Columbia, Illinois
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| Columbia, Illinois rules | |
| Motto: Good for business, good for life | |
| Coordinates: | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| State | Illinois |
| County | Monroe |
| Incorporated | 1859 |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Bold textMarry Lou |
| Area | |
| - City | 9.4 sq mi (24.4 km²) |
| - Land | 9.4 sq mi (24.4 km²) |
| - Water | 0.04 sq mi (0.1 km²) |
| Elevation | 500 ft (152.4 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - City | 7,922 |
| - Density | 841.7/sq mi (325.0/km²) |
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) |
| - Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP Code | 62236 |
| Area code(s) | 618 |
| Website: http://www.columbiaillinois.com/ | |
Columbia is a city located primarily in Monroe County, Illinois and partially in St. Clair County, Illinois. The population was 7,922 at the 2000 census. The city was founded in 1820; its name 'Columbia', from Christopher Columbus, is a poetical name for the United States.
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[edit] History
The first white settlers who came to the area of Columbia, Illinois, in the mid-1600s were French.
In the mid-1700s, the British took over the territory until the Revolutionary War forced them out of the area. The colonial American settlers soon arrived and established the first permanent settlements in the area of Columbia, Fort Whiteside and Fort Piggott. Both forts were made out of log cabins and were used to protect against Indian raids.
In 1820 Columbia was plotted out as a town and built on bluffs 500 feet above sea level to protect against the flooding of the Mississippi River.
Germans began immigrating to the area around 1833, with the majority coming in the 1840s. United States land agents had traveled to Germany to sell parcels of land to emigrating Germans. When the Germans arrived in the United States, they traveled immediately to their own parcels of land.
Entering the United States in New Orleans, these Germans went up the Mississippi River to St. Louis, Missouri. They settled in the general region, including the Columbia area. The ground was not expensive, harvests were rich, and the climate was perfect for growing grain. German thrift, German tenacity and German industriousness changed the character of Columbia from a pioneer settlement to a thriving community. The hard-working nature of the early German immigrants had a direct influence on the town’s present prosperity.
In the early 1800s the American landowners in the Columbia area often hired the German immigrants who were not landowners as farmhands. Money was short, so they were given land as payment. Soon most of the land belonged to the Germans.
In 1859 Columbia became a town as a result of the growth from German immigration. In 1868 the first railroad tracks were laid in Columbia, and the town continued to grow and develop. In 1927 Columbia became a city.
A notable feature of the community spirit was in evidence with the high level of Columbia’s interest in the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904. With singular purpose, on September 22, 1904 all businesses and schools were closed and 1,000 of the 1,300 inhabitants of Columbia attended the World’s Fair on that one day. It set a record of attendance for members of one community to be at the Fair at the same time. [1]
In 1959, Columbia's centennial was celebrated with a large community festival. In 1960 the “Strassenfest” was established, a three-day festival celebrating the German heritage of the communiity. The “Strassenfest” became so popular that it had to be transferred to St. Louis in 1972, where it now attracts more than 100,000 visitors over a three-day period every year [2].
Today Columbia is a city with a population of about 8,000, mainly of German origin. Agriculture and light industry are the pillars of the local commerce.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 7,922 people, 3,112 households, and 2,218 families residing in the city. The population density was 325.0/km² (841.5/mi²). There were 3,219 housing units at an average density of 132.1/km² (341.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.52% White, 0.10% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 0.20% from other races, and 0.64% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.96% of the population.
There were 3,112 households out of which 35.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.3% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.7% were non-families. 25.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.9% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 32.0% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $58,003, and the median income for a family was $69,059. Males had a median income of $46,197 versus $31,042 for females. The per capita income for the city was $26,767. About 2.0% of families and 2.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.3% of those under age 18 and 4.4% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Geography
Columbia is located at (38.449172, -90.208500).GR1
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 24.4 km² (9.4 mi²). 24.4 km² (9.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.21%) is water.
[edit] Schools
Columbia is serviced mainly by Columbia Community Unit District #4 as well as a private school.
[edit] Sister City
In February 1992, the city of Columbia invited the city of Gedern, Germany to take part in the US American "people to people program" with the goal to establish a partnership.
Previously, citizens of Columbia had visited Gedern individually to search for their German ancestors. They had been successful in Wernings near Wenings, a district of Gedern.
The contacts, resulting from these visits and discoveries, were to be integrated into an official sister city arrangement between Columbia and Gedern so relations could develop on this basis.
After the "Declaration of Friendship" on April 29, 1992, the mayors Lester Schneider of Columbia and Rainer Schwarz of Gedern signed the proclamation of the sister city arrangement on May 8, 1993. Also on this day Barbara Gundlach, President of Verschwisterungsverein Gedern (Sister Cities of Gedern), was designated an honorary citizen of Columbia.
On May 7, 1993, Bill Clinton, in his congratulation letter to Columbia, stated that the partnership helped to overcome the barriers between the United States and Germany and improve the relationships between people across the oceans.
Since then, according to the "people to people program", official delegations from Gedern were in Columbia in 1993, 1997 and 2002. Delegations from Columbia were in Gedern in 1995, 1999, and 2003.
Columbia Plaza shows the importance of the sister city arrangement in Gedern. In Columbia, a street and a new subdivision were named after Gedern, and October 6, 2001, was declared Sister City of Gedern, Germany, Day by the State of Illinois.
In view of the good cooperation between the two cities, Reader's Digest gave the Sister City Award to Gedern in 1993 for its share in securing world peace and understanding among nations by the sister city arrangement with Columbia. [3]
[edit] External links
- City of Columbia, Illinois
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
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Municipalities and Communities of Monroe County, Illinois (County Seat: Waterloo) |
|---|---|
| Cities, Towns and Villages | Burksville | Chaflin Bridge | Columbia | Floraville | Foster Pond | Fountain | Fults | Harrisonville | Hecker | Lou Del | Madonnaville | Maeystown | Merrimac | Monroe City | New Hanover | Paderborn | Renault | St. Joe | Tipton | Valmeyer | Wartburg | Waterloo |
| Precincts | Bluff Precinct | Columbia Precinct | Harrisonville Precinct | Mitchie Precinct | Moredock Precinct | New Design Precinct | New Hanover Precinct | Prairie Du Long Precinct | Renault Precinct | Waterloo Precinct |
