Mendota is a city in LaSalle County, Illinois, United States, in the state's north-central region. The population was 7,372 at the 2010 census, and was estimated to be 7,057 by July 2018. It is part of the Ottawa, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area. Mendota is located approximately 85 miles west of Chicago, 70 miles east of Moline and 55 miles south of Rockford. The current mayor is David W. Boelk, an independent elected to a four-year term.
History
Mendota was founded in 1853. The name "Mendota" is derived from a Lakota word meaning "junction of two trails", which was found appropriate for the city since there was a nearby railroad junction.
Geography
According to the 2010 census, Mendota has a total area of, of which is land and is water.
Demographics
As of the 2010 census there were 7,372 people and 2,826 households residing in the city. The population density was 1,475.9 people per square mile. There were 3,037 housing units at an average density of 607.4 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 88.3% White, 0.7% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 8.5% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 24.5% of the population. There were 2,826 households out of which 29.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.8% were married couples living together, 11% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.4% were non-families. 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.14. The population consisted of 27.7% aged 19 or younger and 18% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.2 years. Females comprised 52.4% of the total population. The median income for a household in the city was $43,534. The per capita income for the city was $21,995. Median income for males was $40,938 and $26,753 for females. 12.3% of the population were below poverty level, including 16.2% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
A number of businesses operate within Mendota including:
Del Monte Foods, a food processing company. The Del Monte plant was slated to close at the end of the 2019 packing season, until a buyer was found later that year. The purchase is set to be completed in spring 2020.
Arts and culture
The Mendota Sweet Corn Festival attracts thousands of visitors each August; it features a parade, carnival, beer garden with live bands, free sweet corn cooked in a vintage steam engine, and other special events. The city closes down several streets in the downtown area to host the annual event which is sponsored by Del Monte Foods. The Mendota Tri-County Fair is held every Labor Day weekend at the Mendota Fairgrounds. The fair hosts a carnival, beer garden, and several other events.
Museums
The Hume-Carnegie Museum showcases artifacts of local history, including items manufactured in Mendota and a small collection pertaining to Wild Bill Hickok, who was born in nearby Troy Grove. It is located in a former Carnegie library building in Veteran's Park. The Union Depot Railroad Museum houses the current Amtrak station, several rooms of vintage railroad artifacts, passenger train cars from the 1930s and 1940s. It is also home to CB&Q No. 4978, a 2-8-2 class Locomotive built in September 1923 by Baldwin Locomotive Works. The Breaking the Prairie Museum is a small barn replica showcasing a rotating display with one large item and several smaller items. Adjacent to the barn is "The Country Chapel", a small church which is owned by the museum. Completed in 2004, it houses a restored pump organ from the 1880s. It is closed to the public, however special tours can be arranged by contacting the Mendota Historical Society Office.
Parks and recreation
The city has two man made lakes, Lake Mendota and Lake Kakusha, used for boating and fishing. Mendota also maintains a community swimming pool as well as several parks including Snyders Grove, a reserve/park.
Education
Mendota has four public schools and one private school. The three public grade schools: Blackstone, Lincoln, and Northbrook are part of Mendota Consolidated Community School District 289; while the Mendota Township High School is district 280. Blackstone School houses kindergarten and first grade, and had an enrollment of 271 students in 2010. Lincoln School houses second through fourth grades, and had a student enrollment of 391 in 2010. Northbrook School is home to the fifth through eighth grades, as well as pre-kindergarten; and had an enrollment of 644 in 2010. The student enrollment of the high school in 2010 was 611 students. A new high school facility was built in 2002 at 2300 Main Street. Holy Cross Roman CatholicParish has a private school which educates students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. Aurora University was originally chartered as Mendota College on the north side of Mendota where the high school was located from 1917–2003. Wartburg College was located in Mendota from 1875 to 1885.
Media
Mendota has one weekly newspaper, The Mendota Reporter Mendota has two commercialized radio stations.
