrass artist — born in Decatur in 1971
• James W. Loewen — author, historian, and sociology professor
• Bill Madlock — former Major League Baseball player
• Nan Martin — movie and television actress
• Stephen Mason — guitar player: member of Jars of Clay — born in Joliet;^[1] moved to Decatur and attended Warrensburg-Latham schools from 3rd grade^[2]
• Richard James Oglesby (1824-1899) — U.S. senator and governor of Illinois
• Richard Peck — children's author: 2001 Newbery Medal winner — born in Decatur in 1934
• Boots Randolph — jazz saxaphonist: composer of "Yakety Sax"
• Kevin Roberson — former Major League Baseball player
• Brian Ross (journalist) — ABC News investigative reporter
• Del Unser — former Major League Baseball player
• Jase Wirey — reality show contestant: Big Brother 5 and Big Brother 7 (US)

Invented In Decatur

• Spiral Screwdriver Decatur Coffin Companies' Early Spiral Screwdriver
• Photo Timer Robert Faries' Pneumatic Photo Timer
• Ice cream scooper invented by W. Ross Lloyd, The Lloyd Disher Co.^{[citation needed]}
• Flyswatter invented by Dr. Samuel Crumbine
• Radar Gun Law enforcement radar invented by Bryce K. Brown of Decatur Electronics
• Sweater vests ^{[citation needed]}

In Music

• Another Roadside Attraction - Rock band active in the late 1980s/early 1990s that formed in Decatur and went on to enjoy national acclaim.
• "Decatur, Or, Round of Applause For Your Step Mother!" is a song by Sufjan Stevens on his album Illinois. The song refers to several locations and events associated with Decatur, including the Caterpillar factory, Greenwood cemetery, the chicken mobile from Krekels, strong historical ties to Abraham Lincoln, and the Sangamon River, (which is mispronounced as "Sang-a-man.")
• V Shape Mind - heavy pop band who recorded an album on Universal Records. Toured with Mudvayne.

In Movies

• A Warner Brothers' feature film is currently in development about Mark Whitacre and the ADM scandal that took place in Decatur. The film will be directed by Steven Soderbergh with Matt Damon playing the role of Whitacre. ^[3]

• "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" Cameron's mother was away for the day in Decatur

• In the 1971 film Shaft, Lt. Androzzi informs Shaft that one of the mob bigwigs coming to the city is from Decatur.
• In Bachelor Party, Tom Hanks croons that he is from Decatur, Illinois.

Media

Print Newspapers

Herald & Review – Daily
Decatur Tribune - Weekly

Magazines

Decatur Magazine - Bi-monthly

AM Radio

• WDZ – 1050 AM – Urban Contemporary
• WSOY – 1340 AM – News/Talk

FM Radio

• WNLD (WBGL)– 88.1 FM – Christian Contemporary
• W203BD (KLOV) – 88.5 FM – Christian Contemporary
• WJMU – 89.5 FM – Millikin University - Alternative
• W213BI (KAWZ) – 90.5 FM - Religious
• WQLZ - 92.7
• WYDS – 93.1 FM – Top-40
• WDZQ – 95.1FM – Country
• WEJT – 105.1 FM – Classic Hits
• WZNX - 106.7 FM - Classic Rock
• WZUS - 100.9 FM - Country
• W252AR - 98.3 FM - Classic Hits (WEJT Translator)
• WXFM - 99.3 FM - Bright AC
• W261CQ (WLUJ) – 100.1 – Religious
• WSOY - 102.9 FM – Top-40
• WZNX - 106.7 FM - Classic Rock
• WDKR - 107.3 FM - Oldies

Controversies

The ADM Price-Fixing Case

In early November, 1992, the high-ranking Archer Daniels Midland Co. (ADM) executive Mark Whitacre confessed to a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent that ADM executives-including Whitacre himself-had routinely met with competitors to fix the price of lysine, a food additive.

The lysine conspirators, including ADM, ultimately settled federal charges for more than $100 million. ADM also paid hundreds of millions of dollars [$400 million alone on the high fructose corn syrup Class Action case] to plaintiffs/customers that it stole from during the price-fixing schemes.^[4][5][6][7] Furthermore, several Asian and European lysine and citric acid producers, that conspired to fix prices with ADM, paid criminal fines in the tens of millions of dollars to the U.S. government.^[8] Several executives, including the Vice Chairman of ADM, did federal prison time.

The investigation and prosecution of ADM and some of its executives has been reported to be one of the "best documented corporate crimes in American history".^[9]

Firestone Tire Controversy

In May 2000, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) contacted Firestone Tire about the high incidence of tire failure on Ford Explorers, Mercury Mountaineers, and Mazda Navajos fitted with Firestone tires. Investigators found that several models of 15" Firestone tires (ATX, ATX II, and Wilderness AT) had very high failure rates, especially those made at Firestone's Decatur plant. This was one of the leading factors to the closing of the Decatur plant.

