Allendale is a village located in Wabash County, Illinois. As of the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 528.

History

The original location of Allendale was Timberville, a few miles to the South of the current location. When the railroad was to come through the region, the town was moved to its current location to be on the railroad. This is where the town got the name Allendale, named after a railroad man named Allen.

Allendale is home to the First National Bank of Allendale, the oldest bank in the county, and the only bank in the county that survived the depression.

Determination

The people of Allendale are very proud and determined people. After years of plotting, in the mid-80's, Mount Carmel's School District 348 was able to get Allendale's High School (District 17) condemned for asbestos (despite the fact that their own high school was full of asbestos and stayed operational for 14+ more years) in an attempt to usurp District 17 as they had all the other Districts in the county. Allendale was determined though, and kept their high school running in the grade school portion of the building (which was not condemned) and spread the grade school students around various locations in the village. Sadly, this arrangement didn't last and by 1987, Allendale had lost their high school and had to tuition their high school students to District 348. However, by doing this, Allendale managed to keep District 17 alive. This guaranteed, at least at the grade school level, a better education for Allendale students due to a lower student to teacher ratio.

On January 7, 1989 a tornado leveled a good portion of the town of Allendale. The tornado directly impacted Allendale's school, destroying the grade school portion. However, in an ironic twist, the high school portion, which had been condemned, withstood the storm with minimal damage.

Thanks to relief funds, the town of Allendale was rejuvenated, getting a new modern face, including a brand new grade school which is still in use today, and houses the current students of District 17.

Fire Protection

Allendale and 60 square miles of the surrounding area is protected by the Allendale Rural Fire Protection District. It is an all volunteer department with a spectacular record. In addition to fighting fires in their own district, Allendale is often called in for mutual aid to surrounding districts, namely Mount Carmel. Due to Allendale's excellent response time, it is actually not out of the ordinary for Allendale to beat Mount Carmel to their own fires, sometimes even fires inside the Mount Carmel city limits.

Geography

Allendale is located at 38°31'43" North, 87°42'35" West (38.528524, -87.709811).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 0.8 km² (0.3 mi²). 0.8 km² (0.3 mi²) of it is land and none of it is covered by water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 528 people, 192 households, and 142 families residing in the village. The population density was 679.5/km² (1,755.5/mi²). There were 205 housing units at an average density of 263.8/km² (681.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the village was 97.92% White, 0.76% African American, 0.00% Native American, 0.00% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.95% from other races, and 0.38% from two or more races. 1.14% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 192 households out of which 35.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.9% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.0% were non-families. 25.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.20.

In the village the population was spread out with 28.4% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 98.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.8 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $31,705, and the median income for a family was $38,472. Males had a median income of $30,000 versus $16,719 for females. The per capita income for the village was $12,117. 16.6% of the population and 12.1% of families were below the poverty line. 26.4% of those under the age of 18 and 1.9% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.