Glen Carbon, Illinois

In 1801, Colonel Samuel Judy received a military grant for 100 acres (0.40 km²) of land near the base of the bluffs just north of Judys Branch, and became one of the first permanent settlers of Madison County. The land was called Goshen Settlement, after the biblical land of Goshen.[4] It was renamed "Glen Carbon" to reflect its coal mining heritage.

Glen Carbon was incorporated as a village in 1892.[5] It operated many coal mines until the last one shut down in 1934. Another industry was the St. Louis brick company, which burned down in the 1930s; then, right after being rebuilt, it burned down and was never rebuilt again.

Glen Carbon residents served during World War I. The city's Doughboy statue, which honors the sacrifice made by two of its residents, has been selected as part of a national competition for restoration as part of the nation's World War I centennial activities.[6]

Three railroads once served Glen Carbon. The Illinois Central Railroad, now the Ronald J. Foster Sr. Heritage Bike Trail, became one of the first rails to trails projects in the US, in 1992. The other two lines were the Norfolk Southern line and the Chicago and North Western line, which ran parallel with each other the entire way through Glen Carbon, and stopped operating in Glen Carbon in March 2000. The Nickel Plate Bike Trail follows both of those right-of-ways, switching back and forth between the NS and CNW lines the whole way through Glen Carbon.

Glen Carbon is located southwest of the center of Madison County at 38°45′35″N 89°58′9″W (38.759801, -89.969204).[11] It is bordered to the north by Edwardsville, the county seat, to the southeast by Troy, to the south by Maryville, and to the west by Pontoon Beach. Interstate 270 passes through the village north of its center, with access from exits 9 and 12. I-270 leads west 19 miles (31 km) to Florissant, Missouri, and east 4 miles (6 km) to Interstate 70, which continues east 50 miles (80 km) to Vandalia. Illinois Route 157 passes through the west side of the village, leading northeast 6 miles (10 km) to the center of Edwardsville and south 5 miles (8 km) to the west side of Collinsville, while Illinois Route 159 passes through the east side of the village, leading north to the center of Edwardsville and south 6 miles (10 km) to the center of Collinsville.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Glen Carbon has a total area of 10.37 square miles (26.86 km²), of which 10.26 square miles (26.57 km²) are land and 0.12 square miles (0.31 km²), or 1.12%, are water.[1] Judys Branch passes through the village just south of its center, leading west into the Mississippi River valley lowlands.

As of the census[13] of 2000, there were 10,425 people, 4,011 households, and 2,815 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,405.5 inhabitants per square mile (542.7/km²). There were 4,236 housing units at an average density of 571.1 per square mile (220.5/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 89.09% White, 6.96% African American, 0.20% Native American, 2.12% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.41% from other races, and 1.17% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.50% of the population.

There were 4,011 households, out of which 34.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.6% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.8% were non-families. 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 25.3% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 94.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.5 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $55,841, and the median income for a family was $72,182. Males had a median income of $50,086 versus $31,689 for females. The per capita income for the village was $26,374. About 3.2% of families and 5.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.8% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.

The Village of Glen Carbon operates three parks and the Ronald J. Foster Sr. Heritage Trail, an 11-mile (18 km) trail dedicated to the former mayor in 1991. It follows the old Illinois Central Railroad right-of-way that once served Glen Carbon. In November 2021, Madison County Transit and the Glen Carbon Historical and Museum Commission worked to establish historical markers along the trail that highlight places of importance to Glen Carbon's early history. The signs include information about the sites and photos.

Glen Carbon is served by the Edwardsville Community Unit District 7 School System of elementary, middle and high school education. It is one of the top-rated school districts in Illinois,[18] educating students since 1864.

Glen Carbon is also home to Father McGivney Catholic High School, which was established in 2012. In 2015, the school earned its first state title in Bass Fishing.

• Glenn Bradford, Illinois politician and lawyer
• A. J. Epenesa, University of Iowa football defensive lineman<Buffalo Bills NFL>
• Johnny Lucas, outfielder for the Boston Red Sox; born in Glen Carbon

• Official website
• Schon Park
• Glen Carbon Library