Chrisman, Illinois

Chrisman is a city in Ross Township, Edgar County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,312 at the 2020 census.^[3]

Chrisman
City
The water tower in Chrisman
Location of Chrisman in Edgar County, Illinois.
Chrisman Chrisman's location in Edgar County
Coordinates: 39°48′16″N 87°40′30″W[1]
Country	USA
State	Illinois
County	Edgar
Township	Ross
Area [2]
• Total	0.72 sq mi (1.86 km2)
• Land	0.72 sq mi (1.86 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation [1]	643 ft (196 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	1,312
• Density	1,824.76/sq mi (704.83/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	61924
Area code	217
FIPS code	17–14273
GNIS feature ID	2393520[1]

History

Chrisman was founded on land originally owned by a man named Abraham Smith, who moved to Ross Township in 1840. In 1851, Smith sold his farmland to John Chrisman who then built his home on the land where the Nazarene Church currently stands. Chrisman lived in this house until his death in 1870. Upon his death, the property, including the 800 acres of farmland, was inherited by his son, Mathias Chrisman. It is believed that at this time, around 20 other families were also living in the area.^[4]

Two years later, a county surveyor visited the area looking to identify a location for a new town. John Chrisman along with Charles Caraway and William Kenton assisted the surveyor. Kenton suggested that the new town should be named “Chrisman” in honor of the current landowner. The town was established on 100 acres of land and, for a few months, was known as “Dolly Varden”. Ultimately, it was renamed to Chrisman and has remained that way ever since.^[5]

Geography

Chrisman High School

Chrisman is located on U.S. Route 150 less than a mile north of its intersection with U.S. Route 36. Two railroad lines intersect in Chrisman, both operated by CSX Transportation.^[6]

According to the 2010 census, Chrisman has a total area of 0.75 square miles (1.94 km²), all land.^[7]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	541		—
1890	820		51.6%
1900	905		10.4%
1910	1,193		31.8%
1920	1,101		−7.7%
1930	1,092		−0.8%
1940	1,112		1.8%
1950	1,071		−3.7%
1960	1,221		14.0%
1970	1,285		5.2%
1980	1,413		10.0%
1990	1,136		−19.6%
2000	1,318		16.0%
2010	1,343		1.9%
2020	1,312		−2.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]

As of the 2020 census^[3] there were 1,312 people, 610 households, and 405 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,824.76 inhabitants per square mile (704.54/km²). There were 559 housing units at an average density of 777.47 units per square mile (300.18 units/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.52% White, 0.61% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.46% Asian, 1.07% from other races, and 4.19% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.52% of the population.

There were 610 households, out of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.48% were married couples living together, 3.77% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.61% were non-families. 27.87% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.08% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.14 and the average family size was 2.49.

The city's age distribution consisted of 25.9% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 23.4% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 21.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $51,042, and the median income for a family was $70,234. Males had a median income of $46,875 versus $30,529 for females. The per capita income for the city was $26,336. About 6.7% of families and 8.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.1% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.

Notable person

• Harry Woodyard, Illinois state legislator, lived in Chrisman^[9]