- For the Illinois village previously known as Rantoul see Alma, Illinois
is a village in Champaign County
, United States
. The population was 12,918 at the 2000 census. The present mayor is Neal Williams, whose term will expire in 2009. The community was named after Robert Rantoul, director of the Illinois Central Railroad
In 1917, Rantoul was chosen to be the site of the Chanute Field due to its proximity to the Illinois Central railroad and the War Department’s ground school housed at the University of Illinois. In the 1930s, Chanute grew, dominating the local economy as thousands of Airmen were stationed there to train new recruits who cycled in and out. Renamed Chanute Air Force Base after World War II, the base was closed in 1993, and partly reoccupied by the Octave Chanute Aerospace Museum and the Rantoul National Aviation Center.
Rantoul is located at (40.304600, -88.152070).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 7.3 square miles (19.0 km²), of which, 7.2 square miles (18.8 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) of it (1.50%) is water.
As of the census
of 2000, there were 12,918 people, 5,330 households, and 3,368 families residing in the village. The population density
was 1,776.5 people per square mile (685.7/km²). There were 6,161 housing units at an average density of 851.3/sq mi (328.6/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 76.69% White
, 16.88% African American
, 0.47% Native American
, 1.75% Asian
, 0.05% Pacific Islander
, 0.89% from other races
, and 3.27% from two or more races. Hispanic
of any race were 2.69% of the population.
There were 5,330 households out of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.9% were married couples living together, 15.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.8% were non-families. 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.02.
In the village the population was spread out with 28.6% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 32.2% from 25 to 44, 18.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.7 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $36,904, and the median income for a family was $43,543. Males had a median income of $32,440 versus $22,382 for females. The per capita income for the village was $17,948. About 8.5% of families and 10.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.7% of those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over.
, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Rantoul. Amtrak Train 391, the southbound Saluki
, is scheduled to depart Rantoul at 11:10am daily with service to Champaign-Urbana
, Mattoon, Effingham, Centralia, Du Quoin, and Carbondale
. Amtrak Train 393, the southbound Illini
, is scheduled to depart Rantoul at 6:00pm daily serving the same points as the southbound Saluki. Amtrak Train 390, the northbound Saluki, is scheduled to depart Rantoul at 10:27am daily with service to Gilman, Kankakee, Homewood, and Chicago
. Amtrak Train 887, the northbound Illini, is scheduled to depart Rantoul at 7:02pm daily serving the same points as the northbound Saluki.
Rantoul National Aviation Center
Partial List of Village Mayors
- Illinois Skydiving Center, a major center of that sport, located in nearby Flatville.
- Octave Chanute Aerospace Museum, detailing the history of Flight, Military Aviation, and Chanute Air Force Base, located on the old Base.
- Korean War Veterans Museum, a Museum currently under construction detailing the history of the Korean War, located on the old Base.
- Rantoul Theater Group, offering drama, comedy, and musical live entertainment
- Champaign County Sports Car Club hosts Autocross events on the old base next to the AT&T building about 2 weekends a month, during the warm months.
- Rantoul Township High School, the only high school in Rantoul, Illinois and stands as its own district. More information is provided through the provided link. The University of Illinois football scrimmage game is usually held at the high school field in August.