Cherry Valley, Illinois

The village of Cherry Valley is a community of 8.72 square miles (22.6 km2) located in the Kishwaukee River valley, which lies primarily in Winnebago County. Approximately ten percent of the village is located within Boone County. The village is within the Rockford, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area, and borders the southeast side of Rockford. The population is 3,162 as of the 2010 census, up from 2,191 in 2000.[4]

Cherry Valley
Village
Location of Cherry Valley in Winnebago and Boone County, Illinois.
Location of Illinois in the United States
Coordinates: 42°14′05″N 88°56′56″W
CountryUnited States
StateIllinois
CountyWinnebago, Boone
TownshipsCherry Valley, Rockford,
Belvidere, Flora
Government
 • Village PresidentJim E. Claeyssen
Area
 • Total8.63 sq mi (22.4 km2)
 • Land8.37 sq mi (21.7 km2)
 • Water0.26 sq mi (0.7 km2)
Elevation728 ft (222 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total3,162
 • Estimate 
(2018)[3]
2,887
 • Density370/sq mi (140/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP Code(s)
61016
Area code(s)815
FIPS code17-13074
Wikimedia CommonsCherry Valley, Illinois
Websitewww.cherryvalley.org

History

Official documents from the Winnebago County Clerk's office and the Village of Cherry Valley state Cherry Valley was settled in 1836.[5] The first settler within Cherry Valley was Joseph Griggs[5] who, along with his family, settled on the north bank of the Kishwaukee River in 1835.[6] Cherry Valley was incorporated as a village on January 31, 1857. Early landmark events for Cherry Valley was the establishment of a mill on the Kishwaukee River, and the coming of the railroad in 1852.[7]

Early on Cherry Valley was called by various names, such as "Griggs Ford" and Graball, and then other names, before the present name was adopted.[8] After deciding to change the name, the people put their suggestions into a hat. A Mrs. Butler, from Cherry Valley, New York placed the name of Cherry Valley in the hat and that name was selected.[9] The core of the village, centered on its main street businesses in small brick buildings, is surrounded by several blocks of houses built in the 19th century. This late 19th-century appearance is further accentuated by turn-of-the-20th-century-style lamp lights as well as the original brick paving along the eastern end of main street.[10]

Relationship with Rockford

Although located close to Rockford, Cherry Valley was far enough away to be considered, for most of its history, not a part of the Rockford community. However, with the advent of modern transportation in the later 20th century, Cherry Valley became in essence a suburb of Rockford. As the city of Rockford grew and expanded its boundaries it came in direct contact with Cherry Valley. Since that time there have been land control related issues between the two municipalities. For the most part these issues have been resolved with a boundary agreement between the two communities.

Cherry Valley today

In the last dozen years Cherry Valley has seen a shift towards Chicago, with roughly a third of its new residents being former Chicago suburban residents who live in the village and commute to work in the Chicago suburbs. Being near to an interchange on I-90 (Jane Addams Memorial Tollway) contributed to this shift, and in 2006 the toll booths on the Cherry Valley interchange and exit were removed because of increased traffic flow and the need to remove the chronic traffic jams that had built over the years.[11]

Cherry Valley was the first community in the area to implement a comprehensive, curb side recycling program for all its residents. It was also the first community in the area to require full urban improvements for all new subdivisions (sanitary sewer, municipal water, curb, gutters, sidewalks, etc.) Cherry Valley was also the first community in the region to require subdivision developers to dedicate land or fees for the development of parks and open space.

Most of Cherry Valley is within the Rockford School District, with a small portion in the Belvidere School District. Schools closed and demolished in 2019[12]

Geography

The core of the village is located a little north of the confluence of the north and south branches of the Kishwaukee river.[13] There is a slight depression as one moves towards the center of the village, which is a formation of the Kishwaukee river valley.[14]

According to the 2010 census, Cherry Valley has a total area of 8.697 square miles (22.53 km2), of which 8.44 square miles (21.86 km2) (or 97.04%) is land and 0.257 square miles (0.67 km2) (or 2.96%) is water.[15] The north branch of the Kishwaukee River travels through Cherry Valley's central business district. The largest body of water in the village is Cherry Valley Lake which is situated just east of the Kishwaukee River in Baumann Park. The village is served by Interstate 90, Interstate 39, U.S. Route 20 and U.S. Route 51.

