Bushnell is a city in McDonough County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,970 at the 2020 census. Geography Bushnell is located at (40.551667, -90.507921). According to the 2010 census, Bushnell has a total area of , of which (or 99.63%) is land and (or 0.37%) is water. History The town was founded in 1854 when the Northern Cross Railroad built a line through the area. Nehemiah Bushnell was the president of the railroad, and townspeople honored him by naming their community after him. The railroad later became part of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, which continues to operate through Bushnell under the name Burlington Northern Santa Fe. Bushnell was also served by the Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway, now the Keokuk Junction Railway. Amtrak trains pass through the city but do not stop. The Nagel Brothers of Bushnell were the first to invent a process of making rolled oats without having to steam the oats. Up until this time, the oats were first steamed to separate the groat from the hull. The patent for this new process was later sold to the Quaker Company. Bushnell is home to Vaughan & Bushnell hammer factory and Kitchen Cooked Potato Chips. Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 3,221 people, 1,323 households, and 889 families residing in Bushnell. The population density was . There were 1,446 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.79% White, 0.12% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.43% from other races, and 0.37% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.68% of the population. There were 1,323 households, out of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.94. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.9% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.1