BlockSouth Pekin, Illinois
14 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1942 and the latest in 1990. It stands in Cincinnati Township. It lies in ZIP code area 61564. The Survey maps it on the South Pekin quadrangle. 996 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 516 feet above sea level.
Population over time
2 figuresSouth Pekin fell from 1,146 to 996 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 1,146 | |
| 2020 | 996 | -150 (-13%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
8 surveys from 14 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1942 USGS Delavan quadrangle1:62500, 3 printings
- 1958 USGS Peoria quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1961 USGS Peoria quadrangle1:250000
- 1963 USGS Peoria quadrangle1:250000
- 1971 USGS South Pekin quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1985 USGS Lincoln quadrangle1:100000
- 1989 USGS Lincoln quadrangle1:100000
- 1990 USGS Peoria quadrangle1:250000
In the county-history sources
5,919 words on this townshipHistory of Tazewell County, Illinois ; Together with Sketches of Its Cities, Villages and Townships, Educational, Religious, Civil, Military, and Political History; Portraits of Prominent Persons and Biographies of Representative Citizens. History of Illinois ... Digest of State Laws, published 1879 has no passage naming this settlement, which was common for smaller places. Its township is covered in full.
The chapter on Cincinnati Township covers the township.
Read the chapter on Cincinnati Township - 5,919 words.
Fires near this place
4 since 2017Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 4 fires within 5 miles of South Pekin in 2017, burning about 4 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 3 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 March 2017 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | 032-2017 |
| 11 March 2017 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | 036-17 |
| 27 February 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | 031-2017 |
| 1 October 2017 | Debris and open burning | 3.0 acres | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | 114-17 |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
1 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 1 working within 5 miles of South Pekin: 1 producer. All of them still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pekin South Sand | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer |
Storms near this place
31 since 1994Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names South Pekin in 31 storm reports between 1994 and 2026: 21 thunderstorm wind, 7 hail, 3 tornado. The reports record 34 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2003 | Tornado (F3) | South Pekin | 32 hurt, $10,000,000 | This long track tornado first touched down 3 miles southwest of South Pekin and traveled to the northeast. It destroyed several homes before reaching the eastern sections of South Pekin where it intensified to F3 strength. The tornado destroyed 50 homes, caused minor to major damage on an additional 80 homes before exiting the town. As the tornado approached Morton, it weakened briefly but quickly intensified again as it crossed the intersection of I-74 and I-155. When it crossed the highways, 8 vehicles were damaged and one injury was sustained when a car was overturned by the tornado as it crossed I-74. It destroyed several three story apartment buildings and severely damaged several others in the complex. A couple of businesses in the area were destroyed as well. It then moved through several subdivisions, damaging over 100 homes, some severely. The tornado eventually weakened and lifted 2.5 miles north of Morton. In all, 32 people were injured by the tornado, three seriously, but they have since recovered. |
| May 1995 | Tornado (F1) | South Pekin | 2 hurt, $1,000,000 | A tornado touched down 3 SW of South Pekin and moved to the northeast. Several barns were destroyed just south of South Pekin and one house had minor damage. The tornado sent a 2" x 4" through the grill of a pickup truck. As it moved through the northern part of South Pekin, it destroyed a railroad workers' barracks, slightly injuring one worker, and blew over four empty railroad cars. Numerous large trees were blown over. Several cars were smashed by fallen trees (three people were trapped in one car-none were injured). Also, four or five garages were destroyed and part of the roof was missing from a Lutheran church. Damage was estimated around $1 million. |
| June 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | South Pekin | $30,000 | Numerous trees were blown down. |
| June 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | South Pekin | $20,000 | Tree branches were blown down and shingles were blown off a roof. |
| July 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | South Pekin | $12,000 | A tree was blown onto 2 cars in South Pekin. |
| July 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | South Pekin | $12,000 | A 2-foot diameter tree was blown onto a car. |
| April 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | South Pekin | $10,000 | Several large tree limbs were blown down in South Pekin. |
| July 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | South Pekin | $50 | Power lines were blown down. Peoria County Oak Hill,20,1716CST,,,0,0,1,0,Thunderstorm Winds Trees were blown down. |
| March 2026 | Thunderstorm Wind | South Pekin | - | A street light pole was blown down. |
| June 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | South Pekin | - | Several tree limbs were blown down across a road. |
| September 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | South Pekin | - | A tree was blown down near the intersection of Townline Road and Towerline Road. |
| July 2020 | Tornado (EFU) | South Pekin | - | A tornado touched down in a field 1 mile north of South Pekin at 1:45 PM CDT. The tornado tracked northward and quickly dissipated at 1:46 PM CDT. No damage was reported. |
| August 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | South Pekin | - | Several 10-inch diameter tree branches were blown down. |
| May 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | South Pekin | - | An estimated 60 mph wind produced a few broken tree limbs. |
| April 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | South Pekin | - | A shed was destroyed and 2 large outbuildings were damaged. Numerous trees, power poles and power lines were blown down. |
| June 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | South Pekin | - | 12 inch diameter tree blown down. |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | South Pekin | - | 10 inch diameter tree blown down. |
| July 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | South Pekin | - | Several trees and power lines blown down. |
| August 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | South Pekin | - | Several large tree limbs were blown down. |
| October 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | South Pekin | - | An addition to a house that was under construction had half of its roof blown off west of South Pekin. |
| April 2001 | Hail | South Pekin | - | Numerous reports of hail were reported in the Spring Lake, Pekin and Mackinaw areas. |
| August 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | South Pekin | - | Trees were blown down in South Pekin, 2 miles east of Hopedale and Washington. An out building was destroyed in South Pekin as well. |
| June 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | South Pekin | - | Thunderstorm winds blew down several power lines 7.5 miles southwest of South Pekin. No damage estimate was available. |
| February 2024 | Hail | South Pekin | - | no account filed |
| May 2019 | Hail | South Pekin | - | no account filed |
| April 2015 | Hail | South Pekin | - | no account filed |
| July 2008 | Hail | South Pekin | - | no account filed |
| August 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | South Pekin | - | no account filed |
| September 2006 | Hail | South Pekin | - | no account filed |
| April 2003 | Hail | South Pekin | - | no account filed |
| June 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | South Pekin | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawley (historical) | 1.4 miles | 18 | |
| Midway | 1.8 miles | 18 | |
| Stoehrs | 3.0 miles | 18 | |
| Powerton | 3.3 miles | 18 | |
| Crescent | 3.7 miles | 18 | |
| Schaeferville | 3.8 miles | 18 | |
| Pekin Heights | 4.4 miles | 18 | |
| Pekin | 5.1 miles | 18 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on South Pekin | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q2671677 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 403288. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.