Barstow is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. It is situated in Hampton Township, east of East Moline and Silvis. As of the 2020 census, the community had a population of 89.
Geography and Location
Barstow is located at approximately 41°31′06″N 90°21′25″W, at an elevation of about 574 feet (175 m). The community covers roughly 0.11 square miles (0.28 km²), all of it land, and lies within the Quad Cities metropolitan area (the Davenport–Moline–Rock Island, IA–IL Metropolitan Statistical Area). It falls within the Central Time Zone and uses the ZIP code 61236, with telephone area code 309. The GNIS feature ID for Barstow is 403936, and its FIPS place code is 17-03987.
History and Rail Connection
Barstow developed in association with rail transportation. The community sits on a wye (a triangular junction of tracks) that connects lines owned by the BNSF Railway, including the Barstow Subdivision. These tracks were formerly owned by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q). The "Barstow Subdivision" takes its name from the community. A railroad station once existed within the wye, and Barstow served as a point on CB&Q routes, including a St. Louis–Savanna line and a Barstow–Earlville line for which Barstow was a terminus.
Demographics
Barstow first appeared as a census-designated place in the 2020 U.S. census. According to the 2020 census, the population was 89, with a population density of about 838 people per square mile (324/km²). The racial and ethnic composition reported in 2020 was approximately 93.3% non-Hispanic White, 1.1% some other race alone, 1.1% multiracial (non-Hispanic), and 4.5% Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Government and Services
Because Barstow is unincorporated, it has no municipal government of its own; residents are governed directly by Rock Island County ordinances. The community has a fire station and a post office. It is served by local school districts and is located within Illinois's 17th congressional district.
Unverified or Uncertain Information
Some published accounts state that Barstow was at one time proposed as the site of a hog-processing plant and a NASCAR race track, with both proposals reportedly shelved after local opposition. These claims appear in at least one encyclopedia entry but are marked as lacking citations; they should be treated as unconfirmed. Population figures also vary among sources (for example, estimates of 34, 43, 82, and 89 have appeared), reflecting differing census years, survey methods, and geographic definitions.
Summary
Barstow is a small, historically rail-linked unincorporated community and census-designated place in Rock Island County, Illinois. Its encyclopedic record is limited primarily to census data, geographic identifiers, and its railroad history.
