Lemont is a village located in Cook County, Illinois. As of the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 13,098.

Table of contents
1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 History

Geography

Lemont is located at 41°40'8" North, 87°59'20" West (41.668784, -87.988845)1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 17.6 km² (6.8 mi²). 16.7 km² (6.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.9 km² (0.3 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 5.15% water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there are 13,098 people, 4,420 households, and 3,407 families residing in the village. The population density is 784.1/km² (2,029.9/mi²). There are 4,553 housing units at an average density of 272.5/km² (705.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the village is 97.40% White, 0.31% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.82% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.66% from other races, and 0.64% from two or more races. 3.00% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 4,420 households out of which 39.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.4% are married couples living together, 7.4% have a female householder with no husband present, and 22.9% are non-families. 19.6% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.85 and the average family size is 3.32.

In the village the population is spread out with 27.7% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 38 years. For every 100 females there are 90.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 85.4 males.

The median income for a household in the village is $70,563, and the median income for a family is $80,558. Males have a median income of $52,464 versus $37,314 for females. The per capita income for the village is $28,354. 3.6% of the population and 1.7% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 1.4% are under the age of 18 and 11.5% are 65 or older.

History

The Village of Lemont was begun during the planning and construction of the Illinois and Michigan Canal (I&M Canal), in the mid 1800's. The location of the town of Lemont is just west of the originally planned location of a town on the I&M Canal to be called "Athens". The town of Athens was never built, due to the proximity of the Village of Lemont. The town provided support services for construction of the canal, providing housing as well as a "red light" district known as "Smokey Row". Many of the original buildings of this era can still exist in the downtown area. The historic central business district, adjacent to the I&M Canal, contains numerous examples of architectural styles of the mid 1800's. Many of these buildings are constructed of locally quarried limestone, which at the time of mining was termed "Athens Marble". One famous historic structure which is constructed of this material is the Chicago Water Tower (the only structure to survive the Great Chicago Fire).