Eliza, Illinois

Eliza, Illinois
Census-designated place
Eliza is located in Illinois
Eliza
Eliza
Eliza is located in the United States
Eliza
Eliza
Coordinates: 41°17′45″N 90°58′04″W / 41.29583°N 90.96778°W / 41.29583; -90.96778
CountryUnited States
StateIllinois
CountyMercer
TownshipEliza
Area
[1]
 • Total
0.13 sq mi (0.33 km2)
 • Land0.13 sq mi (0.33 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
696 ft (212 m)
Population
 (2020)[2]
 • Total
25
 • Density196.85/sq mi (76.18/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP Code
61272 (New Boston)
Area code309
FIPS code17-23139
GNIS feature ID407865[3]

Eliza is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Eliza Township, Mercer County, Illinois, United States.[4] Eliza is 9 miles (14 km) north of New Boston. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 25.[2]

History

The Bishop family settled the town around the 1840s. The grandson John Bishop owned almost all of the town, including his own general store. He had been manager of the town band since 1914.[5] The town also had a basketball team. Their church was named the Eliza Episcopal Church. By the late 1920s, the town had 53 acres (21 ha) of farmland along with a general store, drugstore, church, theater, dancehall, pool hall, and a barber shop, among houses and a few community buildings. On November 14, 1929, John Bishop auctioned off almost all the town, save for four houses.[6] His reasons were not officially stated, but could have likely been due to the recent start of the Great Depression in late October. News of the auction was featured in newspapers as far away as Ohio, Iowa, and New Jersey.

Geography

Eliza is in northwestern Mercer County, 10 miles (16 km) north of New Boston and 17 miles (27 km) northwest of Aledo, the county seat. It sits on a hilltop that drains east to Irwin Branch, a south-flowing tributary of Eliza Creek, which flows southwest to the Mississippi River at New Boston.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Eliza CDP has an area of 0.13 square miles (0.34 km2), all land.[1]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
202025—
U.S. Decennial Census[7]

Eliza first appeared as a census designated place in the 2020 U.S. Census.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b "2022 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Illinois". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "P1. Race – Eliza CDP, Illinois: 2020 DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  3. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Eliza, Illinois
  4. ^ Mercer County General Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Illinois Department of Transportation. 1988. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 20, 2012. Retrieved 2011-05-26.
  5. ^ "Entire Village Owned by Family to Be Auctioned". Alton Evening Telegraph. November 8, 1929. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
  6. ^ "Town to Be Sold at Auction". The Mansfield News. November 25, 1929. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
  7. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  8. ^ "2020 Geography Changes". United States Census Bureau.


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