Gifford, Illinois

History

Gifford was laid out in 1876 and named for Benjamin F. Gifford. Along with nearby Penfield, the town had a station on the now-defunct Illinois Central Railroad. On August 9, 1894, a fire originating from the barbershop and billiard hall engulfed the entirety of the business district as well as the grain elevator, destroying both completely.

Gifford was heavily damaged by an EF3 tornado on November 17, 2013. The tornado struck shortly before 1:00 PM, destroying more than 20 homes and damaging 200 others. It took a diagonal path through the center of the village, and nobody was seriously injured.

Geography

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Gifford has a total area of 0.44 sqmi, all land.

Demographics

As of the 2020 census there were 911 people, 365 households, and 220 families residing in the village. The population density was 2,051.80 PD/sqmi. There were 374 housing units at an average density of 842.34 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 94.29% White, 0.55% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.66% from other races, and 4.06% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.87% of the population.

There were 365 households, out of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.32% were married couples living together, 7.95% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.73% were non-families. 34.52% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.73% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 2.28.

The village's age distribution consisted of 21.3% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 16.6% from 25 to 44, 28.9% from 45 to 64, and 27.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 71.6 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $63,472, and the median income for a family was $80,625. Males had a median income of $50,568 versus $37,000 for females. The per capita income for the village was $34,517. About 3.2% of families and 5.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.5% of those under age 18 and 2.3% of those age 65 or over.

Education

It is in the Gifford Community Consolidated School District 188 and the Rantoul Township High School District 193.

Notable people

· Only people who already have a Wikipedia article may appear here. This establishes notability. · The article must mention how they are associated with , whether born, raised, or residing. · The fact of their association should have a reliable source cited. · Alphabetical by last name please · All others will be deleted without further explanation

• Dennis J. Collins, Illinois state legislator and lawyer
• Michelle Franzen, television and radio journalist
• Michael Frerichs, Incumbent Treasurer of Illinois

References

Bibliography

References

1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
2. "DP1: PROFILE OF GENERAL POPULATION AND HOUSING CHARACTERISTICS". [[United States Census Bureau]].
3. {{GNIS. 2398960
4. Gannett. (1905). "The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States". [[U.S. Government Printing Office]].
5. (August 10, 1894). "Gifford's Mishap: An Account of the Fire of Thursday Morning". Champaign County Gazette.
6. (November 17, 2013). "Gifford heavily damaged by tornado". [[The News-Gazette (Champaign-Urbana).
7. Wurth, Julie. (November 18, 2013). "Live from Gifford". [[The News-Gazette (Champaign-Urbana).
8. Wurth, Julie. (November 19, 2021). "Knocked flat by tornadoes, Gifford starts to fight back (w/video)". [[The News-Gazette (Champaign-Urbana).
9. Kaclch, Tom. (November 16, 2015). "Two years after tornado, Gifford blossoming anew". [[The News-Gazette (Champaign–Urbana).
10. "Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
11. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov.
12. "Explore Census Data".
13. Geography Division. (December 22, 2020). "2020 Census - School District Reference Map: Champaign County, IL". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].