Valmeyer is a village in Monroe County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,233 at the 2020 census. It was originally located in the American Bottom floodplain of the Mississippi River but now occupies higher land to the east.

History

After the Great Flood of 1993 the residents of Valmeyer decided to relocate the town 2 mi to the east, on land that is more than 300 ft higher than the floodplain. The town was rebuilt with financial assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The old townsite has been described as a ghost town with few inhabitants but still an important traffic artery. Valmeyer's successful relocation is seen as a potential model for other localities retreating from sea level rise.

Geography

Valmeyer is located in western Monroe County at 38.2999°N, -90.30833°W. Illinois Route 156 runs along the southern edge of the new village and passes through the center of the old village. IL 156 leads east 7 mi to Waterloo, the county seat, and west 5 mi to its terminus at Harrisonville, 1 mi east of the Mississippi River. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Valmeyer has a total area of 3.45 sqmi, of which 3.42 sqmi are land and 0.054 sqmi, or 1.56%, are water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 608 people, 222 households, and 166 families residing in the village. The population density was 182.7 PD/sqmi. There were 241 housing units at an average density of 72.4 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 98.68% White, 0.33% African American, 0.33% Asian, 0.16% Pacific Islander, and 0.49% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.82% of the population. There were 222 households, out of which 39.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.0% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.2% were non-families. 24.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.29. In the village, the age distribution of the population shows 27.8% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 87.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.9 males. The median income for a household in the village was US$53214 2000, and the median income for a family was US$58646 2000. Males had a median income of $38,500 versus $26,838 for females. The per capita income for the village was US$20420 2000. None of the families and 3.0% of the population were living below the poverty threshold, including no under eighteens and 10.2% of those over 64.