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Sparta is a city in Randolph County, Illinois, United States. The population was 4,486 at the 2000 census.

The city's claim to fame is as the location where the 1967 Academy Awards Best Picture winning film In the Heat of the Night was filmed.

Contents 1 Geography 2 World Shooting and Recreational Complex 3 Demographics 4 External links

Sparta is located at 38°7′41″N, 89°42′22″W (38.128152, -89.706070).^GR1

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 23.8 km² (9.2 mi²). 23.4 km² (9.0 mi²) of it is land and 0.4 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (1.63%) is water.

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In 2005, the Amateur Trapshooting Association (ATA)[1] voted to move its headquarters from Vandalia, Ohio to Sparta. The city and state governments had lobbied hard for the move to Sparta, which was necessitated by the expansion of the James M. Cox Dayton International Airport in Vandalia.

In 2006, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and local dignitaries opened the World Shooting and Recreational Complex[2] north of Sparta. The ATA hosted its first Grand American at the facility in August, with several thousand shooters attending.

While the Grand American is now held in Sparta, the ATA continues to maintain its headquarters in Vandalia, Ohio. It is expected that eventually those offices will also move to Illinois.

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 4,486 people, 1,783 households, and 1,164 families residing in the city. The population density was 191.8/km² (496.6/mi²). There were 2,014 housing units at an average density of 86.1/km² (223.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 81.39% White, 15.65% African American, 0.36% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.27% from other races, and 1.83% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.36% of the population.

There were 1,783 households out of which 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.9% were married couples living together, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.7% were non-families. 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.6% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 18.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 83.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $34,139, and the median income for a family was $41,908. Males had a median income of $30,386 versus $19,819 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,343. About 10.9% of families and 16.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.3% of those under age 18 and 4.2% of those age 65 or over.

• City of Sparta Web Site
• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 38.128152° -89.70607°
  • Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
  • Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA

	Municipalities and Communities of Randolph County, Illinois (County Seat: Chester)
Cities, Towns and Villages	Baldwin | Chester | Coulterville | Ellis Grove | Evansville | Glenn | Grigg | Kaskaskia | Menard | Modoc | Percy | Prairie du Rocher | Red Bud | Rockwood | Ruma | Schuline | Sparta | Steeleville | Tilden | Walsh | Welge | Wine Hill
Precincts	Baldwin | Blair | Bremen | Brewersville | Central | Chester | Coulterville | Ellis Grove | Evansville | Kaskaskia | Palestine | Percy | Prairie du Rocher | Redbud | Rockwood | Ruma | Sparta | Steelville | Tilden | Wine Hill