Rock Falls, Illinois

Rock Falls is a city in Whiteside County, Illinois, United States. The recorded population was 8,606 at the 2020 census, down 7.12% from 9,266 in 2010. The city is located on the Rock River, directly opposite its twin city of Sterling.

Rock Falls
City
View of downtown buildings in Rock Falls, IL
Location of Rock Falls in Whiteside County, Illinois.
Coordinates: 41°46′21″N 89°41′34″W[1]
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Whiteside
Founded by	A.P. Smith
Government
• Type	Mayor-council
Area [2]
• Total	4.12 sq mi (10.68 km2)
• Land	3.98 sq mi (10.32 km2)
• Water	0.14 sq mi (0.36 km2)
Elevation [1]	646 ft (197 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	8,789
• Density	2,206.63/sq mi (852.02/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP code	61071
Area code	815
FIPS code	17-64928
GNIS feature ID	2396397[1]
Website	rockfalls61071.net

Geography

Rock Falls is separated from its twin city, Sterling, to the North by the Rock River.

According to the 2010 census, Rock Falls has a total area of 3.795 square miles (9.83 km²), of which 3.66 square miles (9.48 km²) (or 96.44%) is land and 0.135 square miles (0.35 km²) (or 3.56%) is water.^[3]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1870	471		—
1880	894		89.8%
1890	1,900		112.5%
1900	2,176		14.5%
1910	2,657		22.1%
1920	2,927		10.2%
1930	3,893		33.0%
1940	4,987		28.1%
1950	7,983		60.1%
1960	10,261		28.5%
1970	10,287		0.3%
1980	10,633		3.4%
1990	9,654		−9.2%
2000	9,580		−0.8%
2010	9,266		−3.3%
2020	8,789		−5.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[4]

Rock Falls city, Illinois – Racial composition

Race (NH = Non-Hispanic)	2020[5]	2010[6]	2000[7]	1990[8]	1980[9]
White alone (NH)	74.4% (6,542)	81.4% (7,541)	86.2% (8,258)	88.6% (8,557)	88.9% (9,456)
Black alone (NH)	1.9% (169)	1.3% (122)	0.7% (71)	0.8% (76)	0.2% (25)
American Indian alone (NH)	0.2% (18)	0.2% (19)	0.4% (34)	0.2% (21)	0.1% (15)
Asian alone (NH)	0.4% (34)	0.3% (26)	0.2% (23)	0.4% (34)	1.1% (121)
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	0% (2)	0% (0)	0% (0)
Other race alone (NH)	0.4% (33)	0% (2)	0% (3)	0% (2)	0.1% (7)
Multiracial (NH)	5.3% (468)	1.7% (161)	0.9% (85)	—	—
Hispanic/Latino (any race)	17.3% (1,523)	15.1% (1,395)	11.5% (1,106)	10% (964)	9.5% (1,009)

The most reported ancestries in 2020 were:^[10]

• German (21.8%)
• English (15.9%)
• Mexican (15%)
• Irish (14.1%)
• Italian (3.4%)
• African American (2.6%)
• Dutch (2.1%)
• Scottish (1.8%)
• Swedish (1.8%)
• French (1.5%)

At the 2000 census there were 9,580 people, 3,895 households, and 2,559 families living in the city. The population density was 2,888.0 inhabitants per square mile (1,115.1/km²). There were 4,098 housing units at an average density of 1,235.4 per square mile (477.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.78% White, 0.88% African American, 0.45% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 4.71% from other races, and 1.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.54%.^[11]

Of the 3,895 households 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.5% were married couples living together, 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were non-families. 29.4% of households were one person and 13.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.99.

The age distribution was 25.5% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.5 males.

The median household income was $34,442 and the median family income was $41,803. Males had a median income of $32,733 versus $21,092 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,524. About 10.3% of families and 11.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.8% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Rock Falls has four school districts. Most of Rock Falls is in Rock Falls Elementary School District 13, while portions in the east are in East Coloma-Nelson Consolidated Elementary School District 20, and a very small portion of the municipal limits is in Montmorency Community Consolidated School District 145. All of Rock Falls is in Rock Falls Township High School District 301.^[12]

Rock Falls Elementary School District #13 consists of Riverdale Preschool Center, Dillon Elementary School, Merrill Intermediate School, and Rock Falls Middle School. East Coloma-Nelson CESD #20 operates East Coloma-Nelson grade school. Montmorency CCSD #145 operates Montmorency grade school. Thome School serves as the town's special needs institution.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockford runs one school in the city: St. Andrew's School, serving as both grade school and middle school. This school serves a local parish, St. Andrew Catholic Church.

Arts and culture

The City of Rock Falls hosts many annual events each year. Some of the most popular events are: Percussion-Paloosa (February), Rock Falls Spring Challenge (May), Bass Pro Shop's Big Cat Quest Catfish Tournament (June), Summer Splash (June), River Chase Boat Races (June), Pink Heals Tour (July), Whiteside County Barn Tour (July), Touch a Truck (August), Fiesta Days (September), Bridge the Communities 5K/10K race (September), The Hennepin Hundred 100k Ultra race (October) and Hometown Holidays (November).^{[citation needed]}

View of riverfront bandshell in Rock Falls, IL

Parks and recreation

The City of Rock Falls and Township of Coloma have 16 parks spanning over 100 acres (40 ha) in which one can use baseball diamonds, basketball courts, tennis courts, disc golf, open fields, playground equipment, pavilions, picnic areas, or a bandshell. Also, with the close proximity of the Rock River, the Hennepin Canal, and a lake in Centennial Park where one can use boats ramps, canoes, paddle boats, or engage in fishing.

Hennepin Canal, looking south from its origin on the Rock River in Rock Falls, Illinois.

Two eighteen-hole mid-range disc golf courses are located in Rock Falls: Nims Park^[13] and Joshua Park.^[14]

Infrastructure

Airport

The Whiteside County Airport is located about 2 mi (3.2 km) south of the city.

Major highways

Major highways in Rock Falls include:

• Interstate 88
• U.S. Route 30
• Illinois Route 40
• Illinois Route 110

Electric utility

Rock Falls has a municipal electrical system, which generates its own power using a 2 megawatt low-head hydro-electric plant on the Rock River. Current electric rate is 67% higher than Com Ed. Water and sewer minimum charge is now up to $71.85.^[15]

Notable people

• Louie Bellson (1924-2009), drummer, creator of the double bass drumkit
• Seth Blair (born 1989), minor league baseball player for the Boston Red Sox
• Frank Harts (born 1979), actor
• Cal Howe (1924-2008), professional baseball player for the Chicago Cubs
• Jake Junis (born 1992), professional baseball player for several teams
• Otis Adelbert Kline (1891-1946), songwriter and adventure novelist
• Gary Kolb (1940-2019), professional baseball player for several teams
• Zelma O'Neal (1903-1989), actress and singer
• Nicholas Sheley (born 1979), murderer, raised in Rock Falls.
• Mariya Takeuchi (born 1955), singer and songwriter
• David Turk, 21st United States deputy secretary of energy