Streator, IL Facts, Population, Income, Demographics, Economy

Population (total): Population in 2017: 13,135 (100% urban, 0% rural). >Population change since 2000: -7.4%

Median Rent: Median gross rent in 2017: $648.

Cost of Living: March 2019 cost of living index in Streator: 75.6 (low, U.S. average is 100)

Poverty (overall): Percentage of residents living in poverty in 2017: 23.7%

Poverty (breakdown): (20.2% for White Non-Hispanic residents, 72.7% for Black residents, 33.3% for Hispanic or Latino residents, 100.0% for American Indian residents, 33.2% for other race residents, 47.5% for two or more races residents)

Sex Offenders: According to our research of Illinois and other state lists, there were 49 registered sex offenders living in Streator, Illinois as of January 15, 2021. The ratio of all residents to sex offenders in Streator is 268 to 1.>

Elevation: 626 feet

Land Area: 5.77 square miles.

Median Incomes:
      Estimated median household income in 2017: $43,736 (it was $33,868 in 2000)
      Estimated per capita income in 2017: $24,824 (it was $16,650 in 2000)
      Estimated median house or condo value in 2017: $84,656 (it was $56,300 in 2000) Streator:$84,656IL:$195,300

Settlement in the region began with the Kaskaskia tribe of the Illiniwek Confederation. This Native American tribe's Grand Village was located on the north bank of the Illinois River in nearby Utica, Illinois. The Kaskaskia "were hunters and gatherers, farmers, warriors and traders." The Illiniwek were the last remnants of the Mississippian culture. French explorers Father Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet were the first Europeans to enter this region during a visit to the Grand Village in 1673. Marquette established a mission at the village in 1675. In 1679, French explorer Robert de LaSalle ordered a fortification to be built at the site that was later known as Starved Rock. Later that year Iroquois attacked the Kaskaskia village and the 8,000 villagers dispersed. The French and local tribes again fortified the village and created Fort St. Louis, but the Iroqouis continued to attack. The settlement was eventually abandoned by 1691. In the years after the initial exploration, the French settled their newly claimed territory as La Louisiane. During much of the 18th century the region was sparsely populated by French, British and American fur traders. The French ceded control of the part of the La Louisiane territory east of the Mississippi River to the British at the end of the French and Indian War in 1763. Of this territory ceded by the French to Britain, the part extending down to the Ohio River was added to Britain's Quebec Province when the British Parliament passed the Quebec Act in 1774. During the American Revolutionary War (1775–83), this region that had been added to Quebec was claimed by Virginia in 1778, after a victory over the British by George Rogers Clark at Kaskaskia; Virginia named the region Illinois County. After the war, the area was included in the territory ceded by Britain to the United States under the Treaty of Paris (1783); in 1784, Virginia ceded its claim over Illinois County to the Congress of the Confederation of the United States. This area, south of what remained of Britain's Quebec but north of the Ohio River, later became the Northwest Territory created by the Congress on July 13, 1787. From part of this Northwest Territory area, the Indiana Territory was formed by the United States Congress on July 4, 1800; from part of this Indiana Territory area, the Illinois Territory created by Congress on March 1, 1809; and from part of that Illinois Territory area, the state of Illinois was admitted to the union on December 3, 1818 by Congress. The city of Chicago served as the main impetus of growth in the area throughout the early 19th century, and more importantly to the region around Streator was the development of the Illinois and Michigan Canal in 1821. This canal connected Lake Michigan to the Mississippi River, greatly increasing shipping traffic in the region. Land speculation in areas lining the canal and rivers ensued and towns sprouted quickly. Individual settlements in the Bruce Township region started as early as 1821. In 1861, John O'Neil established the first settlement in what was to become the city of Streator when he opened a small grocery and trading business.:323