# Oakwood, Illinois

Oakwood is a village in Oakwood Township, Vermilion County, Illinois, United States. It is part of the Danville, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,595 at the 2010 census, and 1,507 in 2018.

## Geography

According to the 2010 census, Oakwood has a total area of 0.93 square miles (2.41 km$^2$), all land.

## History

The area where Oakwood currently is built was historically inhabited by the Kickapoo, Potawatomi, Pienkeshaw, all tribes of indigenous peoples; the indigenous peoples discovered the salts mines which would later become the start of the town’s economy.
The first white presence in the area was that of the French, who documented the salty water near the Vermilion River in 1706. In the early 1800s, fur trappers employed by John Jacob Astor's American Fur Company arrived in the area. The indigenous peoples were driven westward into reservations as a result of several treaties over the course of the early 1800s.
In October 1819 an army surveyor team of white settlers and Shawnee hired guides arrived in the region, searching for salt mines. They established wells and salt mining in the area. In 1824, Major John W. Vance came from Urbana, Ohio and gained control of the mine, increasing production by bringing in more iron kettles to boil the saltwater down. Due to competition from other mines the mine eventually shut down in the late 1830s/early 1840s.
The village of Oakwood is named after Henry Oakwood, an early settler in the area who arrived in 1833. The township of Oakwood was created in 1868 and Oakwood station (which would become the village) was created in 1870.
From the 1860s onward coal mining became a major source of jobs and industry in Vermilion County.

## Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,502 people, 621 households, and 435 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,669.8 inhabitants per square mile (644.7/km$^2$). There were 639 housing units at an average density of 710.4 per square mile (274.3/km$^2$). The racial makeup of the village was 99.33% White, 0.13% African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.07% Asian, and 0.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.53% of the population.
There were 621 households, out of which 34.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.3% were married couples living together, 14.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.8% were non-families. 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.87.
In the village, the population was spread out, with 26.5% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.5 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $41,477, and the median income for a family was $44,583. Males had a median income of $31,107 versus $23,320 for females. The per capita income for the village was $18,655. About 7.8% of families and 8.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.5% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.

## Notable people

* Margaret W. Campbell was buried in the family plot in an Oakwood Cemetery
* Darrin Fletcher, catcher for several Major League Baseball teams.
* Bobby Pierce, racing driver on several national tours
* Angela Watson, actress (Step by Step)
* Cameron Lee, offensive lineman for several National Football League teams

## Schools

* Oakwood Grade School
       Mascot: "Stars"
* Oakwood Junior High School
       Mascot: "Knights"
* Oakwood High School
       Mascot:"Comets"
       Song: "Cheer, Cheer, for old Oakwood's fame. Wake up the echoes cheering her name. Send the volley cheer on high. Shake down the thunder from the sky. What though the odds be great or small, old Oakwood High will win overall, while her loyal sons are marching onward to victory. Repeat."