The first settler of the township was James Pettyjohn, who came from Kentucky and settled in 1839.[citation needed] The next group of settlers came from Ohio, Indiana, and Tennessee. The first schoolhouse was built in 1852. Maroa at one time was the second largest township, besides county seat Decatur, as it sat at the junction of both the Illinois Central Railroad and the Midland Railroad Company.[citation needed]
Maroa was officially incorporated as a town on March 7, 1867.[citation needed]
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Maroa has a total area of 1.76 square miles (4.56 km2), all land.[1] The headwaters of the North Fork, a west-flowing tributary of the Lake Fork and part of the Sangamon River watershed, pass through the northern part of the city.
On January 3, 2023, An EF1 tornado with estimated peak winds of 110 miles per hour hit the northwest outskirts of Maroa. The tornado damaged silos and caused minor shingle damage to 2 homes.
As of the census[7] of 2000, there were 1,654 people, 651 households, and 477 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,456.2 inhabitants per square mile (948.3/km2). There were 711 housing units at an average density of 1,055.8 per square mile (407.6/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 99.27% White, 0.18% African American, 0.06% Native American, 0.06% Asian, 0.18% from other races, and 0.24% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 0.91% of the population.
There were 651 households, out of which 35.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.5% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.6% were non-families. 23.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.4% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $41,615, and the median income for a family was $46,908. Males had a median income of $38,274 versus $20,809 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,308. About 3.0% of families and 4.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.9% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.
