Wataga, Illinois

Wataga
Village
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Knox
Township	Sparta
Coordinates
Area	0.86 sq mi (2 km2)
- land	0.86 sq mi (2 km2)
- water	0.00 sq mi (0 km2)
Population	857 (2000)
Density	989.5 / sq mi (382 / km2)
Timezone	CST (UTC-6)
- summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Postal code	61488
Area code	309
Location of Wataga within Illinois
Wikimedia Commons: Wataga, Illinois

Wataga is a village in Knox County, Illinois, United States. The population was 843 at the 2010 census, down from 857 in 2000. It is part of the Galesburg Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

Wataga is located at (41.026282, -90.276857).

According to the 2010 census, Wataga has a total area of 0.86 square miles (2.23 km²), all land.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1860	1,538		—
1870	1,205		−21.7%
1880	734		−39.1%
1890	586		−20.2%
1900	545		−7.0%
1910	444		−18.5%
1920	459		3.4%
1930	487		6.1%
1940	540		10.9%
1950	550		1.9%
1960	570		3.6%
1970	570		0.0%
1980	996		74.7%
1990	879		−11.7%
2000	857		−2.5%
2010	843		−1.6%
Est. 2014	828		−1.8%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 857 people, 336 households, and 256 families residing in the village. The population density was 989.5 people per square mile (380.3/km²). There were 370 housing units at an average density of 427.2 per square mile (164.2/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 98.13% White, 0.35% African American, 0.12% Asian, 0.12% from other races, and 1.28% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.28% of the population.

There were 336 households out of which 37.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.5% were married couples living together, 15.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.8% were non-families. 20.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the village the population was spread out with 27.4% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 24.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 87.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.5 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $39,205, and the median income for a family was $41,786. Males had a median income of $35,114 versus $20,700 for females. The per capita income for the village was $15,553. About 8.8% of families and 11.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.5% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education

ROWVA School District #208 is made up of five major towns: Rio, Oneida, Wataga, Victoria, and Altona. PreK-1st graders go to ROWVA Central in Oneida, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th go to ROWVA East in Altona, and 5th and 6th graders attend school in Oneida, ROWVA Central. The junior high is located in Oneida and is made up of 7th and 8th graders. The high school made up of 9th-12th graders and is also located in Oneida. ROWVA Central, ROWVA Jr. High, and ROWVA High School are all in one basic building, just different sections. ROWVA's school colors are black, gold, and white, with their mascot being a tiger. The school is ending a five-year-long football co-op with AlWood at the end of the 2009 football season, in which they are the A&R Bulldogs (black, silver, and white.) Starting in the 2009 fall season, ROWVA became a part of a sports co-op with Galva where they are the Mid-County Cougars (black, blue, and white.) ROWVA is a part of the Mid-County co-op for golf, cross country, junior high football, and as of 2010, high school.