Batavia, Illinois

Batavia (/bəˈteɪviə/) is a city mainly in Kane County and partly in DuPage County in the U.S. state of Illinois. A suburb of Chicago, it was founded in 1833 and is the oldest city in Kane County.[4] As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 26,098.

For other uses, see Batavia (disambiguation).
Batavia, Illinois
City
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad Depot Museum
Nicknames: 
The Windmill City, City of Energy[1]
Motto(s): 
"Where Tradition and Vision Meet"[2]
Location of Batavia in Kane and DuPage Counties within Illinois.
Location of Illinois in the United States
Coordinates: 41°50′56″N 88°18′30″W
CountryUnited States
StateIllinois
CountiesKane, DuPage
TownshipsBatavia (Kane), Geneva (Kane), Winfield (DuPage)
Settled1833
IncorporatedJuly 27, 1872
Government
 • TypeCouncil–manager
 • MayorJeff Schielke
Area
[3]
 • Total10.84 sq mi (28.06 km2)
 • Land10.65 sq mi (27.58 km2)
 • Water0.19 sq mi (0.48 km2)
Elevation
666 ft (203 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total26,098
 • Density2,450.52/sq mi (946.15/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP Code(s)
60510 and 60539
Area codes630 and 331
FIPS code17-04078
GNIS feature ID2394077
Wikimedia CommonsBatavia, Illinois
Websitewww.cityofbatavia.net
The Fox River has been of central significance to settlement and life in Batavia.

During the latter part of the 19th century, Batavia, home to six American-style windmill manufacturing companies, became known as "The Windmill City."[4] Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, a federal government-sponsored high-energy physics laboratory, where both the bottom quark and the top quark were first detected, is located just east of the city limits.

Batavia is part of a vernacular region known as the Tri-City area, along with St. Charles and Geneva, all western suburbs of similar size and relative socioeconomic condition.[5]

History

Batavia was settled in 1833 by Christopher Payne and his family. Originally called Big Woods for the wild growth throughout the settlement, the town was renamed by local judge and former Congressman Isaac Wilson in 1840 after his former home of Batavia, New York.[6][7] Because Judge Wilson owned the majority of the town, he was given permission to rename the city.

Batavia's settlement was delayed one year by the Black Hawk War, in which Abraham Lincoln was a citizen soldier, and Zachary Taylor and Jefferson Davis were Army officers.[8] Although there is no direct evidence that Lincoln, Taylor, or Davis visited the future site of Batavia, there are writings by Lincoln that refer to "Head of the Big Woods," Batavia's original name. The city was incorporated on July 27, 1872.[9]

After the death of her husband, Mary Todd Lincoln was an involuntary resident of the Batavia Institute on May 20, 1875.[10] At the time the institute was known as Bellevue Place, a sanitarium for women. Mrs. Lincoln was released four months later on September 11, 1875.[11] In the late 19th century, Batavia was a major manufacturer of the Conestoga wagons used in the country's westward expansion.[12] Into the early 20th century, most of the windmill operated waterpumps in use by America's farms were made at one of three windmill manufacturing companies in Batavia.[13][14] Many of the limestone buildings of these factories remain in use as government and commercial offices, and storefronts. The Aurora Elgin and Chicago Railway constructed a power plant in southern Batavia and added a branch to the city in 1902. The Campana Factory was built in 1936 to manufacture cosmetics for The Campana Company, particularly Italian Balm, the nation's best-selling hand lotion at the time.

Geography

Batavia is located at 41°50′56″N 88°18′30″W (41.8488583, −88.3084400).[15]

According to the 2010 census, Batavia has a total area of 9.707 square miles (25.14 km2), of which 9.64 square miles (24.97 km2) (or 99.31%) is land and 0.067 square miles (0.17 km2) (or 0.69%) is water.[16]

Major streets

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
18601,621—
18802,639—
18903,54334.3%
19003,8719.3%
19104,43614.6%
19204,395−0.9%
19305,04514.8%
19405,1011.1%
19505,83814.4%
19607,49628.4%
19709,06020.9%
198012,57438.8%
199017,07635.8%
200023,86639.8%
201026,0459.1%
202026,0980.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[17]

As of the 2020 U.S. census, there were 26,098 people residing in the city.[18] The population density in 2010 was 2,703 people per square mile (1,044/km2). There were 8,806 housing units at an average density of 973.5 per square mile (375.7/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 93.21% White, 2.42% Black or African American, 0.11% Native American, 1.35% Asian, none Pacific Islander, 1.53% from other races, and 1.39% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.27% of the population.

As of 2019, there were 9,834 households, out of which 41.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.0% were married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.2% were non-families. 22.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.27.

24.4% of the population is under 18, including 5.8% under the age of five, while 14.7% of the population is over 65. 50.7% of the population is female.

The 2019 per capita income for the city was $46.596, with 5.8% of the population living below the poverty line. Median household income in 2019 was $93,789, with the median value of an owner-occupied home at $304,400.

Economy

Aldi, Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of Aldi Süd, has its headquarters in Batavia.[19]

Fermilab is located just outside the town borders and serves as employment for many of the town's residents.

