Carbondale, Illinois The first train came to Carbondale on July 4, 1854.

At the peak of the city's barns traffic, as many as 53 passenger trains passed through here each day.

Official name: City of Carbondale Carbondale, Illinois is positioned in Illinois Carbondale, Illinois Location of Carbondale inside Illinois Carbondale is a town/city in Jackson County, Illinois, United States, inside the Southern Illinois region informally known as "Little Egypt".

Carbondale is the home of the chief campus of Southern Illinois University.

As of the 2010 census, the town/city had a populace of 25,902, and it is the state's 20th-most-populated town/city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area. In addition, the town/city is the most crowded in Southern Illinois outside of the St.

Louis Metro-East region, and the most crowded city in the Carbondale-Marion-Herrin, Illinois Combined Travel Destination and the Metro Lakeland area.

Brush titled Carbondale for the large deposit of coal in the area. The first train through Carbondale appeared on Independence Day 1854, traveling north on the chief line from Cairo, Illinois.

By the time of the American Civil War, Carbondale had advanced as a county-wide center for transit and business, surrounded by agricultural development.

The town/city has had a college since 1856 beginning with the Presbyterian established Carbondale College which was later converted to an elementary school.

Carbondale also won the bid for the new state teacher training school for the region, and Southern Illinois Normal University opened in 1874.

In 1947, the name was changed to Southern Illinois University.

It has turn into the flagship of the Southern Illinois University system.

In the early 20th century, Carbondale was known as the "Athens of Egypt," due to the expansion of the college and university, and the region's moniker of "Little Egypt." The phrase dates to at least 1903, when it appeared in a small-town paper. By 1922, the Carbondale Free Press was using the phrase on its flag. Carbondale is positioned at 37 44 N 89 13 W (37.726, 89.220). It is in the watershed of the Big Muddy River, at 415 feet (126 m) above sea level.

Carbondale will be in the totality path of two upcoming solar eclipses: first on August 21, 2017 and host the longest duration of totality with 2 minutes 41.6 seconds just to its south in Makanda Township, and secondly, on April 8, 2024.

According to the 2010 census, Carbondale has a total region of 17.519 square miles (45.37 km2), of which 17.09 square miles (44.26 km2) (or 97.55%) is territory and 0.429 square miles (1.11 km2) (or 2.45%) is water. On average, there are 40 days of 90 F (32 C)+ highs, 16 days where the high fails to rise above freezing, and 2.3 evenings of sub-0 F ( 18 C) per year. It has an average annual rain of 47.2 inches (1,200 mm), including an average 11 inches (28 cm) of snow.

Carbondale receives thunderstorms on an average of 50 days per year.

Climate data for Carbondale, Illinois (1981 2010 normals) Average snowy days ( 0.1 in) 1.7 1.7 0.4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.6 5.4 In the city, the populace was spread out with 15.8% under the age of 18, 35.4% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 12.5% from 45 to 64, and 9.3% who were 65 years of age or older.

The town/city of Carbondale has a council-manager government. There are a total of seven propel town/city officials: a mayor and six town/city council members propel at-large for four-year staggered terms.

The City Manager, a experienced hired by the town/city council, appoints the department heads.

The town/city provides services such as police, fire, evolution services, enhance works, and enhance library.

In addition to Southern Illinois University, which presents regular concerts and theatrical productions, as well as art and history exhibits, the town/city has a range of unique cultural establishments.

Carbondale also is home to WDBX Community Radio for Southern Illinois, and the Big Muddy Independent Media Center.

The region is served by a county-wide daily newspaper, The Southern Illinoisan and the university's Daily Egyptian, as well as two weeklies, the Carbondale Times and the Nightlife.

SIUC is also home to the biggest auditorium in Southern Illinois, Shryock Auditorium.

In 2007, the Stage Company and Carbondale Community Arts (CCA) partnered to purchase and renovate the Varsity Theater, which had been vacant since 2003, into the Varsity Center for the Arts (VCA).

Civic action is encouraged by groups such as Carbondale Conversations for Community Action (the small-town implementation of Study Circles).

Spirituality finds expression in Carbondale in churches of a range of Christian denominations, a Unitarian Universalist fellowship, two mosques, a Jewish congregation, a Sufi community, and two Buddhist organizations the Shawnee Dharma Group and the Sunyata Center.

The first Hindu temple in Southern Illinois held its grand opening in Carbondale in June 2013.

Carbondale is also sometimes referred to as a "Town of Poets" for their expand poetry community. Notable poets include Rodney Jones, Judy Jordan, Allison Joseph, and the Transpoetic Playground collective.

The city's company districts include a several large shopping malls (including University Mall on the east side of town), featuring a mixture of nationwide chain stores and locally owned businesses.

In addition, Carbondale is home to many small shops and restaurants, many of them positioned in the downtown area.

Because of the large student populace in the city, there is a great range of restaurants, featuring many nationalities of cuisine.

The Carbondale Chamber of Commerce offers knowledge on small-town businesses in over 60 categories.

Carbondale is known for a number of annual festivals, including the Lights Fantastic parade in December, the Big Muddy Film Festival (February/March), the Southern Illinois Irish Festival (April), the Indian celebration of Diwali (December), the Great Cardboard Boat Regatta (April), the Sunset Concerts (a summer series of no-charge outside concerts on the Southern Illinois University ground and in town/city parks), and Brown Bag Concerts (a spring and fall series of no-charge outside concerts in the Town Square Pavilion).

