Effingham, Illinois | |
|---|---|
 TheOld Effingham County Courthouse in the mid-2000s. | |
| Motto: "Crossroads of America" | |
 Location of Effingham in Effingham County, Illinois | |
  Effingham  Effingham | |
| Coordinates:39°07′42″N88°32′57″W / 39.12833°N 88.54917°W /39.12833; -88.54917[1] | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Illinois |
| County | Effingham |
| Area | |
• Total | 10.56 sq mi (27.34 km2) |
| • Land | 10.49 sq mi (27.16 km2) |
| • Water | 0.069 sq mi (0.18 km2) |
| Elevation | 594 ft (181 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 12,252 |
| • Density | 1,168.5/sq mi (451.16/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code | 62401 |
| Area codes | 217, 447 |
| FIPS code | 17-22736 |
| GNIS ID | 2394628[1] |
| Wikimedia Commons | Effingham, Illinois |
| Website | www |
Effingham is a city inEffingham County, Illinois, United States, and itscounty seat. It is inSouth Central Illinois. Its population was 12,252 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Effinghammicropolitan statistical area.
The city bills itself as "The Crossroads of Opportunity" because of its location at the intersection of two major Interstate highways:I-57 running from Chicago toSikeston, Missouri, andI-70 running fromUtah toMaryland. It is also served byU.S. Route 45, which runs fromOntonagon, Michigan toMobile, Alabama;U.S. Route 40, the historicNational Road, which stretches fromAtlantic City, New Jersey toSilver Summit, Utah; andIllinois routes 32 and33. It is also a major railroad junction, the crossing of theIllinois Central main line from Chicago toMemphis with thePennsylvania Railroad line fromIndianapolis toSt. Louis. For this reason, Effingham has a much broader range of restaurants and lodging facilities than typical towns of its size.
Effingham was first settled in 1814, and was known from then until 1859 as Broughton.[3] In 1859, it became the county seat with buildings relocated from nearby (now deserted) Ewington.[4] The community was named after General E. Effingham, a local surveyor.[5]
In the late 1880s, local citizens founded Austin College, which lasted for several decades, and ultimately was purchased to become the Illinois College of Photography, also known as Bissel College. That school closed due to theGreat Depression in the 1930s.[6]
On April 4, 1949,St. Anthony's Hospital caught fire and burned to the ground, killing 74 people.[7] As a result,fire codes nationwide were improved. Due to extensive media coverage, including aLife magazine cover story,[7] donations for rebuilding the hospital came from all 48 states and several foreign countries.
Effingham was asundown town;[8] daytime segregation was enforced until at least the mid-1960s.[9]
According to the 2022 census gazetteer files, Effingham has a total area of 10.56 square miles (27.35 km2), of which 10.49 square miles (27.17 km2) (or 99.34%) is land and 0.07 square miles (0.18 km2) (or 0.66%) is water.[10]
Effingham is served by a total of 5 highways, only 2 of them being interstates.Interstate 57 comes into Effingham County withEdgewood, Illinois. It officially comes into Effingham was a crossDirectional T interchange withInterstate 70 west towardsSt. Louis. It runs concurrently with Interstate 57 as it goes through the city's southside exits. It makes its first with W Fayette Avenue and then takes a short curve east and makes a half diamond and halfpartial cloverleaf interchange with N Keller Drive andIllinois Route 33. After the interchange, it makes an interchange withU.S. Route 45 and the concurrency ends with a lastDirectional T interchange with Interstate 70. This time, Interstate 70 runs off east towardsIndianapolis making Interstate 57 continue its route towardsMattoon, Illinois,Champaign, Illinois, and finallyChicago.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 2,383 | — | |
| 1880 | 3,065 | 28.6% | |
| 1890 | 3,260 | 6.4% | |
| 1900 | 3,774 | 15.8% | |
| 1910 | 3,898 | 3.3% | |
| 1920 | 4,024 | 3.2% | |
| 1930 | 4,978 | 23.7% | |
| 1940 | 6,180 | 24.1% | |
| 1950 | 6,892 | 11.5% | |
| 1960 | 8,172 | 18.6% | |
| 1970 | 9,458 | 15.7% | |
| 1980 | 11,270 | 19.2% | |
| 1990 | 11,851 | 5.2% | |
| 2000 | 12,384 | 4.5% | |
| 2010 | 12,328 | −0.5% | |
| 2020 | 12,252 | −0.6% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[11][12] | |||
As of the2020 census[13] there were 12,252 people, 5,205 households, and 3,029 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,160.78 inhabitants per square mile (448.18/km2). There were 5,862 housing units at an average density of 555.38 per square mile (214.43/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 91.00%White, 0.85%African American, 0.25%Native American, 1.31%Asian, 0.02%Pacific Islander, 1.80% fromother races, and 4.77% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 4.60% of the population.
