Braidwood

Braidwood is a city in Will County, Illinois, United States, approximately 53 miles (85 km) southwest of Chicago and 18 miles (29 km) south of Joliet. The population was 6,191 at the 2010 census. The Braidwood Nuclear Generating Station, a nuclear power plant currently owned by Exelon Corporation, is also located in the area. The plant has been the subject of controversy concerning a series of leaks since 2007. In 1864, a farmer digging for water at the site of the present city found coal instead. A mining boomtown sprang up, a post office was established in 1867, and the community was called Keeversville. On March 4, 1873, the city was incorporated and named in honor of James Braid Wood. According to the U.S. Census Bureau for the 1880 Census, the population was 5,524, the highest of the record in that year. Since then, coal production reached its peak in 1877-1878. The city's early population was 7,500 in those years, but hardly any people left the area following the worst strike in the 1877. In the year of the census reports that year, the entire Reed Township population of 5,981 was the highest in the entire census reports, but it is possible that it is quite possible that the population may have been closer to 7,000 in the early 1880s. The town is part of the Reed-Custer School District known as 255U.

Geography

Braidwood is located at 41°1619N 88°136W (41.271982, -88.218221).According to the 2010 census, Braidwood has a total area of 4.764 square miles (12.34 km²) of which 4.58 square miles is land and 0.184 sq miles (0.48km²) is water. The town has a population of 1,788. Braid Wood is located in the U.S. state of Alaska. The city is located on the Alaska Highway, which runs from north to south through the town. It is the only town in the state to have a post office, which was established in 1881. The community has a history of being involved with the Alaska National Guard since the early 1900s. It was the site of the Battle of the Bulge, which took place in the early 20th century. The village has been home to the Alaska Army National Guard for more than 100 years. It also has been the home of the Alaska Air National Guard, which has been based in the town since the mid-20th century, since it was founded in 1883. The U.N. has a base of operations in the area, which is also known as the "Alaska National Guard Station" The town's population has grown since the late 1800s, when it was first established, to 1,816. It has a current population of 2,817.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 5,203 people, 1,843 households, and 1,422 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 97.48% White, 0.27% African American, 0.10% Native American,0.33% Asian, 0%.79% from other races, and. 1.04% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.83% of the population. Was also known by Blacks to be a "sundown town". The city is located on the banks of the Mississippi River. The city was once known as the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln. It is now known as one of the poorest cities in the United States, with a population of just over 5,000. It was the site of the deadliest shooting in U.S. history, with more than 1,000 people killed in the first three days of September 1999. The town is now home to the University of South Carolina's football team, the South Carolina Gamecock team, and the South Dakota Gamecocks football team. It has been home to a number of colleges and universities, including South Carolina State University, South Dakota State University and South Dakota University. It also has a college football team that won the NCAA Division I championship in the 1990s. The University of North Carolina at Greensboro has a Division I football team as well as a Division II football team and a Division III football team in the 2010s.

Early history

In 1864, a farmer digging for water at the site of the present city found coal instead. A mining boomtown sprang up, a post office was established in 1867, and the community was called Keeversville. James Braidwood was an early member of the community, and in 1872 he was hired by one company to superintend the sinking of the first deep mine shaft. On March 4, 1873 the city was incorporated and named in Braid Wood's honor. On February 16, 1883, the Diamond Mine was suddenly flooded, resulting in the deaths of 73 miners. The disputes between coal companies and miners over wages and working conditions were always rancorous and often violent, typical for the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. There was a combination of ethnicities, providing religious and cultural diversity. At first most miners were Americans or immigrants from northern Europe. African Americans arrived from West Virginia, and many later residents would arrive as immigrants from eastern and southern Europe. The city's early population was 5,524, the highest of record in the census reports. In that year the population of the entire Township of Reed was 5, 981. Since coal production reached its peak in 1877-1878, it is quite possible that the population may have been near 7,500 in those years, but hardly higher. Hundreds of people left the area's worst strike in1877, when strike-breakers were imported by the coal companies, reducing the actual census of 1880 to near the 6,000 number.

Cultural references

"Braidwood" is a song by indie rockers The Samples. It appears on their third album, Underwater People, released in 1991. Braidwood Inn (now the Sun Motel) was featured in the film Planes, Trains and Automobiles. The song was written by Andy Sheldon, and was recorded by the band. It was released as a single and was a No. 1 hit in the U.S. in the summer of 1991. It has since been re-recorded and re-released on the album "Underwater People" The song is also featured on the compilation album "The Samples, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2", which was released in 1994 and 1995 respectively. It is the only song from the album not to have been recorded in the United States at the same time as the original recording of "Braid Wood" It was recorded in California and released on the same day as the album's release, on August 2, 1994. The single was released on August 3, 1994, and went to No. 2 on the Billboard charts the next day. It also appeared on the "Billboard" charts on August 4, 1994 and again on August 9, 1995. The album was released the same year as the film "Planes, Trained and Automobile" It is one of the few songs from the film to appear in both versions of "Plane" and "Automobiles" that were not written by the same person.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Braidwood, Will County, Illinois = 77. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 36. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 70. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Braidwood = 3.7 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 6,194 individuals with a median age of 33.5 age the population grows by 35.53% in Braidwood, Will County, Illinois population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 1,169.56 residents per square mile of area (451.61/km²). There are average 2.78 people per household in the 2,530 households with an average household income of $62,124 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 10.20% of the available work force and has dropped -4.37% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 21.06%. The number of physicians in Braidwood per 100,000 population = 98.7.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Braidwood = 33.3 inches and the annual snowfall = 19.8 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 96. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 190. 84 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 14.3 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 42, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Braidwood, Will County, Illinois which are owned by the occupant = 72.44%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 14 years with median home cost = $140,680 and home appreciation of -6.56%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $18.40 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $6,199 per student. There are 15.7 students for each teacher in the school, 476 students for each Librarian and 952 students for each Counselor. 5.09% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 6.74% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 2.09% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).