New Boston is a city in Mercer County, Illinois, United States on the Mississippi River. The population was 683 at the 2010 census, up from 632 at the 2000 census. History New Boston was settled in the 1830s by "Yankee" migrants from Massachusetts. Geography New Boston is located at (41.169570, -90.996709). According to the 2010 census, New Boston has a total area of , of which (or 66.76%) is land and (or 33.24%) is water. The city is located at the state line, across the Mississippi River from Iowa. New Boston is five miles south of Lock and Dam No. 17 on the Mississippi River. New Boston is located on the east bank of the Mississippi at the confluence of the Mississippi and Eliza Creek. Directly across the Mississippi is the mouth of the Iowa River. Much of the natural area surrounding New Boston is part of the Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge. The river valley at New Boston is surrounded on both sides by gently rolling bluffs interspersed with rich parcels of wetlands that provide critical wildlife habitat; especially for migratory birds. Boston Bay is an area of water adjacent to the Mississippi River, at the mouth of Eliza Creek, to the north of New Boston. It is across the Mississippi from its confluence with the Iowa River. Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 632 people, 269 households, and 177 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 317 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 99.53% White, 0.16% African-American, 0.16% Native American, 0.16% from other races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.32% of the population. There were 269 households, out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.2% were married couples living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.2% were non-families. 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.92. In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.1% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age