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
1900349—
191043324.1%
192048010.9%
193058722.3%
1940583−0.7%
195074127.1%
196087518.1%
19709528.8%
1980946−0.6%
19901,61570.7%
20002,19135.7%
20103,16244.3%
Est. 20182,887[3]−8.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[16]
2012 Estimate[17]

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,191 people, 857 households, and 623 families residing in the village. The population density was 583.3 people per square mile (225.0/km²). There were 887 housing units at an average density of 236.1 per square mile (91.1/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 93.98% White, 1.69% African American, 0.18% Native American, 2.56% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.87% from other races, and 0.68% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.19% of the population.

There were 857 households out of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.9% were married couples living together, 5.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.3% were non-families. 22.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the village, the population was spread out with 25.4% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 33.9% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 8.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.5 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $59,871, and the median income for a family was $70,833. Males had a median income of $50,943 versus $29,153 for females. The per capita income for the village was $23,725. About 4.7% of families and 6.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.6% of those under age 18 and 2.0% of those age 65 or over. Cherry Valley has the highest income and education levels of any community within the Rockford metropolitan area.

Development and growth

Key to the village economy is million square foot CherryVale Mall, one of the first enclosed shopping malls in Illinois. CherryVale, which draws shoppers from a radius of over 50 miles (80 km), produces the greatest single source of revenue for the village, in the form of a 1% sales tax that is levied and collected by the State of Illinois and then distributed to the community. Because of this sales tax, Cherry Valley is one of only a handful of communities within Illinois that does not levy a municipal property tax.

Another notable commercial enterprise in Cherry Valley is the Kegel Motorcycle Company, which has a strong claim to being the world's oldest Harley-Davidson dealership.[18]

Notable people
  • Virgil Abloh is a DJ and fashion designer, with notable brands Off-White and Pyrex Vision. On March 26, 2018, he was named artistic director for men's wear at Louis Vuitton.[19]
  • John Baumgarten. Businessman, Illinois state representative. He served as mayor of Cherry Valley in 1945. Baumgarten died at Swedish American Hospital in Rockford, Illinois
  • Mo Pitney (born 1993), country music artist

References
  1. "2016 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved Jun 29, 2017.
  2. "USGS detail on Newtown". Retrieved 2007-10-21.
  3. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved November 7, 2019.
  4. City data. 2000 census information Retrieved on June 07, 2007
  5. Larson, John. "Cherry Valley History". Cherry Valley Historical Society. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
  6. genealogy.com
  7. Cherry Valley Library web page Retrieved on March 8, 2007
  8. Chicago and North Western Railway Company (1908). A History of the Origin of the Place Names Connected with the Chicago & North Western and Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railways. p. 55.
  9. Cherry Valley Historical Society, as included in Cherry Valley.org Archived February 3, 2007, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on March 1, 2007
  10. VisitIllinois page with description of Cherry Valley Archived June 18, 2007, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on March 8, 2007
  11. press release from Toll authority on Cherry Valley exit Archived September 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on March 8, 2007
  12. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-06-17.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link), Cherry Valley Elementary School web page, Retrieved on June 17, 2007
  13. Winnebago Co. related web page with information about rivers Archived February 20, 2007, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on March 8, 2007
  14. Illinois DNR document describing the terrain and valleys along the Kishwaukee river Archived August 23, 2004, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on March 8, 2007
  15. "G001 - Geographic Identifiers - 2010 Census Summary File 1". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2020-02-13. Retrieved 2015-08-02.
  16. United States Census Bureau. "Census of Population and Housing". Retrieved August 21, 2013.
  17. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2012". Archived from the original on October 19, 2013. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
  18. "Kegel History". Archived from the original on 2008-07-16. Retrieved 2008-06-20.
  19. "Friedman, Vanessa. "Louis Vuitton Names Virgil Abloh as Its New Men's Wear Designer". New York Times. Retrieved 26 March 2018".
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