Carbondale has 18 enhance tennis courts, as well as the Superblock, which is a sports multi-complex with baseball, softball, soccer, football, and track fields.

The Carbondale Park District maintains seven parks and an indoor pool for enhance use.

In 2010 the park precinct opened a new spray park in Crispus Attucks Park, and a water park opened in May 2016 at the Superblock. Southern Illinois University's Recreation Center is open to the public; it provides swimming, modern climbing walls, tennis, basketball, an indoor track, racquetball, weight training, and a range of exercise equipment.

Carbondale is positioned near many venues for outside activities, including some 14 parks in the immediate vicinity.

These include the Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge, the Shawnee National Forest, Giant City State Park, Little Grand Canyon, Piney Creek Ravine, Pomona Natural Bridge, the Garden of the Gods Wilderness area, and Trail of Tears State Park.

Five minutes south of Carbondale is the town/city reservoir, Cedar Lake, which is open to kayaking and canoeing.

Also a several minutes south of Carbondale is Jeremy Rochman Memorial Park, established by Barrett Rochman in memory of his son Jeremy "Boo" Rochman, who died in an auto accident at age 19.

The Shawnee National Forest, close to Carbondale, is home to many wineries.

The existence of Southern Illinois University also means that Carbondale region residents can attend Division I affairs of SIU-Carbondale's "Salukis" sport teams.

(The unusual mascot term "Salukis" is a reference to a dog breed from ancient Egypt, a nod to the fact that the Southern Illinois region is incessantly referred to by the nickname "Little Egypt.") Due to the existence of Southern Illinois University, Carbondale inhabitants have a tradition of political activism.

During the Vietnam War, and especially after the Kent State shootings, massive anti-war demonstrations took place on the SIU ground and on the streets of Carbondale.

In 2011, the Occupy Movement took up residence on the lawn of Quigley Hall at Southern Illinois University, occasionally clashing with small-town police and with college policy.

Several small-town organizations are concerned with peace, justice and the surrounding, including the Peace Coalition of Southern Illinois/Fellowship of Reconciliation, the Shawnee Green Party, the Student Environmental Center, the Southern Illinois Center for a Sustainable Future, and small-town chapters of the American Civil Liberties Union, the Sierra Club, and the National Audubon Society.

In 2001, the town/city was the locale for the nationwide Green Party Congress.

Campus and the bars along Southern Illinois Avenue were closed on Halloween in proceeding years.

The town/city of Carbondale sits on the intersection of U.S.

The town/city is 331 highway miles from Chicago, Illinois, 96 highway miles from St.

The town/city is twelve miles (19 km) away from the Williamson County Regional Airport, where one commercial airline service provides passenger service to St.

Louis on four flights each day. The Southern Illinois Airport is positioned northwest of the town/city and offers private aviation services and is home to SIU's aviation program.

See also: Carbondale (Amtrak station) Amtrak, the US passenger rail system, provides service to Carbondale with three trains daily to and from Chicago, and one train daily to and from Memphis and New Orleans.

Amtrak Train 59, the southbound City of New Orleans, departs Carbondale daily with service to Memphis, Jackson, and New Orleans (and intermediate stations ).

Amtrak Train 58, the northbound City of New Orleans, departs Carbondale daily with service to Centralia, Effingham, Mattoon, Champaign-Urbana, Kankakee, Homewood, and Chicago.

Carbondale is also served by Amtrak Train 390/391, the Saluki, daily in the morning, and Amtrak Train 392/393, the Illini, daily in the afternoon/evening.

Amtrak uses the tracks of the Canadian National Railway, which provides freight service to the city's industrialized park.

The barns runs along the initial line of the Illinois Central Railroad that began service in 1854 in Carbondale.

The Saluki Express provides bus service around the city.

SIUC students, faculty, and staff, as well as the greater Carbondale community, are encouraged to use the service.

Main article: List of citizens from Carbondale, Illinois Japan Tainai, Niigata, Japan (former town of Nakajo and the town/city of Carbondale became sister metros/cities in the past) Illinois Population Estimates 2009 a b City of Carbondale - A Short History Archived December 23, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.

The Free Press (Carbondale, Ill.) 3.

Carbondale Free Press (Carbondale, Ill.), March 31, 1922, p.

"Station Name: IL CARBONDALE SEWAGE PLT".

Carbondale Main Street - Lights Fantastic Archived October 19, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.

Chicago Tribune, November 10, 2011, "Strike ends at SIU's Carbondale campus" Amtrak Routes - Midwest - Illinois Service.

City of Carbondale - Sister Cities Archived June 5, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Carbondale, Illinois.

Carbondale, Illinois travel guide from Wikivoyage Growing Up With Southern Illinois.

The Bloody Vendetta of Southern Illinois.

A History of Early Carbondale, Illinois, 1852-1905.

Carbondale, Ill.: Southern Illinois University Press.

Southern Illinois

Categories:
Cities in Illinois - Cities in Jackson County, Illinois - Metropolitan areas of Illinois - University suburbs in the United States - Carbondale, Illinois - Populated places established in 1856 - 1856 establishments in Illinois