According to the City's 2017 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[20] the top employers in the city are:

# Employer # of employees
1 Fermi Research Alliance 1,700
2 Suncast Corporation 800
3 Aldi, Inc. 700
4 AGCO Corporation 365
5 Power Packaging 300
6 HOBI International 225
7 VWR Scientific 221
8 Batavia Container 160
9 Flinn Scientific Inc. 150
10 DS Containers, Inc. 140

Accolades
  • In 2007, BusinessWeek ranked Batavia #21 on a national list of the 50 best places in America to raise kids.[21]
  • In 2009, Batavia was ranked #56 on CNN Money's Best Small Towns in the nation.
  • In 2011, Batavia was voted by RelocateAmerica as one of the Top 100 Places to Live in America.[22]
  • In 2013, Batavia won the Best Street Award from the Illinois Chapter of the Congress of New Urbanism for the City's Streetscape redevelopment of River Street.[23] The River Street design was also awarded the Lieutenant Governor's Award for Excellence in Downtown Revitalization at the Illinois Main Street Conference in 2013.[24]
  • In 2013, the City of Batavia was designated as a Bike Friendly Community (Bronze Level) by the League of American Bicyclists. Currently, only six communities in Illinois are designated Bike Friendly Communities.[25][26]
  • In 2013, Batavia's collection of historic windmills was designated as an Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
  • In 2020, the City of Batavia's Wastewater Treatment Plant rehabilitation project won a Project of the Year Award from the American Public Works Association Fox Valley Branch in the environmental category in the $25-$75 million division.[27]

Education

Batavia is served by Batavia Public School District No. 101. The district currently consists of six K–5 elementary schools, one 6–8 middle school, and Batavia High School.[28] Small pockets of the city are served by Geneva Community Unit School District 304 and West Aurora Public School District 129.

Library

Batavia is served by Batavia Public Library District, which was founded in April 1881 as a township library; the first Board of Library Trustees was elected in April 1882. It converted to a district library in June 1975. The library serves most of Batavia Township, Kane County, Illinois and portions of Winfield Township, DuPage County, Illinois, Geneva Township, Kane County, Illinois, and Blackberry Township, Kane County, Illinois. Its current facility opened in January 2002.[29]

Transportation

Notable people

See also

References
  1. Edwards, Jim; Edwards, Wynette (2000). "City of Energy Entrepreneurs". Batavia: From the Collection of the Batavia Historical Society. Chicago, IL: Arcadia. pp. 21–32. ISBN 978-0-7385-0795-8.
  2. "City of Batavia, Illinois". City of Batavia, Illinois. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
  3. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  4. Schielke, Jeffery (2010). "Batavia History: Our Town". City of Batavia. Archived from the original on 2010-10-17. Retrieved 2010-02-08.
  5. [Scheetz, George H.] "Whence Siouxland?" Book Remarks [Sioux City Public Library], May 1991.
  6. Callery, Edward (2009). Place names of Illinois. Champaign-Urbana, Ill: University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0-252-03356-8.
  7. "Several Towns Named After Founders and Heroes". The Daily Herald. December 28, 1999. p. 220. Retrieved August 17, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. Blackhawk War
  9. Illinois Regional Archives Depository System. "Name Index to Illinois Local Governments". Illinois State Archives. Illinois Secretary of State. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
  10. Emerson, Jason (June–July 2006). "The Madness of Mary Lincoln". American Heritage. Archived from the original on 2009-09-05. Retrieved 2009-09-03.
  11. "Mary Lincoln's Stay at Bellevue Place". www.abrahamlincolnonline.org.
  12. Robinson, Marilyn; Schielke, Jeffery D.; Gustafson, John (1998) [1962]. John Gustafson's Historic Batavia. Batavia, Ill: Batavia Historical Society. ISBN 0-923889-06-X. OCLC 38030962.
  13. Cisneros, Stacey L.; Scheetz, George H. (2008). Windmill City: A Guide to the Historic Windmills of Batavia, Illinois. Batavia, Ill: Batavia Public Library. OCLC 247081989.
  14. "Batavia History". Batavia Historical Society. 2000. Archived from the original on 2010-01-15. Retrieved 2010-02-08.
  15. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: City of Batavia
  16. "G001 - Geographic Identifiers - 2010 Census Summary File 1". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2020-02-13. Retrieved 2015-12-25.
  17. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  18. "QuickFacts - Batavia city, Illinois". US Census Quickfacts. Retrieved 8 December 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  19. Wollam, Allison. "Discount retailers bulk up in Houston as economy stutters." Houston Business Journal. Monday November 28, 2011. Retrieved on December 8, 2011.
  20. "Financial Reports". Batavia, IL - Official Website. Retrieved 2019-03-09.
  21. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-09-30. Retrieved 2011-06-29.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  22. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-08-14. Retrieved 2012-08-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  23. "CNU Illinois". cnuillinois.
  24. "Archived copy". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on 2014-05-08. Retrieved 2014-05-07.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  25. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-05-08. Retrieved 2014-05-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  26. "Batavia Wins National Recognition as Bicycle Friendly Community". Batavia, IL Patch. October 15, 2013.
  27. "Batavia, IL". Batavia, IL.
  28. "Batavia Public Schools". Batavia Public School District No. 101. 2010. Archived from the original on 18 January 2010. Retrieved 13 February 2010.
  29. "Library History". Batavia Public Library. 2010. Archived from the original on 2010-10-30. Retrieved 2010-02-08.
  30. "Ken Anderson". IMDb. Retrieved October 19, 2012.
  31. White, James Terry. (1944). The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography. Volume 31. New York: James T. White & Company. p. 446
  32. "Dan Issel". NBA Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on November 9, 2012. Retrieved October 22, 2012.
  33. 'Illinois Blue Book 1937-1938,' Biographical Sketch of John F. Petit, pg. 160-161
  34. "Craig Sager". CNN/Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on August 23, 2011. Retrieved October 22, 2012.
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