Brussels, Illinois

Brussels
Village
St. Mary's Catholic Church
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Calhoun
Coordinates	38°56′50″N 90°35′19″W / 38.94722°N 90.58861°WCoordinates: 38°56′50″N 90°35′19″W / 38.94722°N 90.58861°W
Area	0.56 sq mi (1 km^2)
- land	0.56 sq mi (1 km^2)
- water	0.00 sq mi (0 km^2)
Population	141 (2000)
Density	232.4/sq mi (90/km^2)
Timezone	CST (UTC-6)
- summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Postal code	62013
Area code	618
Location of Brussels within Illinois
Wikimedia Commons: Brussels, Illinois

Brussels is a village in Calhoun County, Illinois, United States. The population was 141 at the 2010 census, that figure representing no change from its 2000 population.

General information

Brussels is the headquarters location of the Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge, which is noted for its population of bald eagles. The refuge is named after the two great rivers that flow together close to Brussels, the Illinois River and the Mississippi River.

Brussels has one school district, No. 42, which consists of one grade school (Brussels Grade School) and one high school (Brussels High School). The school district serves the surrounding communities of Meppen, Golden Eagle, and parts of Batchtown. In addition to the public school system, Brussels has a parochial grade school, St. Marys. Brussels High School is small and its enrollment usually hovers at around 70 students.

History

Brussels was first settled in 1822, when John Mettz came to the area; later in the same year, Joshua Twitchell established the community's first business, a blacksmith shop. In 1843, Brussels' population grew significantly due to an influx of German immigrants. German immigration continued through the 1860s, and Irish immigrants also began settling in Brussels in the 1850s. The Wittmond Trading Post, one of the first brick stores in the region, opened in Brussels in 1847, marking the beginning of the village's commercial development. St. Mary's Church formed in 1848 to serve the community's Catholic residents; its current church building was constructed in 1863. In the early 1860s, St. Matthew's Church formed for Brussels' German Lutheran population. Brussels opened its own post office in 1875 and built its own jail in 1876. In 1888, Brussels was legally incorporated as a village.^[1]

The main street of the village is a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

Brussels is located at 38°56′50″N 90°35′19″W / 38.94722°N 90.58861°W (38.947275, -90.588630).^[2]

According to the 2010 census, Brussels has a total area of 0.56 square miles (1.45 km²), all land.^[3]

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1890	228		—
1900	270		18.4%
1910	283		4.8%
1920	280		−1.1%
1930	279		−0.4%
1940	275		−1.4%
1950	205		−25.5%
1960	201		−2.0%
1970	191		−5.0%
1980	168		−12.0%
1990	125		−25.6%
2000	141		12.8%
2010	141		0.0%
Est. 2015	136	[4]	−3.5%
U.S. Decennial Census[5]

As of the census^[6] of 2000, there were 141 people, 60 households, and 40 families residing in the village. The population density was 232.4 people per square mile (89.2/km²). There were 70 housing units at an average density of 115.4 per square mile (44.3/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 100.00% White. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.84% of the population.

There were 60 households out of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.7% are married couples living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.3% were non-families. 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.35 and the average family size was 2.80.

In the village the population was spread out with 20.6% under the age of 18, 11.3% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 19.9% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 39 years. For every 100 females there were 104.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.8 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $40,938, and the median income for a family was $46,250. Males had a median income of $29,375 versus $15,417 for females. The per capita income for the village was $16,281. 11.4% of the population and 5.7% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, none of those under the age of 18, but 17.4% of those 65 and older, were living below the poverty line.

References

1. Linn, Cindy (May 1, 1998). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Brussels Historic District" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved August 9, 2014.
2. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
3. "G001 - Geographic Identifiers - 2010 Census Summary File 1". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2015-08-02.
4. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015". Retrieved July 2, 2016.
5. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Archived from the original on May 11, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
6. "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2013-09-11. Retrieved 2008-01-31.