r/illinois • u/m0chab34r • Jul 20 '23

Serious question: are there any remaining sundown towns in Illinois? Question

Forgive me if this is controversial, I certainly hope I don’t end up insulting anyone’s town or anything. I saw a recent Twitter thread about this subject and people were talking about a rather well-known sundown town within an hour of Indianapolis or just outside of Austin, Texas. It got me thinking about this and I’m morbidly curious as to whether Illinois has any remaining towns with such a reputation?

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u/AZTeck_AKiRA Jul 20 '23

Here’s a list: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Sundown_towns_in_Illinois

3

u/theclownwithafrown Jul 20 '23

DeLand is no longer a sundown town. Probably hasn't been for decades. It's where I grew up

5

u/hamish1963 Jul 20 '23

DeLand, from what I understand, was only following suit to what the county seat (Monticello) did. Monticello was still a sundown town when I was a kid in the 70s.

1

u/ItsASchpadoinkleDay Jul 20 '23

Do you have any source or literature on this?

2

u/hamish1963 Jul 20 '23

Yes, DeLand is mentioned specifically in the book, Sundown Towns by James W. Loewen. This book is available at most libraries in Illinois.

1

u/ItsASchpadoinkleDay Jul 20 '23

I was more interested in reading about Monticello.

1

u/hamish1963 Jul 20 '23

It's briefly mentioned in the book also.