Elmwood

• Name — Elmwood • Type — City • Subdivision Type — Country • Subdivision Name — United States • Subdivision Type1 — State • Subdivision Name1 — Illinois • Subdivision Type2 — County • Subdivision Name2 — Peoria • Subdivision Type3 — Township • Established Title — First settled • Established Date — 1834 • Established Title1 — Founded • Established Date1 — 1854 • Leader Title — Mayor • Leader Name — Andrew Almasi • Unit Pref — Imperial • Area Total Km2 — 3.62 • Area Total Sq Mi — 1.40 • Area Land Km2 — 3.62 • Area Land Sq Mi — 1.40 • Area Water Km2 — 0.00 • Area Water Sq Mi — 0.00 • Population As Of — 2020 • Population Total — 2058 • Population Density Km2 — 569.23 • Population Density Sq Mi — 1474.21 • Population Est — 2041 • Pop Est As Of — 2024 • Time Zone — CST • Utc Offset — −6 • Time Zone Dst — CDT • Utc Offset Dst — −5 • Elevation Ft — 630 • Postal Code Type — ZIP code • Postal Code — 61529 • Area Code — 309 • Custom Label Sec1 — FIPS code • Custom Data Sec1 — 17-23698 • Custom Label1 Sec1 — GNIS ID • Custom Data1 Sec1 — 2394676 • Website — City of Elmwood Illinois

The settlement was named after a community of elm trees near the mansion of William J. Phelps, who was among the first settlers to arrive in the area in 1834. Phelps was the first postmaster and owned a barn that was part of the Underground Railroad. The town was platted in 1852 and officially founded two years later. On the night of June 5, 2010, an elephant trunk tornado touched down in Elmwood, destroying city hall and other area buildings, bringing down limbs and power lines, and damaging the roof of a theater. Although Elmwood suffered a great deal from the tornado, many town businesses eventually re-opened.

According to the 2010 census, Elmwood has a total area of 1.43 sqmi, all land.

As of the 2020 census, Elmwood had a population of 2,058. The median age was 40.3 years. 26.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 91.8 males age 18 and over. 0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas. There were 819 households in Elmwood, of which 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 53.5% were married-couple households, 15.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 26.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 902 housing units, of which 9.2% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 4.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.1%.

As of the 2000 United States census, there were 1,945 people, 772 households, and 565 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,577.1 PD/sqmi. There were 806 housing units at an average density of 653.5 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 98.71% White, 0.15% African American, 0.36% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.05% from other races, and 0.57% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.82% of the population. There were 772 households, out of which 34.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.3% were married couples living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.8% were non-families. 24.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.99. In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 26.5% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $44,500, and the median income for a family was $51,505. Males had a median income of $37,981 versus $22,557 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,797. About 2.4% of families and 2.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.6% of those under age 18 and 3.5% of those age 65 or over.

Elmwood is mentioned in Life and Times of Frederick Douglass (1881); Frederick Douglass gave a lyceum lecture in early February 1871 "on one of the frostiest and coldest nights I have ever experienced." Needing a place to stay in Peoria the following night, Elmwood citizen E.R. Brown suggested to Douglass that orator Robert G. Ingersoll "would gladly open his doors to you." Elmwood hosts an annual Strawberry Festival in June, and an annual Fall Festival in September. Central Park features a statue by Elmwood native, Lorado Taft, called The Pioneers.

The school district is Elmwood Community Unit School District 322.

• L. R. Kershaw, Oklahoma pioneer, cattleman, and politician; born in Elmwood • Lora Marx, sculptor; born in Elmwood • Tim Monroe, racing driver; born in Elmwood • James D. Putnam, lawyer, business, and politician; lived in Elmwood • Lorado Taft, sculptor ("The Pioneers"), born in Elmwood