Caledonia, Roman name for that part of the island of Great Britain that lies N of the firths of Clyde and Forth. The name first occurs in the works of Lucan (1st cent. A.D.) and has been used in modern times rhetorically and poetically to mean all of Scotland or the Scottish Highlands.

French overseas territory (pop., 2005 est.: 237,000), southwestern South Pacific Ocean. It consists of the islands of New Caledonia and Walpole, the Isle of Pines, and several other island groups. Its capital is Nouméa. The main island, New Caledonia, has rich deposits of nickel that are among the largest in the world. Archaeological excavations indicate an Austronesian presence in the area circa 2000–1000 BC. The islands were visited by Capt. James Cook in 1774 and by various navigators and traders in the 18th–19th century. They were occupied by France in 1853 and were a penal colony from 1864 to 1897. New Caledonians joined the Free French cause of Charles de Gaulle in 1940; the islands were the site of Allied bases during the Pacific war. They became a French overseas territory in 1946. In 1987 residents voted by referendum to remain part of France.

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Caledonia is a village in Boone County, Illinois, United States. It is part of the Rockford, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 199 at the 2000 census.

Geography

Caledonia is located at (42.367850, -88.892538).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 0.5 square miles (1.4 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 199 people, 71 households, and 54 families residing in the village. The population density was 373.0 people per square mile (145.0/km²). There were 75 housing units at an average density of 140.6/sq mi (54.6/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 100.00% White.

There were 71 households out of which 45.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.6% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.9% were non-families. 18.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.3% 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 3.20.

In the village the population was spread out with 30.2% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 32.7% from 25 to 44, 17.1% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 103.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.6 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $51,250, and the median income for a family was $52,500. Males had a median income of $40,417 versus $28,571 for females. The per capita income for the village was $19,134. None of the families and 2.3% of the population were living below the poverty line.

History

Future development

The small hamlet of Caledonia is quickly being encroached upon by suburban development. Village leaders have tried to maintain the small town feel of Caledonia by trying to control the what kind of development is allowed, and also by incorporating "green space" in an attempt to maintain Caledonia's farming heritage. Many heated exchanges have occurred between residents and village board members over the planned future of this small rural community. Caledonia is approximately 3 miles east of a new interchange on Interstate 90, this will surely bring more urbanization to this rural area.

References

External links