Maroa is a city in Macon County, Illinois, United States. Its population was 1,577 at the 2020 census, down from 1,801 in 2010. It is included in the Decatur, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The city was named after the Maroa people. The first settler of the township was James Pettyjohn, who came from Kentucky and settled in 1839. 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. Maroa was officially incorporated as a town on March 7, 1867. Geography Maroa is located in northern Macon County at (40.036951, -88.954967). Its northern boundary is the DeWitt County line. U.S. Route 51 passes through the west side of the city, leading south to Decatur and north to Clinton. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Maroa has a total area of , all land. 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. Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 1,654 people, 651 households, and 477 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 711 housing units at an average density of . 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