Edwardsville, Illinois

Geobox City
name = City of Edwardsville
native_name =
other_name =
other_name1 =
category = City


image_size =
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flag_size =
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nickname =
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country = United States
state = Illinois
region_type = County
region = Madison
district =
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part =
part1 =
area_imperial = 14.1
area_land_imperial = 13.9
area_water_imperial = 0.2
area_round = 2
area_water_percentage = auto
area_percentage_round = 2
location =
lat_d = 38
lat_m = 48
lat_s = 14
lat_NS = N
long_d = 89
long_m = 57
long_s = 30
long_EW = W
elevation_imperial =
elevation_round = 1
population_as_of = 2005
population = 24,047
population_density_imperial = 1549.2
population_density_round = 1
population_metro =
government =
established_type =
established =
leader_type = Mayor
mayor = Gary Niebur
timezone = CST
utc_offset = -6
timezone_DST = CDT
utc_offset_DST = -5
postal_code = 62025, 62026
postal_code_type =
area_code = 618
area_code_type =
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free_type =
free =
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map_size =
map_caption = Location of Edwardsville within Illinois
map_locator = Illinois
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map1 = Map of USA IL.svg
map1_caption = Location of Illinois in the United States
website = http://www.cityofedwardsville.com/

Edwardsville is a city in Madison County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2005 census, the city population was 24,047. It is the county seat of Madison CountyGR|6 and is the third oldest city in the State of Illinois. The city was named in honor of Ninian Edwards, Governor of Illinois.

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, the "Edwardsville Journal", the "Madison County Record" and the "Edwardsville Intelligencer" are located here.

Edwardsville is a part of Metro-East and the St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area. It neighbors with Glen Carbon, Illinois. It is part of the Edwardsville School District No. 7, which also includes the villages of Glen Carbon, Hamel and Moro, as well as the unincorporated areas around them.

Culture

*Arts in the Park: held at the Edwardsville's City Park during the summer months, "Arts in the Park" consists of Friday night concerts featuring an array of music concerts and art classes for children on Saturday mornings.

*Edwardsville Municipal Band: For more than 120 years, the Edwardsville Municipal Band has played summer concerts every Thursday night at 8 pm in the City Park. The concerts are an Edwardsville tradition and are attended each week by hundreds.

*Edwardsville Children's Museum: Located in the former Leclaire Academy, this interactive playground for the mind and body is educational, enriching and entertaining.

* [http://www.arteasttour.com/ ArtEAST:] Explore more than 30 art galleries, studios and other venues in the Edwardsville area during the Edwardsville-Alton Studio Tour and see some of the best of local artist's work. Event is held in October.

*1820 Colonel Benjamin Stephenson House: Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this home is the oldest brick house in Madison County and one of the oldest homes in the state of Illinois. Reenactors act as 19th century docents and serves as guides to the restored home.

*University Theater: Southern Illinois University Edwardsville students perform a variety of works from Shakespeare to modern.

*Arts & Issues: Southern Illinois University Edwardsville hosts authors, musicians, politicians, philosophers, and media celebrities on campus.

*Sculpture Walk: this walk consists of large sculptures by Southern Illinois University Edwardsville students near Dunham Hall.

Nature /Recreation

*MCT Trails: Madison County Transit has developed more than convert|85|mi|km|0 of scenic bikeways that weave throughout the communities of Edwardsville and nearby Glen Carbon and beyond. The trails are mostly asphalt and maps of the trails, which connect to neighborhoods, schools, business districts, SIUE, parks and more can be found on kiosks throughout the trail system, or online at www.mcttrails.org.

*Watershed Nature Center: 46 acre wildlife preserve. See native Illinois plants and animals and learn about our environment at the interpretive center. Programming for children and adults available.

*SIUE Campus: Located on convert|2660|acre|km2|0, the SIUE campus is the largest campus landwise in the United States. The campus has rolling hills, acres of forests, and endless fields.

*Edwardsville Parks: Glik Park, City Park, Edwardsville Township Park, Leclaire Park, Lusk Park

History

Edwardsville was originally incorporated in 1818, making it the third oldest city in Illinois. The first settler was Thomas Kirkpatrick who came in 1805, laid out a community and served as the Justice of the Peace. He named the community after his friend Ninian Edwards who was territorial governor of Illinois at the time. (Illinois did not become a state until 1818.)

In 1890, industrialist N.O. Nelson chose a tract of land just south of Edwardsville to locate his plumbing manufacturing company. He would also create a model "utopian" village here called Leclaire, where everyone had their own home, access to schools, parks, lectures, recreation and employment. Nelson believed in profit-sharing and all employees had a stake in the company. The village is similar to Pullman, Illinois near Chicago. Nelson was a visionary and is considered to be a renaissance man, years ahead of his time.