Jesse Jackson Protest

In November 1999, Decatur was brought into the national news when the Rev. Jesse Jackson and the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition protested the expulsion and treatment of several African American students who had been involved in a serious fight. Jackson was arrested and detained briefly; however, charges were later dropped.[9]

References

1. ^ Kot, Greg: "Bridges to Babylon". Guitar World Acoustic, No. 25. Retrieved from http://www.jarchives.com/vault039.htm on 2006-05-13.
2. ^ Mannlein, Arelene: "Relatives of Jars of Clay member - and many, many more - plan to gather". Herald & Review, Decatur, Illinois, Thursday, August 4, 2005, 5:10 PM CDT. Retrieved from [1] on 2006-05-13.
3. ^ Editorial Staff (2005, June 18). The Informant, the Movie. Hollywood.com. [2]
4. ^ Greenwald, John (1996, October 28). The fix was in at ADM. Time Magazine. [3]
5. ^ Wilson, J.K. (2000, December 21). Price-Fixer to the World. Bankrate.com. [4]
6. ^ KaplanFox (2004, July 19). Archer Daniels Settles Suit Accusing it of Price Fixing. KaplanFox Law Firm Press Release. [5]
7. ^ Editorial Staff (2004, June 18). Sweetner Settlement for ADM. FoodNavigator. [6]
8. ^ Eichenwald, Kurt (2000). The Informant. Broadway Books, Inc.. ISBN 9-78076790-327-1. [7]
9. ^ (2000, August 16) Review of Rats in the Grain. The AgriBusiness Examiner (Issue # 85). [8]

External links

• Economic Development Corporation of Decatur and Macon County
• City of Decatur Webpage
• Decatur Celebration official webpage
• Macon County Circuit Clerk
• Haunted Decatur
• Decatur Magazine

See also

• Category: People from Decatur, Illinois

Coordinates: 39.851636° N 88.944228° W

Radio stations in the Decatur, Illinois market (Arbitron #283)
By FM frequency	88.1 • 89.5 • 90.9 • 91.9 • 93.1 • 95.1 • 95.9 • 99.3 • 100.9 • 102.9 • 105.1 • 106.7 • 107.3
By AM frequency	870 • 1050 • 1340 • 1520
By callsign	WDKR • WDZ • WDZQ • WEJT • WHOW • WHOW-FM • WILL • WINU • WJMU • WNLD • WSOY • WSOY-FM • WUIS • WXFM • WYDS • WZNX • WZUS
Illinois Radio Markets: Bloomington • Champaign • Chicago • Decatur • LaSalle-Peru • Marion-Carbondale • Peoria • Quad Cities (Rock Island-Moline) • Rockford Other Illinois Radio Regions: Quincy/Hannibal • Springfield See also: List of radio stations in Illinois

Municipalities and communities of Macon County, Illinois
County seat: Decatur
Cities	Decatur | Macon | Maroa
Villages	Argenta | Blue Mound | Forsyth | Harristown | Long Creek | Mount Zion | Niantic | Oreana | Warrensburg
Townships	Austin | Blue Mound | Decatur | Friends Creek | Harristown | Hickory Point | Illini | Long Creek | Maroa | Milam | Mt. Zion | Niantic | Oakley | Pleasant View | South Macon | South Wheatland | Whitmore
Unincorporated communities	Bearsdale | Boody | Elwin | Heman | Hervey City

	State of Illinois Springfield (capital)
Topics	History | Government | Economy | Culture
Regions	American Bottom | Central Illinois | Champaign‑Urbana | Chicago metropolitan area | Driftless Area | Forgottonia | Fox River | Little Egypt | Mississippi Plain | Northern Illinois | North Shore | Northwestern Illinois | Quad Cities | River Bend | St. Louis Metro‑East | Wabash Valley
Major cities	Aurora | Belleville | Bloomington/Normal | Carbondale | Champaign/Urbana | Chicago | Danville | Decatur | DeKalb | East St. Louis | Elgin | Freeport | Galesburg | Joliet | Kankakee | Moline/Rock Island | Naperville | Peoria | Quincy | Rockford | Springfield | Waukegan
Counties	Adams | Alexander | Bond | Boone | Brown | Bureau | Calhoun | Carroll | Cass | Champaign | Christian | Clark | Clay | Clinton | Coles | Cook | Crawford | Cumberland | DeKalb | DeWitt | Douglas | DuPage | Edgar | Edwards | Effingham | Fayette | Ford | Franklin | Fulton | Gallatin | Greene | Grundy | Hamilton | Hancock | Hardin | Henderson | Henry | Iroquois | Jackson | Jasper | Jefferson | Jersey | Jo Daviess | Johnson | Kane | Kankakee | Kendall | Knox | LaSalle | Lake | Lawrence | Lee | Livingston | Logan | Macon | Macoupin | Madison | Marion | Marshall | Mason | Massac | McDonough | McHenry | McLean | Menard | Mercer | Monroe | Montgomery | Morgan | Moultrie | Ogle | Peoria | Perry | Piatt | Pike | Pope | Pulaski | Putnam | Randolph | Richland | Rock Island | Saline | Sangamon | Schuyler | Scott | Shelby | St. Clair | Stark | Stephenson | Tazewell | Union | Vermilion | Wabash | Warren | Washington | Wayne | White | Whiteside | Will | Williamson | Winnebago | Woodford

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