Genoa, Illinois

City of Genoa, Illinois
Location of Genoa in DeKalb County, Illinois.
Location of Genoa in DeKalb County, Illinois.
Coordinates: 42°05′34″N 88°41′47″W / 42.09278°N 88.69639°W / 42.09278; -88.69639[1]
CountryUnited States
StateIllinois
CountyDeKalb
Incorporated1876
Area
 • Total
2.64 sq mi (6.85 km2)
 • Land2.59 sq mi (6.71 km2)
 • Water0.054 sq mi (0.14 km2)
Elevation830 ft (250 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
5,298
 • Density2,045.2/sq mi (789.67/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
60135[3]
Area codes815 and 779
FIPS code17-28898
GNIS feature ID2393914[1]
Websitewww.genoa-il.com

Genoa is a city in the north-east corner of DeKalb County, Illinois, United States. It is located on the historic Galena-Chicago stagecoach route. At the 2020 census the city had a population of 5,298, up from 5,193 in 2010.

History

Genoa was settled in 1836 by Thomas Madison,[4] an American Revolutionary War soldier from Ashtabula County, Ohio. He named Genoa after a town of the same name in New York.[5] Genoa was incorporated as a village in 1876 and as a city on September 9, 1911.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, Genoa has a total area of 2.655 square miles (6.88 km2), of which 2.6 square miles (6.73 km2) (or 97.93%) is land and 0.055 square miles (0.14 km2) (or 2.07%) is water.[6]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1880449—
189063441.2%
19001,14079.8%
19101,25710.3%
19201,228−2.3%
19301,168−4.9%
19401,29010.4%
19501,69031.0%
19602,33037.9%
19703,00328.9%
19803,2769.1%
19903,083−5.9%
20004,16935.2%
20105,19324.6%
20205,2982.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]

Racial and ethnic composition

Genoa city, Illinois – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 2000[8] Pop 2010[9] Pop 2020[10] % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 3,673 4,289 3,995 88.10% 82.59% 75.41%
Black or African American alone (NH) 6 36 46 0.14% 0.69% 0.87%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 8 6 10 0.19% 0.12% 0.19%
Asian alone (NH) 12 23 38 0.29% 0.44% 0.72%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) 0 0 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Other race alone (NH) 1 0 3 0.02% 0.00% 0.06%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) 25 55 205 0.60% 1.06% 3.87%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 444 784 1,001 10.65% 15.10% 18.89%
Total 4,169 5,193 5,298 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Genoa had a population of 5,298, with 1,922 households and 1,251 families residing in the city.[11][12] The population density was 2,003.78 inhabitants per square mile (773.66/km2). There were 1,993 housing units at an average density of 753.78 per square mile (291.04/km2).[13]

The median age was 36.2 years. 25.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 11.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 107.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 104.6 males age 18 and over.[11]

94.8% of residents lived in urban areas, while 5.2% lived in rural areas.[14]

Of the 1,922 households in Genoa, 38.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 52.2% were married-couple households, 18.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 20.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[11]

Of the city's 1,993 housing units, 3.6% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.3%.[11]

Racial composition as of the 2020 census[12]
RaceNumberPercent
White4,17778.8%
Black or African American480.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native220.4%
Asian380.7%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander00.0%
Some other race3556.7%
Two or more races65812.4%

Income and poverty

The median income for a household in the city was $72,795, and the median income for a family was $78,625. Males had a median income of $49,523 versus $28,125 for females. The per capita income for the city was $31,563. About 6.8% of families and 8.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.0% of those under age 18 and 2.1% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Genoa is governed by a mayor and eight-member City Council. The city is divided into four wards, with two aldermen representing each ward. The mayor and aldermen serve four-year terms. The terms of the City Council are staggered such that one alderman from each ward is elected every two years.

City Council Members

Term expiration indicated in parentheses

  • Mayor: Jonathon Brust (2029)
  • Ward 1: Christopher Pulley (2029)
  • Ward 1: Pam Wesner (2027)
  • Ward 2: Vacant
  • Ward 2: Walter Stage (2027)
  • Ward 3: Kendra Brahen (2027)
  • Ward 3: Courtney Winter (2029)
  • Ward 4: Gary Roca (2027)
  • Ward 4: Dean Gudeman (2029)

A City Clerk is also elected at-large and serves a four-year term. The current city clerk is Becca Stevenson, whose term expires in 2029.

Education

Genoa is part of the Genoa-Kingston (GK) School District with nearby village Kingston. The district has four Public Schools: Kingston Elementary School (Grades K–2), Genoa Elementary School (Grades 3–5), Genoa-Kingston Middle School (Grades 6–8) and Genoa-Kingston High School (Grades 9–12). The school district's mascot is a “Cog”, and the school sports teams are the G-K Cogs (Acronym for Community of Genoa Sports) with the colors being royal blue and orange.

Sports

Girls athletics include basketball, cheer leading, cross country, dance team, golf, soccer, softball, track and field, and volleyball. Boys athletics include football, baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, track and field, and wrestling. The town has three state championships to its name: the football team in 1977, the girls track team in 1989, and the girls volleyball team in 2022. Genoa-Kingston High School competes in the Big Northern Conference (BNC), while Genoa-Kingston Middle School competes in the Mid-Northern Conference (MNC).

Notable person

References

  1. 1 2 3 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Genoa, Illinois
  2. ↑ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Genoa IL ZIP Code". zipdatamaps.com. 2023. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  4. ↑   Genoa-Kingston Bicentennial Commission. (1976). Genoa-Kingston bicentennial history and program, 1976. G.K. Bicentennial Commission.
  5. ↑ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 136.
  6. ↑ "G001 - Geographic Identifiers - 2010 Census Summary File 1". census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 27, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  7. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  8. ↑ "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Genoa city, Illinois". United States Census Bureau.
  9. ↑ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Genoa city, Illinois". United States Census Bureau.
  10. ↑ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Genoa city, Illinois". United States Census Bureau.
  11. 1 2 3 4 "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". census.gov. United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  12. 1 2 "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". census.gov. United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  14. ↑ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". census.gov. United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Edward D. Shurtleff". Illinois Blue Book. 1909. p. 202.