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Mount Carmel is the county seat of Wabash County, Illinois. At the time of the 2000 census, the city population was 7,982, while the next largest town in Wabash County is Allendale, Illinois, population 528. The city, sitting on the western bank of the Wabash River, borders Indiana. A small community known informally as East Mount Carmel sits on a small tributary on the opposite (Indiana) side of the Wabash River from Mount Carmel. Mount Carmel is 5 miles northeast of the Forest of the Wabash, a National Natural Landmark within Beall Woods State Park and about a mile north-northeast of one of its main employers, the Gibson Generating Station.
Mount Carmel is located at [show location on an interactive map] 38°24′53″N, 87°46′7″W (38.414859, -87.768596) on the Wabash River, which demarcates the Indiana border. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.8 square miles (12.4 km²), of which, 4.6 square miles (12.0 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.4 km²) of it (3.14%) is water.
The city was featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not! for its once multi-colored bridge over the Wabash, painted white and black on the Illinois and Indiana sides of the state line, respectively. The bridge, now green, connects Princeton, Indiana to Mount Carmel via Indiana State Road 64 and Illinois Route 15. Illinois Route 1 and Illinois Route 15 meet just a few blocks from the bridge. One rail bridge runs parallel to the IN-64/IL-15 bridge, and another sits just a few miles south, near the southern most edge of the city. There are plans to build a new bridge while Indiana prepares to expand Indiana 64 to a four-lane highway as part of their Major Moves Project
As of the census of 2000, there were 7,982 people, 3,302 households, and 2,146 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,728.7 people per square mile (667.1/km²). There were 3,653 housing units at an average density of 791.2/sq mi (305.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.69% White, 0.48% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.29% from other races, and 0.76% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.86% of the population.
There were 3,302 households out of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.2% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.0% were non-families. 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.6% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 19.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there are 90.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 88.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,715, and the median income for a family was $39,882. Males had a median income of $30,815 versus $17,129 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,391. Median house value is $51,200. About 10.2% of families and 15.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.5% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over. |
