Granite City, Illinois City of Granite City City City Hall of Granite City City Hall of Granite City Location of Granite City inside Illinois Granite City is a town/city in Madison County, Illinois, United States, inside the Greater St.
The populace was 29,849 at the 2010 census, making it the second biggest city in the Metro East and Southern Illinois regions, behind Belleville.
Officially established in 1896, Granite City was titled by the Niedringhaus brothers, William and Frederick, who established it as a steel making business town for the manufacture of kitchen utensils made to resemble granite.
The region was settled much earlier than Granite City's official founding.
Around 1801, the region saw the establishment of Six Mile Settlement, a farming region that occupied the region of present-day Granite City, six miles (10 km) from St.
Louis. Soon after, around 1806, the National Road was to be constructed through the area, but it was never completed. By 1817, the region became known as Six Mile Prairie, to distinguish it from Six Mile Township. By 1854, the first barns was built. In 1856, the region known as Six Mile would be changed to Kinder. Granite City was established in 1896 to be a prepared business town/city similar to Pullman, Illinois, by German immigrant brothers Frederick G.
The brothers opened the Granite Iron Rolling Mills in St.
As they prepared expansion of their Bessemer process steel works, they were blocked by the town/city of St.
In 1891, the brothers bought 3,500 acres (14 km2) from company tycoon Lars Kovala. This territory extended from the Mississippi River athwart the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad tracks for their new Granite City.
Louis City Engineer, a street grid was laid out with streets listed in alphabetic order plus numbered streets, and the only exception being Niedringhaus Avenue.
Unlike Pullman, however, they did not exert primary control over the day-to-day lives of their employees and left the government of the town/city up to the residents. In 1896, Granite City was officially incorporated as a City inside Madison County, Illinois. The first seven years went as prepared with rapid growth.
Henry Fossiek was hired as the first policeman, a School Board of Directors was appointed by the Mayor, four schools opened, the 1st Church of the Concordian Lutheran Church was built, Stamping Company changed its name to National Enameling & Stamping Company (NESCO), and lots were sold for a new subdivision to be titled 'Granite Park' (More generally known as West Granite, today).
Ten thousand persons emigrated to Granite City from Macedonia, Bulgaria, Hungary and other parts of Central and Eastern Europe, amid a two-year period.
The following year, one of the beginning fathers of the City and of NESCO, William Niedringhaus, would die, dominant to the beginning of a new era in both the business and the City's future.
At the time, Granite City had the biggest concentration of Bulgarians in the nation and boasted the only American journal printed in the Bulgarian language. As of 2008, a several large manufacturing corporations operate in the city, including U.S.
The clothing retailer Glik's is also based in Granite City.
Granite City is positioned at 38 43 4 N 90 7 46 W (38.717849, -90.129529), adjoining to the Chain of Rocks Canal on the Upper Mississippi River, bordering Horseshoe Lake on its southeastern side.
The town/city sits in the American Bottom, a wide, flat and fertile plain.
Although at threat amid the Great Flood of 1993, the town/city never flooded and is protected by a series of levees along both the Mississippi River and Chain of Rocks Canal.
Granite City is positioned inside a several miles of five interstate highways.
Interstate 270 passes through the northern edge of the town/city and Interstates 255, 70, 55, and 64 all pass just to the south and east of the city.
Route 3 is a primary thoroughfare along the edge of the town/city and provides access to downtown St.
According to the 2010 census, the town/city has a total region of 20.70 square miles (53.6 km2), of which 19.29 square miles (50.0 km2) (or 93.19%) is territory and 1.41 square miles (3.7 km2) (or 6.81%) is water. Granite City home Granite City can be divided into eight areas: Downtown, East Granite, West Granite, North Granite, Nameoki Strip, Bellemore Area and the Wilson Park Area.
The Wilson park region is home to the recently renovated Coolidge Middle School, former Niedringhaus Elementary School, and Granite City High School as well as the city's crown jewel, Wilson Park.
Wilson Park is sometimes called the "heart" of Granite City and is known for its nicely kept "turn of the [20th] century" homes.
East Granite is less defined, but is mostly undivided residentiary subdivisions as well as both St.
US Steel's complex was formerly known as the Granite City Steel Co.
Downtown is at the southwestern part of the town/city and is home to much of the city's industry, including the Granite City Steel Works.
These accomplishments are modeled on close-by cities such as Belleville, IL, Edwardsville, IL, and St.
Revitalization accomplishments include installing tree-filled medians on Niedringhaus Avenue, adding recreational businesses such as the three-screen Granite City Theater, repaving streets, granting tax incentives, and adding new zoning restrictions.
The initial design of what is presently downtown Granite City is based on the City of Washington D.C.
West Granite is positioned west of downtown athwart the barns lines.
West Granite contains both industrialized and lower income residentiary areas and has been struggling to fight its above average crime rate.
While Wilson Park may be the Heart of Granite City, West Granite is the History.
Attracted by the promise of plentiful jobs, many immigrants from Central-Eastern Europe, primarily Bulgaria, Macedonia and Hungary, migrated to the City in search of good jobs with decent wages.
As of the census of 2010, there were 29,849 citizens , 12,214 homeholds, and 7,791 families residing in the city.
The ethnic makeup of the town/city was 91.5% White, 6.5% Black or African American, 1.0% American Indian or Alaska Native (Native American), 0.8% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 2.3% from other competitions, and 2.1% from two or more competitions.
In the town/city the populace age range was spread out with 22.9% under the age of 18, 13.3% from 15 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 26.6% from 45 to 64, and 15% who were 65 years of age or older.
The per capita income for the town/city was $22,397.
The Granite City Park District owns 13 parks.
Madison County Transit provides an outstanding 85-mile (137 km) network of newly paved, well maintained bikeways throughout the county as well as Granite City.
There are also two golf courses near Granite City.
The Port Harbor Railroad (reporting marks: PHRR) provides barns service to industrialized businesses positioned at America's Central Port in Granite City.
Granite City Community Unit School District 9 enrolls 7100 students from the town/city and its encircling area.
The District operates six elementary schools (Mitchell, Wilson, Worthen, Frohardt, Prather, and Maryville), two middle schools (Grigsby and Coolidge), and one high school (Granite City High School (GCHS)) and the Granite City Early Childhood Center.
Granite City High School was the 1940 State champions in basketball.
Granite City High has won ten boys' soccer state championships in 1972, 1976-1980, 1982, 1987, 1989, and 1990, and the girls' soccer team won the 2011 state championship.
Elizabeth, are also positioned in the city.
The Sam Wolf Granite City Campus (SWGCC) of Southwestern Illinois College is positioned at the northern end of the city.
"History of Granite City: Part I".
City of Granite City.
"History of Granite City: Part II".
City of Granite City.
"History of Granite City: Part III".
City of Granite City.
Granite City, A Pictorial History, 1896-1996.
Granite City, Ill.: G.
City of Granite
Categories:
Granite City, Illinois - Cities in Madison County, Illinois - Company suburbs in Illinois - Illinois populated places on the Mississippi River - Populated places established in 1896
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