Today, the Village of Leclaire has been incorporated into the City of Edwardsville. It remains a vibrant area with a beautiful lake and park, baseball field, the Edwardsville Children's Museum that is located in the former Leclaire Academy, and the factory buildings that are now the home of Lewis and Clark Community College. Each year in October, the "Friends of Leclaire" host an annual Parkfest with food, live music, activities, a tractor parade, pony rides, a book sale, and much more.

Five Illinois governors came from Edwardsville: namesake Ninian Edwards, who became a territorial governor in 1809 and later served as governor from 1826-1830; Edward Coles, elected in 1822 and a strong opponent of slavery; John Reynolds, governor from 1830 to 1834; Thomas Ford, governor from 1842-1846; and Charles Deneen, governor from 1909 to 1913. [http://www.cityofedwardsville.com/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC=%7B15BE8CDF-3B28-4D2C-8273-849C0954800F%7D Edwardsville web site] , additional text.]

Future president Abraham Lincoln was in Edwardsville twice, as an attorney in the 1814 courthouse and a speaker outside the 1857 courthouse on Sept. 11, 1858. The present courthouse, a square, four-story neo-classic structure of white marble, was constructed from 1913-15.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2005, there were 24,047 people, 7,975 households, and 5,199 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,549.2 people per square mile (598.2/km²). There were 8,331 housing units at an average density of 600.6/sq mi (231.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.70% White, 8.66% African American, 1.69% Asian, 0.28% Native American, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.29% from other races, and 1.35% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.00% of the population. There were 7,975 households out of which 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.4% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.8% were non-families. 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the city the population was spread out with 22.6% under the age of 18, 16.0% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 87.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $50,921, and the median income for a family was $65,555. Males had a median income of $47,045 versus $29,280 for females. The per capita income for the city was $26,510. About 5.0% of families and 8.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.3% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.

Famous people from Edwardsville include:

*Mannie Jackson, chairman and CEO of the Harlem Globetrotters. Jackson purchased the team in 1993.
*Joseph P. Newsham, U.S. Representative from Louisiana and lawyer who practiced law in Edwardsville.
*Marvin Webb, Edwardsville's most beloved and famous citizen and good-will ambassador. Marvin 'Preach' Webb can often be seen strolling downtown Edwardsville, engaging others in friendly conversation, as he makes his way through his daily routine.
*Elizabeth Donald, author and reporter with the Belleville News-Democrat.
*Laurie Metcalf, TV and film actress, most famous for playing Jackie Harris on Roseanne.

Media

Print
*Daily newspaper: The Edwardsville Intelligencer (daily and Saturday only) and Belleville News-Democrat.
*Weekly newspaper: The Edwardsville Journal (every Wednesday)

Radio:
*WSIE-FM 88.7, radio station of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
* [http://www.covenantnet.net/schedule.shtml WRYT-AM] 1080, religious programming (Covenant Network -- Roman Catholic)

Television:
*ECTV Channel 10, local channel available in Glen Carbon and Edwardsville

Trivia

Scenes for the movie "The Lucky Ones," starring Tim Robbins and Rachel McAdams, were filmed in downtown Edwardsville in June 2007. However, the scene filmed was set in Denver, Colorado and banners were hung on Edwardsville's Main Street that read, "Welcome to Denver," according to [http://www.topix.com/content/kri/1876608291262229542228188064460910593539 a June 7, 2007 story] from the Belleville News-Democrat.

Former President Bill Clinton held a rally at the Dunham Theater at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville on January 30, 2008 while campaigning for Hillary Clinton for President.

Singer Jackson Browne recorded "Cocaine" and "Shaky Town" in Edwardsville's Holiday Inn Room 124 for his album "Running on Empty".

Edwardsville High School

Edwardsville High School (EHS) is a public four-year comprehensive school, covering grades nine through twelve. The school is a part of the Edwardsville Community Unit District Number 7. Its mascot is the Tiger. It is over capacity by approximately 400 - 500 students. Some students must report to the high school and then are bused to another facility for their education. Parents are directed to Tigerview to review their students educational progress. If a student is not doing well in a class, it is entirely up to the parent(s) to contact the educator. The school takes NO responsibility for the educational experience the student may or may not have. However, if a student has driven a vehicle to school and that said student does not park in their designated parking spot, the student will be called down to the office to be verbally reprimanded and the said students parents will be called immediately threatening to have said vehicle towed. Higher standards for parking than education!

ee also

*Benjamin Stephenson House
*James W. Stephenson

References

External links

* [http://www.cityofedwardsville.com/ City of Edwardsville] website
* [http://www.edwardsvillelibrary.org Edwardsville Public Library]
* [http://www.goedwardsville.com/ Edwardsville Intelligencer] newspaper website