City Town Info

Sterling, IL


  • Overview
  • Almanac
  • People
  • Local
  • Schools
  • Comments

Sterling, Illinois

Introduction to Sterling, Illinois

Sterling, Illinois, in Whiteside county, is 45 miles SW of Rockford, Illinois and 105 miles W of Chicago, Illinois. The city has a population of 15,451.

Sterling History

The first settler in this area was Hezekiah Brink, who arrived in 1834 and built the firt cabin in this region. He named his settlement Harrisburg. Another settler, William Patrick, settled downstream in 1836. This settlement went on to be known as Chatham. Two years later, the towns of Chatham and Harrisburg merged to form the Town of Sterling. It was officially incorporated as a city in 1857.

Sterling and nearby Attractions

  • Lawrence Park
  • Westwood
  • Emerald Hill Golf Course
  • Oppold Marina
  • Eberty Park
  • Lake View Golf and Country Club

Things To Do In Sterling

Sterling's parks offer a range of recreational opportunities including facilities for a variety of sports like tennis and racquetball. The parks also include a gym, gymnastics clubs and a public swimming pool.

Sterling Transportation

Greater Rockford Airport has facilities for international and domestic flights.

Sterling Higher Education

Illinois Valley Community College, Kishwaukee College and Rock Valley College provide opportunities for higher education in the area.

High Points

Sterling strengths, compared to Peers (similar size places nationally) or State (other places in Illinois):

CategoryTrophy
Short Commute Times
(vs. State)
Top 4%trophySterling Short Commute Times
Racial Diversity
(vs. State)
Top 14%Sterling Racial Diversity
Walking and Biking to Work
(vs. State)
Top 15%Sterling Walking and Biking to Work

Comparative Profile of Sterling, IL

Comparing Sterling to similar size places nationwide (Peers) and to other places in Illinois (State):

Ratings range from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest).


The People

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers
Compared
to State
Racial Diversity89
Senior Citizens87
Children Under 5 Years Old78
Female Share of the Population77
Well-Paid Single Women67
Well-Paid Single Men66
Age of the Population55
Male Share of the Population44

Families

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers
Compared
to State
Average Household Size44
Portion of People Married42

Wealth

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers
Compared
to State
People in Middle Class or Better54
Median Family Income55
People Above Poverty53
College Educated Adults25

Commute & Sprawl

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers
Compared
to State
Short Commute Times910
Walking and Biking to Work89
Public Transportation Use78
Working at Home55

Housing

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers
Compared
to State
Studio & One-Bedroom Rentals89
People Living Alone78
Affordability of Rents75
Seasonal and Vacation Housing68
Affordability of Property Taxes65
Housing Recently Built24

Detailed pages on related topics: Sterling collegesSterling mortgage and property.

You are visiting:
All StatesIllinois > Sterling

Additional Details

Sterling CollegesSterling Colleges
Sterling colleges and trade schools.
Sterling MortgageSterling Mortgage
Sterling property, mortgage, and real estate.

Career and College Resources on CityTownInfo

Real-World Career Reports

Career Stories from workers: daily activities, job tips, best/worst job aspects, training, etc.

Career Videos. Professional videos on 800+ jobs, featuring actual employees.

Daily Career & Education News from our staff. We're an approved Google News provider!

Career Reference and Data

Resource Center. A starting point for all CityTownInfo career and college resources.

Career Overviews of hundreds of careers: descriptions, salaries, forecasts, schools, more.

Top Cities for each career. Lists and maps; salaries by city.

Top Industries. Lists of major hiring industries by career, with salaries.

City Comparisons, showing most common jobs, highest paying, etc.

Original Career Articles and Studies

Best Careers Not Requiring Degrees: Good pay, job growth, low need for degrees.

Helpful Articles, many in "how-to" format; e.g., "How to Become a Chef".

Interactive College Search Tools

College Search Scout™. Search by degree, location, major, athletics, etc.

CollegeMatch™. Find school most similar to one of interest.

College Directories and Lists

These lists link to thousands of detailed school profiles.

Colleges by State. Nearly every college and trade school in the country.

Colleges Listed Alphabetically. About 7,000 colleges & trade schools, including online schools.

Exceptional Schools. Lists of the "best/most/highest/lowest" schools.

Places Similar to Sterling

We've crunched the numbers to create PlaceMatch™, which compares thousands of cities and towns to find the places most similar to each.

Find places similar to Sterling

Additional Resources


Large City Map

Info for Sterling Government Officials

Are you an official in the Sterling government or quasi-government agency such as the chamber of commerce, visitors bureau or economic development council? If so, visit our information page for government officials to see how CityTownInfo can support you.

Spread The Word

Webmasters & Bloggers: Please link to this page on Sterling. Just copy the HTML below and paste it into your web page or blog.


Copyright © 2004-2010. All Rights Reserved. Moving Traffic, Inc., operator of CityTownInfo.com, is not a broker or a lender, and all offers for loans or mortgages found on this site are made solely by the advertiser.