Sparta is a city in
Randolph County,
Illinois,
United States. The population was 4,095 at the 2020 census.
The city was the principal filming location for the 1967 film ''
In the Heat of the Night''.
Consumer
ammunition
Ammunition (informally ammo) is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. Ammunition is both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines) and the component parts of other weap ...
manufacturer Underwood ammo is headquartered and solely based in Sparta.
Geography
Sparta is located at (38.1282, −89.7061).
According to the 2010 census, Sparta has a total area of , of which (or 97.61%) is land and (or 2.39%) is water.
Printing industry
After World War II, Sparta became known as "Magazineland, U.S.A." due to the presence of numerous printing plants that produced most of the mass-market color
comic books in the United States. Spartan Printing employed as many as 1,000 people at its peak. Later, major comics distributors situated their warehouses in and around Sparta.
Sparta was featured in the sixteenth episode of the Small Town News Podcast, an improv comedy podcast that takes listeners on a fun and silly virtual trip to a small town in America each week, in which the hosts improvise scenes inspired by local newspaper stories.
World Shooting and Recreational Complex
In 2005, the expansion of the
Dayton International Airport forced the
Amateur Trapshooting Association
The Amateur Trapshooting Association (ATA) serves as the governing body for the sport of American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or " ...
(ATA) to relocate from its previous headquarters in
Vandalia, Ohio. The association chose to move to the vicinity of Sparta, following extensive lobbying by the city and the state.
In 2006, then-Illinois Governor
Rod Blagojevich
Rod Blagojevich ( , born December 10, 1956), often referred to by his nicknames "Blago" or "B-Rod", is an American former politician, political commentator, and convicted felon who served as the 40th governor of Illinois from 2003 to 2009, when ...
and local dignitaries opened th
World Shooting and Recreational Complexnorth of Sparta. The ATA hosted its first Grand American at the facility in August, with several thousand shooters attending.
In 2012 the ATA moved their national headquarters to 1105 East Broadway, Sparta, Illinois. All day-to-day operations for the Association are now handled at this location.
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 4,486 people, 1,783 households, and 1,164 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 2,014 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 81.39%
White, 15.65%
African American, 0.36%
Native American, 0.51%
Asian, 0.27% from
other races, and 1.83% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 1.36% of the population.
There were 1,783 households, out of which 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.9% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.7% were non-families. 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.6% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 18.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $34,139, and the median income for a family was $41,908. Males had a median income of $30,386 versus $19,819 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $16,343. About 10.9% of families and 16.0% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 27.3% of those under age 18 and 4.2% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
*
Earle Gardner
Earle McClurkin Gardner (January 24, 1884 – March 2, 1943) was an American professional baseball second baseman. He played in Major League Baseball for the New York Highlanders from 1908 to 1912.
Career
Gardner played for the Springfiel ...
, infielder for the
New York Highlanders
*
Darius Jackson
Darius Jackson (born December 1, 1993) is an American former professional football running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, L ...
, running back for the
Dallas Cowboys
*
John Wittenborn
John Otis Wittenborn (March 1, 1936 – March 29, 2016) was a professional American football kicker in the National Football League (NFL) for the San Francisco 49ers and the Philadelphia Eagles. He also played in the American Football League ( ...
, kicker for
San Francisco 49ers,
Philadelphia Eagles, and
Houston Oilers
References
External links
City websiteRandolph County Herald TribuneWorld Shooting and Recreational Complex
{{authority control
Cities in Randolph County, Illinois
Cities in Illinois