Freeport

Freeport is the county seat and largest city of Stephenson County, Illinois, United States. The population was 23,973 at the 2020 census. Freeport is known for hosting the second Lincoln-Douglas debate of 1858, and as "Pretzel City, USA", due to a popular local German bakery known for its pretzels in the 1850s. The nickname is a reminder of Freeport's ethnic heritage; in the late 1850s, many Germans, both from Pennsylvania and from their European homeland, resettled in Stephenson County bringing with them their love of pretzel snacks. The city is located approximately 20 miles (32 km) south of the Wisconsin state line, and at the center of a large agricultural area, located about 114 miles (183 km) northwest of Chicago and 25 miles (40 km) west of Rockford. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.89 square miles (30.2 square km), of which 11.01 square miles is land and 0.026 square kilometers (0.8 km²) is water. From Freeport, the major route between I-74 and I-39 extends from Rockford to Bloomington, where it links with the I-75 corridor. At Rockford, a four-lane divided highway that skirts the community's northern edge, gives Freeport residents access to the entire Interstate system and Interstate 39, giving Freeport access to 90 and 39 states.

History

Freeport is the primary city name, but also Scioto Mills are acceptable city names or spellings. The community was originally called Winneshiek. In 1837, Stephenson County was formed and Freeport became its seat of government. On August 27, 1858, the second debate between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas took place in Freeport and gave the nation direction in the following years. Freeport is known as the "Pretzel City", and its public high school's team is named the Pretzels. It is home to the oldest Carnegie Library in Illinois and one of the first Carnegie Libraries designed by the Chicago architectural firm of Patton and Miller. It was renovated into Freeport's City Hall and City offices were moved to Carnegie City Hall in February 2017. The City of Freeport transitioned to the City Manager Form of Government in May 2017. In the late 1850s, many Germans, both from Pennsylvania and from their European homeland, resettled in Stephenson County bringing with them their love of pretzel snacks. The city later capitalized on this nickname in 2003 by starting Freeport’s first Pretzel Festival. After the 1892 fire, the Arcade Manufacturing Company built an entirely new factory in the Arcade Addition of East Freeport, where they produced coffee mills and other metal products. The Arcade Manufacturing company had been in operation since 1885 when the previous Novelty Iron Works had gone out of business at the corner of Chicago and Jackson streets. The company later rebuilt its factory after a fire in its original location had destroyed everything. In 2010, a large square of land was purchased from the former Keller-Wittbecker farm in east Freeport. Some of this land had been subdivided and platted as the 'Arcade Addition', as Arcade Manufacturing used some of that square of. land in 1893 to rebuild its factory.

Geography

Freeport is located about 114 miles (183 km) northwest of Chicago, and 25 miles (40 km) west of Rockford. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.89 square miles (30.8 km²) The Pecatonica River has flooded Freeport seven times since May 2017. The frequency of severe weather events appears to be increasing. The number of days Freeport has experienced heavy rainfall has steadily increased every decade since 1949. The city is seeking funding to buy out homes in flood-prone neighborhoods. The area code for Freeport is 815 with an overlay area code of 779 as of March 17, 2007. For confidential support call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or visit http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/. For support in the UK, call the Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90, visit a local Samaritans branch or click here for details. For information on how to help in the United States, visit the National Institute for Shelter and  Relief, or click here for information on how to help in the United Korean and Chinese councils.

Demographics

As of the census of 2020, the population was 23,973. The racial makeup of the city was 68.9% White. Ethnically, the city's population was 7.1% Hispanic or Latino of any race. The median income for a household in the city is $35,399. The per capita income for theCity is $18,680. The city has a population of 26,443, with 11,222 households, and 6,845 families. The average household size is 2.29, with the average family size being 2.93. It is the only city in the state to have a mayor and a mayor-council. It has a median age of 38. For every 100 females, there were 87.1 males. For each 100 females age 18 and over, there are 83.8 males. The population density is 2,316.9 inhabitants per square mile (894.6/km²) The city's median income is $43,787. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the population of the City will rise to 23,000 by the end of the decade. It will be the largest city in New Mexico by the time the next census is held in 2026. The City's population is expected to rise to 26,000 in the coming years, with 12,000 people living in the City by the year 2020. Its population growth rate is estimated to be 7.5%. The city is the largest in the U.N. state by population.

