Thebes, Illinois.html



Thebes
Village
Historically registered Thebes Courthouse
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Alexander
Coordinates	37°13′9″N 89°27′25″W / 37.21917, -89.45694
Area	2.3 sq mi (6 km²)
- land	1.8 sq mi (5 km²)
- water	0.5 sq mi (1 km²)
Population	478 (2000)
Density	265.6 /sq mi (103 /km²)
Timezone	CST (UTC-6)
- summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Postal code	62990 area_code = 618
Location of Thebes within Illinois
Wikimedia Commons: Thebes, Illinois

For other similarly named locations, see Thebes (disambiguation).

Thebes is a village in Alexander County, Illinois, United States. The population was 478 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Cape Girardeau–Jackson, MO-IL Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

Thebes is located at 37°13′9″N 89°27′25″W / 37.21917, -89.45694 (37.219177, -89.456915).¹

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 2.3 square miles (6.0 km²), of which, 1.8 square miles (4.7 km²) of it is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²) of it (22.08%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 478 people, 171 households, and 129 families residing in the village. The population density was 265.6 people per square mile (102.5/km²). There were 213 housing units at an average density of 118.4/sq mi (45.7/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 87.24% White, 10.67% African American, 0.42% Native American, 0.21% Asian, and 1.46% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.21% of the population.

There were 171 households out of which 42.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.1% were married couples living together, 17.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.0% were non-families. 21.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.31.

In the village the population was spread out with 34.3% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 94.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $20,250, and the median income for a family was $26,786. Males had a median income of $28,750 versus $15,000 for females. The per capita income for the village was $11,262. About 29.2% of families and 31.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 41.4% of those under age 18 and 14.5% of those age 65 or over.

History

Thebes, like the city of Cairo, also in Alexander County, is named after the Egyptian city of the same name. This part of southern Illinois is known as Little Egypt.

Abraham Lincoln practiced law here. Dred Scott, a slave whose Supreme Court decision advanced black rights, was imprisoned in the courthouse jail.

The Mississippi River at Thebes is in excess of four feet deep, which enabled the town to become a busy steamboat port. Union troops passed through Thebes on their way to attack the South during the Civil War.

References

1. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
2. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

External links

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v • d • e Municipalities and communities of Alexander County, Illinois County seat: Cairo City Cairo Villages East Cape Girardeau | McClure | Tamms | Thebes Precincts Cache No. 1 | Cache No. 2 | Cairo | Elco | McClure | Miller | Olive Branch | Sandusky | Santa Fe | Tamms | Thebes | Unity Unincorporated communities Cache | Cairo Junction | Clank | Dawleys | Diswood | Elco | Fayville | Future City | Gale | Golden Lily | Klondike | Miller City | Olive Branch | Roth | Sandusky | Tankville | Tatumville | Unity | Urbandale | Willard