Filmed on Monday, June 26 2023, I drive around Grafton, IL to see what's going on. This is my second visit to Grafton.

Grafton was founded by James Mason in 1832. The city was named after Mason's birthplace of Grafton, Massachusetts.

In the 1850s, Grafton's population reached approximately 10,000 with employment coming from local stone quarries, boat building, and commercial fishing. At the highest point, 2,000 men were employed by 5 quarries in and around Grafton.

In the late 1900s Grafton was the home to Shafer's Wharf, one of the largest commercial fishing centers on the Mississippi River.

Today, Grafton's main industry is tourism. The city is at the center of the region's bald eagle watching area and proudly calls itself "The Winter Home of The Bald Eagle."

Main Street is lined with restaurants, antique, craft, and wine shops.

Flooding in the Mississippi River in 1993 caused significant damage to Grafton's structures, causing a third of the city's residents to move away.

As of the census of 2020, there were 626 people residing in the town, up from 609 in 2000.

The racial makeup of the city was 99.01% White, 0.16% Black or African American, 0.16% Native American, and 0.66% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.99% of the population.

14.0% of the population were living below the poverty line.

#driving #drivingtour #travel

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