Edwardsville, Illinois

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Edwardsville is a city in Madison County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 21,491, it is the county seat of Madison County^GR6 and is the third oldest city in the State of Illinois. The City was named in honor of Ninian Edwards, Governor of the Illinois Territory and, later, Governor of Illinois. It is a community that is rich in history and full of beautiful homes and neighborhoods.

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, IL. The two cities form a township to support the Edwardsville School District #7.

1 Culture
2 Nature /Recreation
3 History
4 Geography
5 Demographics
6 Notable People
7 Media
8 External links

[edit] Culture

Arts in the Park: Diverse array of music concerts every Friday night at Edwardsville's City Park during the summer months. On Saturday mornings, children can learn about art at the park as well with this free art class series.

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 have become 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.

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, for more information visit: www.arteasttour.com.

1820 Colonel Benjamin Stephenson House: Oldest brick house in Edwardsville and Madison County and one of the oldest homes in the state of Illinois. Chat with 19th century docents and see this beautifully restored 1820 brick home located in the heart of Edwardsville.

University Theater: Student productions at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville never disappoint. From classic treasures like Shakespeare to modern

Arts & Issues: World renowned authors, musicians, politicians, philosophers, and media celebrities come to Edwardsville for the Arts & Issues series, held on the SIUE campus.

Sculpture Walk: Large sculptures located near Dunham Hall on the SIUE campus, contributed by SIUE students.

[edit] Nature /Recreation

MCT Trails: Madison County Transit has developed more than 85 miles 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 thorughout 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 2,660 acres, 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

[edit] History

Edwardsville was originally incorporated in 1818, making it the 3rd 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 beautiful village is similar to Pullman, IL 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, a baseball field, the Edwardsville Children's Museum is located in the former Leclaire Academy, and the factory buildings are now the home of Lewis & 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.

[edit] Geography

Edwardsville is located at 38°48′14″N, 89°57′30″W (38.803986, -89.958195)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 36.5 km² (14.1 mi²). 35.9 km² (13.9 mi²) of it is land and 0.6 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (1.56%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 21,491 people, 7,975 households, and 5,199 families residing in the city. The population density was 598.2/km² (1,549.2/mi²). There were 8,331 housing units at an average density of 231.9/km² (600.6/mi²). 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.

[edit] Notable People

Laurie Metcalf, most noted for her Emmy Award-winning role on Roseanne, grew up in Edwardsville and attended Edwardsville High School. The Metcalf theater at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, is home to the Student Experimental Theater Organization and was named for her father, James Metcalf a former professor at SIUE.

Mannie Jackson, chairman and CEO of the Harlem Globetrotters. Jackson purchased the team in 1993.

Marvin "Preach" Webb, Edwardsville's most beloved and well-known resident, good-will ambassador, all-time parade marshall, unofficial Edwardsville policeman, ticket-taker at EHS sporting events and lover of all things Edwardsville. On any given day you can find Preach chatting up the locals at Bigelo's Bistro, rubbing elbows with politicians at the Madison County Courthouse, throwing back a beer at Vanzo's or crooning 'Kansas City' at Laurie's Place. He is always on foot, always sports a carmation on his lapel, and completes daily tasks and duties for everyone in downtown Edwardsville from barbers and butchers to lawyers and accountants. In addition to "Preach" Marvin also answers to: "Elvis," "the King," and "Cat."

Five Illinois Governors have lived in Edwardsville: Thomas Ford, Ninian Edwards, Charles Deneen, Edward Coles and John Reynolds. Governor's Parkway, an east-west connector in the center of town is named in their honor. Edward Coles was instrumental in keeping slavery out of the Illinois Constitution, and a large stone memorial with an engraving of his face is located at the corner of IL-157 and Lewis Road in Edwardsville, not far from the SIUE campus.