Roscoe, Illinois

Roscoe
Village
Location of Roscoe in Winnebago County, Illinois.
Location of Roscoe in Winnebago County, Illinois.
Coordinates: 42°25′52″N 88°59′40″W / 42.43111°N 88.99444°W / 42.43111; -88.99444[2]
CountryUnited States
StateIllinois
CountyWinnebago
TownshipRoscoe
Area
[1]
 • Total
10.34 sq mi (26.79 km2)
 • Land10.27 sq mi (26.59 km2)
 • Water0.077 sq mi (0.20 km2)
Elevation
[2]
745 ft (227 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
10,983
 • Density1,070.0/sq mi (413.12/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
61073
Area codes815 and 779
FIPS code17-65611
GNIS feature ID2399116[2]
Websitehttps://www.roscoeIL.gov/

Roscoe is a village in Winnebago County, Illinois, along the Rock River. It is in a suburban area of the Rockford, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, the village population was 10,983.[3] Native American tribes originally inhabited the region. Stephen Mack, Jr. was the first white settler in the Roscoe area. He was married to Hononegah, a respected Native American woman from one of the surrounding tribes. His original outpost (c. 1830s) eventually became Macktown. William Talcott arrived to the area later and, after a disagreement with Mack, settled on the other side of the nearby river within the present village of Roscoe. Citizens who lived in Macktown would frequently travel across the river to Roscoe but in 1851, the bridge from Macktown to Roscoe washed away. The bridge had been built with funding from Stephen Mack and its destruction, along with Mack's death in 1850, led citizens to permanently move to Roscoe .[4] In northern Illinois, Macktown is the only community from the 1830s that is still standing without subsequent development.[5]

History

Though settled in the 1830s, Roscoe was incorporated as a village in 1965.[6] The village was named after Roscoe Township.[7] Harlem-Roscoe Fire Department Station Three, located at 13974 Willowbrook Rd, was hit by an EF-1 tornado on May 22, 2011.[8] Path length was 1 mile long and 50 yards wide, no injuries were reported.[9] In 1837, the village of Highlander was renamed Roscoe, highlighting a rocky river ford across the Rock River in the village.[10] In the same year, Roscoe established its first post office, with Daniel Shaw Haight as the first postmaster. In 1840, the first weekly newspaper began circulation. In 1847, Roscoe Female Seminary – today Rockford University – was founded. On January 3, 1852, Roscoe was officially chartered as a city;[11][12] a year later the long-running "Forest City" nickname first appeared, used by the New York Tribune. Also in 1852, the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad connected Roscoe to Chicago by railroad.

Geography

Roscoe has a total area of 10.435 square miles (27.03 km2), of which 10.36 square miles (26.83 km2) (or 99.28%) is land and 0.075 square miles (0.19 km2) (or 0.72%) is water.[13]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
19701,070—
19801,38829.7%
19902,07949.8%
20006,244200.3%
201010,78572.7%
202010,9831.8%
U.S. Decennial Census[14]
Businesses in Roscoe
Welcome sign on Illinois Route 251

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Roscoe had a population of 10,983. The median age was 38.2 years. 25.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 13.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 92.2 males age 18 and over.[15][16]

96.9% of residents lived in urban areas, while 3.1% lived in rural areas.[17]

There were 4,131 households in Roscoe, of which 37.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 56.9% were married-couple households, 13.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 21.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 20.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[15]

There were 4,339 housing units, of which 4.8% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.0%.[15]

Racial composition as of the 2020 census[16]
Race Number Percent
White 9,202 83.8%
Black or African American 340 3.1%
American Indian and Alaska Native 27 0.2%
Asian 290 2.6%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 7 0.1%
Some other race 216 2.0%
Two or more races 901 8.2%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 737 6.7%

2000 census

As of the census[18] of 2000, there were 6,244 people including 2,211 households and 1,740 families residing in the village. The population density was 675.1 inhabitants per square mile (260.7/km2). There were 2,277 housing units at an average density of 246.2 per square mile (95.1/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 95.26% White, 1.91% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.82% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.74% from other races, and 1.04% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.50% of the population.

Of the 2,211 households, 44.5% had children under the age of 18, 67.4% were married couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.3% were non-families. 16.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 members and the average family size was 3.19 members.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 31.7% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 35.6% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 6.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.3 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $59,267, and the median income for a family was $61,515. Males had a median income of $48,356 versus $30,060 for females. The per capita income for the village was $25,324. About 1.7% of families and 2.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.1% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Education

Most of Roscoe is in the Kinnikinnick Community Consolidated School District 131, while portions extend into Prairie Hill Community Consolidated School District 133 (a northeast portion) and Rockton School District 140. Areas in those three districts are all within the Hononegah Community High School District 207. Parts of the southern areas are served by Harlem School District 122 (a PK-12 school district). Rockford School District 205 (another PK-12 school district) serves the southeast section of the village.[19]

The four public schools in the Roscoe village limits are part of the Kinnikinnick School District.[20] These are Ledgewood School (grades PreK-1), Stone Creek School (grades 2–3), Kinnikinnick School (grades 4–5), and Roscoe Middle School (grades 6–8).[21] There is no public high school in the village limits, so people in the Honegah high school district attend Hononegah High School in neighboring Rockton, Illinois, or Harlem High School, in Machesney Park. The high school district is involved in a court action to use eminent domain to acquire land in Roscoe for a high school. Roscoe Middle School is the largest feeder school for Hononegah High School.

Notable people

  • John Q. Briggs, Minnesota state senator, born in Roscoe
  • Nicole Manske, sports reporter and Miss Illinois Teen USA (1998), native of Roscoe
  • Danica Patrick, driver, only woman to win in the IndyCar Series; grew up in Roscoe

References

  1. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Roscoe, Illinois
  3. ^ "Roscoe village, Illinois". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
  4. ^ Carr, Edson (1898). "The history of Roscoe, Winnebago County, Illinois, 1820 to 1898". Rockton, IL: Herald Office Print. Retrieved August 19, 2013.
  5. ^ Carlson, Anna (1999). "Macktown: When the West Was Illinois". Illinois History. Retrieved August 19, 2013.
  6. ^ "Village of Roscoe History". Village of Roscoe. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
  7. ^ 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. 119.
  8. ^ "Harlem-Roscoe Fire". www.harlemroscoefire.com. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  9. ^ US Department of Commerce, NOAA. "May 22, 2011 Tornado Event". Weather.gov. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  10. ^ Bridget, French. "All About Rockford, Illinois" (PDF). Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 4, 2015. Retrieved June 27, 2014.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference ilarch was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ "The History and Statistics of American Water-Works". Engineering News-record. January 7, 1882. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  13. ^ "G001 - Geographic Identifiers - 2010 Census Summary File 1". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 25, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  14. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  15. ^ a b c "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2026.
  16. ^ a b "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2026.
  17. ^ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved April 27, 2026.
  18. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  19. ^ Geography Division (December 22, 2020). 2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Winnebago County, IL (PDF) (Map). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved June 28, 2025. - Text list
  20. ^ "Schools". Kinnikinnick Community Consolidated School District 131. Archived from the original on February 24, 2015.
  21. ^ "General Information". Kinnikinnick C.C.S.D. #131. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
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