Population: 21,491 (2000) 47.4% growth in the 90's
Area:9 square miles
Housing
Profile: Good cross section of housing in all price ranges. Many single
family homes, condos and apartments. High growth rates in recent years
means that much of its housing is new or newer, but some lovely older
homes are available in old downtown.
Edwardsville and adjacent Glen Carbon are considered another prime living
area, where housing options, livability and resaleability are the greatest.
Edwardsville has maintained a lively mixture of business, light industry
and farming since its official designation as a town in 1816, before Illinois
became a state. Its history is interesting and significant.
Noted as the third oldest city in Illinois, the city is named for its
founder, Ninian Edwards, who served as territorial governor of Madison
County in the early 1800's. Today, Edwardsville is the seat of Madison
County government.
This city is situated high above the Mississippi River on a gently rolling
plain - just a 20 minute drive from downtown St. Louis or 30 minutes from
Lambert Airport via interstates I-55, I-70, I-270 and I-255. It has a
nice dual accessibility to St. Louis with downtown and north county about
the same distance away.
Measured by the usual standards of national test scores and the percentage
of graduates who go on to college, the city's 10 public and eight private
schools are excellent. The Edwardsville unit school district is huge and
includes Hamel, Moro, Midway, Fort Russell and Pin Oak Townships in addition
to Edwardsville Township. It has a brand new high school. Many graduates
opt to attend Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, a 2,600 acre
campus that is home to 11,000 students, providing employment for about
4000, many of whom live in Edwardsville and Glen Carbon. See special section
on schools, (link coming soon).
Edwardsville also offers many recreational activities, including 11 parks,
17 tennis courts, three public golf courses, both an ice skating and roller
skating rink and five private swimming pools. It has a lovely country
club, "Sunset Hills", where members from both Missouri and Illinois
enjoy a pool, an 18 hole course and great dining.
More and more retail facilities and restaurants are locating in the vicinity.
See Edwardsvillehomes.com for in-depth study.
Glen
Carbon
Population: 10,425 (2000) 34.8% growth in 90's
Area: 6.53 square miles
Housing
Profile: Glen Carbon offers secluded subdivisions nestled among wooded
areas, new subdivisions on rolling land, and older homes on tree lined
streets. It has the highest average home value in Metro east, aided by
the fact that a great proportion of the homes are new and many are upscale.
It's considered a sister city to Edwardsville and in the same school district.
The availability of suitable land for development and planning all make
Glen Carbon a community with great potential for continued growth.
A community spirit, parks, mini-homecomings, local shopping, and nearby
medical facilities make Glen Carbon a great place to reside.
The population shift is moving toward Glen Carbon. Office buildings and
professional centers are conveniently located, creating additional services,
as well as jobs, in the local community.
Troy
Population: 11,524 (2000) 41% growth in the 90's
Area: 14.3 square miles
Housing
Profile: Country living with acreage; quaint older homes, and modern,
suburban living. Troy is experiencing high growth and offers many housing
options and a great location.
The best kept secret in the entire St. Louis area. That's Troy, a community
at the crossroads of I-55, I-70 and I-270 that offers a small town atmosphere
within minutes of downtown St. Louis. It's also increasingly targeted
by Scott AFB personnel; this 15 minute commute offers small town living
and great citizenship.
Founded in 1814, Troy is one of the oldest communities in Madison County.
The settlement was known originally as "Columbia" but was renamed
Troy after being purchased for $10.
All levels of education, pre-school through college, are available. Troy
enjoys a brand new high school within the city limits. Within commuting
distance are 25 universities. Tri Township Park offers a lake, playground,
baseball diamonds, soccer fields, tennis and volleyball courts.
Highland
Population: 10,686 (2000) 12% growth in the 90's
Area: 3.2 square miles
Housing Profile: Highland offers streets lined with historic older homes,
newer homes on rolling land in the countryside within minutes of town,
and new subdivisions just outside downtown.
Highland, located just 30 miles east of St. Louis combines the best of
small-town living with modern commerce and industry. The community is
known for encouraging the development of business.
Highland is one of the oldest and largest Swiss settlements in the United
States. The architecture of downtown displays the Swiss Chalet theme.
Education, recreation, and parks are all around Highland, a progressive
community that respects its heritage.
Besides some historic homes, Highland also has newer homes.
Alton
Population: 30,496 (2000) 7.3% growth in the 90's
Area: 14.3 square miles
Housing
Profile: Victorian homes here. Although the majority of housing was built
before 1940, the city offers limited new construction, in a mixture of
styles.
Setting high on the river bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River is
Alton, a city that is known for its turn-of -the-century homes and antique
shopping district.
Rufus Easton founded the city in 1837, naming it after his son Alton.
The Illini Indians, however, were among the first settlers of this land.
Indian folklore lives on, as evidenced by the etching of the life-size
Piasa..the"bird that devoured men" on the bluffs of Alton.
Legend has it that the Piasa preferred human flesh and at feeding time
would swoop down upon the Indians, carrying away a tasty morsel. One day
the Illini Chief decided to trick the bird. While the other Indians hid,
the chief sat out, exposing himself as bait. When the Piasa came, the
other Indians surrounded the bird, killing it.
Alton is also a progressive city. A 300 ship marina has been built at
the former lock and Dam 26. The newly constructed Clark Bridge provides
a direct link to Missouri via highway 67.
Alton is home to the Southern Illinois University Dental School. The city
is within 30 miles of six colleges. Thirteen public and eight private
elementary schools plus one public and one private high school offer quality
education.
Collinsville
Population: 24,707 (2000) 10.1% growth rate in 90's.
Area: 10.5 square miles
Housing
Profile: Garden apartments, condominiums, and pleasant hill top homes.
Twelve century-old homes are on the historic register. New construction
of single family ranch homes is ongoing on the south, north and east.
Its motto, "wide open spaces, close to city places," speaks
for itself. Collinsville, quickly accessible to four interstate highways,
is only minutes from downtown St. Louis .the most proximal good Illinois
residential community relating to downtown St. Louis.
Collinsville's history began over 150 years ago. The settlement was named
for the Collins brothers, who came from Litchfield, Connecticut, in 1817
to start a saw mill, tannery, wagon shop and distillery.
Today, the city is best known for the Cahokia Mounds historic site which
is on the World Heritage List, and Fairmont Park Race Track which provides
year-round horse racing.
It boasts state championship teams in basketball, baseball and soccer.
Other recreational activities include a golf course, two swimming pools,
Woodlawn Park and a modern open-air amphitheater for concerts and shows.
Quality education is provided by a new high school, area vocational school
and two parochial schools. A new high school complex exists on the south
edge of town. Quite a bit of countryside is included in the Collinsville
unit school district. Southern Illinois University is only five miles
north of the city.
Maryville
Population: 4,651 (2000) 80.6% growth in the 90's
Starting from a smaller base than most, Maryville's growth has been incredible,
fueled by several newer mid-priced developments. The land is prime, within
the mid section of Metro East and along with Collinsville, the closest-to-downtown
Illinois towns.
Anderson Hospital, serving the midsection of SW Illinois, is located in
Maryville, along with major facilities for Illinois Power, Charter Cable,
and Ameritech .all attracted by the central location.
Maryville is within the Collinsville Unit School District, although it
has its own grade school within that system.
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