Momence is a city in Momence Township, Kankakee County, Illinois, United States. Its population was 3,117 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Kankakee–Bradley metropolitan statistical area.
History First known as "Lower Crossing", Momence was named after a local Potawatomi, Isadore Moness. Momence was first platted by Dr. Hiram Todd in 1846.Houde, Mary Jean; John Klasey (1968) Of the People, a Popular History of Kankakee County, General Printing Co, Chicago, p. 30. It is located on the Kankakee River. In July, 1893, a crew paid for by an appropriation from the neighboring State of Indiana cut a shallow channel not quite a meter deep through a limestone ledge running just east of Momence, which had for millennia partially blocked and restricted the flow of the Kankakee River, making up to that point the Grand Kankakee Marsh, then the nation's largest inland wetland, possible. The increased river flow, while doing little for the citizens of Illinois, drained thousands of acres of Indiana wetlands, permitting them to be profitably farmed, while destroying most of the marsh.
Geography
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Momence has a total area of , of which (or 5.82%) is covered by water.
Demographics
2020 census As of the 2020 census, Momence had a population of 3,117. There were 1,182 households and 598 families in the city. The population density was , and the 1,268 housing units had an average density of .
The median age was 37.8 years. 24.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.8% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 101.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 97.8 males age 18 and over.
0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
Of all households, 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. 42.3% were married-couple households, 19.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 30.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
Of housing units, 6.8% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.0%.
+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census Race Number Percent White 2,183 70.0% Black or African American 152 4.9% American Indian and Alaska Native 37 1.2% Asian 19 0.6% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 1 0.0% Some other race 409 13.1% Two or more races 316 10.1% Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 739 23.7%
Income and poverty The median income for a household in the city was $45,188, and for a family was $61,500. Males had a median income of $37,115 versus $19,292 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,984. About 2.8% of families and 11.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.6% of those under 18 and 6.8% of those 65 or over. Notable people
Jeremy Michael Boorda, U.S. Navy admiral and chief of Naval Operations Don Bacon, Republican member of the United States House of Representatives for Nebraska Eddie Condon, jazz musician, was raised in Momence William Crook (1925–1997), US ambassador to Australia Orbert Davis, jazz trumpeter and bandleader Janet Hubert, actress, appeared in the original Broadway cast of Cats Ted Petersen, offensive lineman for various teams Malcolm Ross, atmospheric scientist, and balloonist, born in Momence John D. Zeglis, president of AT&T and the chairman and CEO of AT&T Wireless
Transportation SHOW Bus provides bus service between Momence and Kankakee on weekdays.
Pop culture Downtown Momence served as a setting for scenes in the 2002 movie, Road to Perdition. Momence's downtown and neighborhood also served as the setting for the fourth season of Fargo, starring Chris Rock. Significant filming location in the third season of Netflix's Monster, which tackled on the Serial Killer Ed Gein
.References
External links City of Momence