Economy

The Don Opel Arboretum is a botanical garden with over 3,000 different species of ground coverings, trees and shrubs. The Stephenson County Historical Society Museum includes Oscar Taylor House, a one-room schoolhouse, the Industrial/Arcade Toy Museum, and an Irish homestead log cabin. The Freeport Art Museum is located on N. Harlem Avenue. The town of Freeport has a population of around 2,000 people. It is located in the eastern part of the county. The city is home to the Freeport-Carlton International Airport, which was built in the early 1900s. The airport is one of the fastest-growing in the United States, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. It has a passenger traffic of over 1,000,000 a year. It also has the second-highest passenger traffic in the state, with over 2,300,000 passengers a year, behind the city's airport. The area's economy is based on tourism, which has been growing at a rate of about 1.5 percent a year since the mid-1990s. Its population is about 2,200,000. The county's economy has grown by 1.7 percent since the early 1990s, and it is expected to grow by 2.8 percent in the next few years. The economy has also grown by 3.5 per cent since the beginning of the decade, and is projected to grow another 1.8 per cent by the end of the year.

Parks and recreation

Krape Park was awarded "Outstanding Multi-use Facility" award by the Illinois Parks and Recreation Association. Oakdale Nature Preserve has over 133 acres (0.54 km²) of forests, streams and restored prairies including more than four miles (6 km) of trails as well as a 1/3-mile hard-packed accessible trail. Little Cubs Field, a replica of Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL, is also home to the Read Park Family Aquatic Center and a skate park. Taylor Park, a 74-acre park acquired in 1911, features three lighted softball fields, concession stand, basketball courts, picnic shelter and Abraham Lincoln statue. Wilbur Park is a 1-acre (4,000 m2) park donated by local industrialist W. T. Rawleigh and named after his son (who died during World War I), was deeded over to Freeport Park District on July 13, 1948. A historic tabernacle sits on the property, doubling as an auditorium. It is currently being restored. The park features landscaped terrain and playground equipment. It also features a small shelter with restrooms, a softball field, and a playground. A bronze tablet and tall black maple trees to shade benches and play equipment is located in Knowlton Park. It was donated by the descendants of Dexter A. knowlton to mark the 100th anniversary of his arrival to Freeport. It has a small pavilion, a children's playground, shuffleboard courts, tennis courts, and hardball fields.

Education

The town of Freeport is home to several public and private schools. It is also home to the Highland Community College, which offers 68 degree and certificate programs. The town has a number of private schools as well as private Christian schools. The city has a high school, a middle school, and a middle and high school. It also has a private high school and a private school for high school students and a public high school for middle school students. It has a public school and private school with private schools for high and middle schoolers and private high schools for private school students, high schools, and private private schools in the private sector. The community also has two private schools, a private Catholic school and one private Christian school for the high school aged 8-18. The school district has one public school, the Freeport High School, and one public middle school. There are no private schools or private schools on the town's outskirts, but there are several private schools and private Christian churches in the town. The high school has one private school and two public schools. There is also a private Christian high school in Freeport, which has one of the nation's largest private schools with more than 1,000 students. The public school has 1,200 students. There have been no murders in the city in the last three years. There has been no crime in the area in the past three years, according to the city's police department. The area has a population of 2,000.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Freeport, Stephenson County, Illinois = 86. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 50. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 80. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Freeport = 3.7 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 23,973 individuals with a median age of 39.7 age the population dropped by -7.70% in Freeport, Stephenson County, Illinois population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 2,017.76 residents per square mile of area (779.04/km²). There are average 2.26 people per household in the 10,448 households with an average household income of $37,482 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 14.10% of the available work force and has dropped -6.88% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 13.84%. The number of physicians in Freeport per 100,000 population = 133.1.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Freeport = 34 inches and the annual snowfall = 33.4 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 109. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 191. 84 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 9.5 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 45, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Freeport, Stephenson County, Illinois which are owned by the occupant = 58.51%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 54 years with median home cost = $90,980 and home appreciation of -5.67%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $20.41 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,806 per student. There are 14.7 students for each teacher in the school, 908 students for each Librarian and 661 students for each Counselor. 6.58% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 12.22% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 5.44% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).