Buckley by the numbers

0.3

Town size, in square miles

40.2

Buckley's median age

40.60N

Town's latitude

53.3

Percent of population that is German

70

The approximate number of flags that fly each year on Memorial Day along the driveway in the St. John's and Woodland Cemetery to honor the men and women who served in the U.S. armed forces

80

Percent of residents older than 25 who have high school diplomas

88.04W

Town's longitude

285

Homes in community

593

Population, according to 2000 U.S. Census

699

Town elevation, in feet

1901

Ben Spiegler of Chicago purchased the tile factory, and apparently wowed the people of Buckley because he came by car – the first in the village. It was a Haynes Apperson

1920s

In the early part of the decade, the Isle of Golden Dreams was a large dance hall south of town on U.S. 45. Tiny Hill's orchestra was among those that played there through the '30s. Today, a bar called The Isles sits there

1925

The Reynolds Oil Station in Buckley was one of three stations between Kankakee and Champaign

1931

Three members of the Bald Eagle Gang robbed the Buckley State Bank. The deputy sheriff was out of town, but his wife, her brother and her sister-in-law chased the bandits

1936

The Buckley Dutch Masters played Flatville as 3,300 fans attended. (The Dutch Masters lost the baseball game 3-1)

1952

Buckley High and Loda High consolidated. The Paxton-Buckley-Loda school district was formed in 1990

1956

The year of the town's centennial celebration, when more than 5,000 people lined the streets to watch a mile-long parade with more than 100 units

1958

Eunice "Rusty" Wilkening graduated from Buckley-Loda High. She later played for the All American Redheads, a professional exhibition basketball team in Arkansas

60918

Town ZIP code