Smithboro, Illinois

Smithboro was once called "Henderson Station" and was renamed after Henry H. Smith, the town's postmaster. The town name was spelled "Smithborough" until 1893. The town was incorporated as a village in 1889.[4]

Smithboro and its immediate area was evacuated on December 27, 1981 for a day after a train derailment, affecting 200 people. 22 of 84 trail cars derailed; dichlorodifluromethane and phosphoryl chloride were leaked. Residents were able to return the next day, after cleanup and rail traffic was redirected to a temporary track.[5]

Smithboro is located at 38°53′47″N 89°20′29″W (38.896290, -89.341451).[6]

According to the 2010 census, Smithboro has a total area of 0.93 square miles (2.41 km²), all land.[7]

As of the census[9] of 2000, there were 200 people, 76 households, and 55 families residing in the village. The population density was 169.1 people per square mile (65.4/km²). There were 79 housing units at an average density of 66.8 per square mile (25.8/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 96.50% White, 2.00% African American, 0.50% Native American, and 1.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.50% of the population.

There were 76 households, out of which 38.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.6% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.6% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.16.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 29.5% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 19.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.5 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $21,250, and the median income for a family was $31,042. Males had a median income of $41,250 versus $11,875 for females. The per capita income for the village was $10,284. About 25.5% of families and 26.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.4% of those under the age of eighteen and none of those 65 or over.