Gridley

History

Gridley was laid out on November 25, 1856, by Thomas Carlyle (c. 1832 - ?) and George Washington Kent (1820–1901). After considering the names "Kent", "Carlyle", and "Gardner", for the governor of Massachusetts, it was decided to name the town for Bloomington banker, lawyer, and land developer Asahel Gridley (1810–1881). Both Carlyle and Thomas were working for Gridley at the time the town was founded, and two years after the town was laid out Gridley purchased all of it. Along with many other towns in central Illinois, the town was established when the Peoria and Oquawka Railroad crossed the state from west to east. The railroad soon became the Toledo Peoria and Western. At first glance the original town of Gridley looks like many towns laid out along new railroads built in central Illinois in the 1850s. In addition to the strip granted to the railroad, there were long narrow rectangles on both the north and south sides of the tracks. In most cases these areas, usually labeled "Depot Grounds", have evolved into parks or been put to other public uses. At Gridley, half of the northern Depot Ground was dedicated as a long narrow "Public Square". The remaining "Depot Grounds" would soon cause problems for the town. The remainder of the town was a fairly conventional grid of north–south and east–west streets. There were 33 blocks, most containing ten or sixteen lots. The town grew quite rapidly. Gridley then surprised everyone by announcing that he was re-platting the entire town and subdividing the land near the railroad. He argued that although the plat did say "depot grounds" he had never actually dedicated the land to the railroad or to public use. By that time the railroad and private individuals had built on the railroad grounds and the people of Gridley had used…

Geography

Gridley is located in northern McLean County, with its northern border the Livingston County line. U.S. Route 24 crosses the southern part of the village, leading west to El Paso and east to Chenoa. Gridley is about halfway between Interstate 39 to the west and Interstate 55 to the east. Bloomington, the McLean county seat, is to the south. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Gridley has a total area of , all land. It sits on a rise that drains south toward Buck Creek and northwest toward the East Branch of Panther Creek. Both streams run to the Mackinaw River, a west-flowing tributary of the Illinois River.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• EPG Middle School
  Middle · Gridley · 381 students · 15.2:1 ratio
• Prairie Central Primary West
  Elementary · Chenoa · 278 students · 17.4:1 ratio
• Lexington Elem School
  Elementary · Lexington · 218 students · 12.1:1 ratio
• Lexington High School
  High · Lexington · 158 students · 12.2:1 ratio
• Lexington Jr High School
  Middle · Lexington · 113 students · 18.8:1 ratio