There were 5,205 households, out of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.77% were married couples living together, 11.82% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.81% were non-families. 33.26% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.64% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.91 and the average family size was 2.29.
The city's age distribution consisted of 22.9% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 19.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $52,551, and the median income for a family was $69,405. Males had a median income of $37,288 versus $26,182 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $31,029. About 10.8% of families and 16.9% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 29.8% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.
Effingham is historically important as a rail junction. The oldPennsylvania Railroad and the formerIllinois Central Railroad crossed in downtown Effingham.[14]
The former Illinois Central line was taken over byCanadian National in 1999,[15]: 10 and the former Pennsylvania Railroad was taken over byConrail, in turn this line is now operated byCSX.
Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Effingham under the dailyCity of New Orleans route to New Orleans and Chicago, and theSaluki andIllini to Chicago andCarbondale. Until October 1, 1979, the station also served Amtrak's formerNational Limited line betweenKansas City and New York City.
Effingham has several schools, both public and private. The private schools are both religiously affiliated and include Saint Anthony and Sacred Heart. Saint Anthony Grade School (SAGS) serves grades preschool (age 3+) to eighth grade. SAGS has the Bullpup as its mascot. Sacred Heart Grade School (SHS) serves preschool (age 3+) to eighth grade. SHS's mascot is the Shamrock. The public schools include the Early Learning Center, South Side Elementary, Central Grade School, Effingham Junior High School (EJHS), and Effingham High School. The Early Learning Center serves preschool and kindergarten age children. South Side Elementary serves first and second graders. Aspire is a school for students who are likely to drop out or those who get expelled. Central Grade School serves third through fifth grade students. Central Grade school's mascot is the Mustang. EJHS serves junior high students in grades six to eight. EJHS's mascot is the Mustang.
Effingham High School (EHS) is the public high school.[16] The new EHS building opened in the fall of 1998, and has a current enrollment of 849.[17] The former EHS building, built in 1939 as a WPA project and expanded in 1965, is currently the junior high, serving grades 6–8. The old junior high, Central School, is now a grade school serving grades 3–5. EHS athletics were originally known as the Warriors but the name was changed afterAda Kepley, a city resident, referred to Effingham as the "Heart of America" in a campaign to attract visitors to the city. The name stuck, with references in the city government and the downtown movie theater named the Heart Theater. EHS athletics are now known as the Flaming Hearts.
Effingham is also home toSt. Anthony High School, a private Roman Catholic High School. SAHS athletics are known as the Bulldogs.
The Cross at the Crossroads, a 198-foot (60 m) steel cross erected by the Cross Foundation is located in Effingham and was inaugurated in 2001. The cross is made out of over 180 tons of steel and cost over $1 million.[18] The Cross Foundation claims that the cross is the largest in the United States, standing at 198 feet (60m) with a span of 113 feet (34m).[19]
Comedians and authors have poked fun at the "Effing" portion of the name Effingham and its use in North American and UK slang as aminced oath for the word "fuck".[23] For example, radio comediansBob and Tom produced a segment on their national radio show referencing Effingham.[24]Ben Folds's albumWay to Normal uses a similar play on words in a track that was inspired by driving past Effingham, although the song refers to the city as "Effington".[25]
Municipalities and communities ofEffingham County, Illinois,United States | ||
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| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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| Geographic | |
| Other | |
