Coordinates: 37°43′35″N 89°13′13″W / 37.726418°N 89.22027°W / 37.726418; -89.22027
Carbondale, "The Capital of Southern Illinois", is a city in Southern Illinois in the midwest of the United States. It is located at the junction of Illinois Route 13 and U.S. Route 51, 96 miles (154 km) miles southeast of St. Louis, Missouri, on the northern edge of the Shawnee National Forest. Carbondale is the home of the main campus of Southern Illinois University. The city and the university have developed a dynamic economy and diverse population that totals over 45,000. The city is located in Jackson County, Illinois. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 26,367. The city's current mayor is Brad Cole.
In 1971 Carbondale won the All American City achievement award, and was a finalist in the 2009 contest.
History
In August 1852, Daniel Harmon Brush, John Asgill Conner, and Dr. William Richart bought a 360-acre parcel of land between two proposed railroad sites (Makanda and De Soto) and two county seats (Murphysboro and Marion). Brush named Carbondale for the large deposit of coal in the area. The first train through Carbondale was on the main line north from Cairo (IL) on Independence Day 1854.
On April 29, 1866, one of the first formal Memorial Day observations was held at the city's Woodlawn Cemetery. Local resident General John A. Logan gave the principal address.
By the time of the American Civil War, Carbondale had become not only a regional center for business and transportation, but also an educational center with the founding of Carbondale College (which became Southern Illinois College in 1869). Carbondale won the bid for the new teacher training school for the region, and Southern Illinois Normal University opened in 1874. This gave the town new industry, new citizens, and a supplement to public schools. In 1947, the name was changed to Southern Illinois University which now has 21,000 students enrolled.
The Carbondale area is referred to as Little Egypt. Theories about the nickname's origins range from the region's supplying grain to northern and central Illinois during the 1800s famine, to comparing Illinois's southern tip to Egypt's Nile delta region, a fertile agricultural area. SIUC's nickname, the Salukis, references this association, as the saluki was the royal dog of Egypt.
Geography
Carbondale is located at 37°43′35″N 89°13′13″W / 37.72639°N 89.22028°W / 37.72639; -89.22028 (37.726418, -89.220270). It is in the watershed of the Big Muddy River, at 415 feet above sea level.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.1 square miles (31.4 km²), of which, 11.9 square miles (30.8 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.6 km²) of it is water. The total area is 2.06% water.
Climate
Average Winter Temperature: 29.90 F, -1.17 C
Average Summer Temperature: 86.50, 30.28 C
Average Annual Rainfall: 45.10 in, 114.55 cm
Average Annual Snowfall: 10.40 in, 26.42 cm
Demographics
As of the census of 2000 , there are 25,597 people, 10,018 households, and 3,493 families residing in the city. The population density is 2,152.0 people per square mile (830.9/km²). There are 11,005 housing units at an average density of 925.2/sq mi (357.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city is 66.08% White, 23.14% Black or African American, 0.22% Native American, 6.67% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 1.42% from other races, and 2.40% from two or more races. 3.05% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 9,981 households out of which 17.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 22.1% are married couples living together, 10.1% have a female householder with no husband present, and 21.5% are non-families. 43.5% of all households are made up of individuals and 6.9% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.33 and the average family size is 2.78.
In the city the population is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 25 years, which is fairly typical for a college town. For every 100 females there are 106.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 105.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $27,882, and the median income for a family is $46,601. Males have a median income of $47,217 versus $35,114 for females. The per capita income for the city is $17,346. 21.4% of the population and 11.5% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 32.1% of those under the age of 18 and 13.2% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line. However, traditional measures of income and poverty can be misleading when applied to cities with high student populations, such as Carbondale.
Culture
In addition to Southern Illinois University, the city has a variety of unique cultural institutions. PBS and NPR broadcasting stations (WSIU) are affiliated with the university. Carbondale also is home to WDBX Community Radio for Southern Illinois, and the Big Muddy Independent Media Center.
There are two daily newspapers, The Southern Illinoisan and the university's Daily Egyptian ; two weeklies, the Carbondale Times and the Nightlife ; and a bi-weekly Heartland Women .
SIU has a teaching museum on campus, the University Museum, which has 60,000 artifacts in its collection and hosts traveling shows from known artists. In addition to the University Museum, there is the African American Museum and The Science Center. Theater-goers can see both professional and student-produced plays and performances at the university's McLeod and Kleinau Theaters, or attend off-campus productions by The Jackson County Stage Company (Stage Company). 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). The VCA is now the performing home of the Stage Company and also supports a variety of other fine arts and performances through the CCA.
Civic action is encouraged by groups such as Carbondale Conversations for Community Action (the local implementation of Study Circles). There are several lodges and clubs, such as the Fraternal Order of Eagles, Elks, Rotary, and the A.F.A.M (Freemasons).
The Women's Center, in continuous service since its founding in 1972, was one of the first domestic violence shelters in the United States.
Spirituality finds expression in Carbondale in churches of a variety of Christian denominations, a Unitarian Universalist fellowship, two mosques, a Jewish congregation, a Sufi community, a Hindu community, and two Buddhist organizations — the Shawnee Dharma Group and the Sunyata Center. The Interfaith Center provides space for intercultural exchange and personal growth. It is also an education center to help the community become more ecologically conscious, understand how to incorporate better practices into daily life, and set goals for the future.
Retail
The city's major shopping center is the University Mall, anchored by JCPenney, Macy's, Kerasotes Theater and Bed Bath & Beyond. My Favorite Toys, a large, independent specialty toy store, opened in 2005, and has become a major attraction for the Mall.
Carbondale also has several other shopping centers. University Place is over 250,000 square feet and has more than twenty-five tenants including Petco, Dick's Sporting Goods, Best Buy, Shoe Carnival, and another Kerasotes Theater. Adjacent to University Place is Kohl's, Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Kroger, Wal-Mart, and Hobby Lobby.
Murdale Shopping Center, on the city's west side, is 140,000 square feet with 20+ tenants including True Value, Neighborhood Co-op Grocery, and the International Grocery. Adjacent to Murdale is Rural King, CVS Pharmacy, and Walgreen's Pharmacy.
Carbondale is home to many small shops and restaurants, and in the past years, that number has expanded greatly. Because of the diversity of the students attending SIU, there is a great variety of restaurants in the city. There are several restaurants serving Chinese, Thai, Japanese, Italian, Greek, Mexican and Indian cuisine. Due to the high number of students from Chicago, there are several places to get "traditional Chicago style" hotdogs. There is also the college town standby, Jimmy John's, located on the strip.
Another industry that thrives in the community due to the college is tattoo shops. There are at least three that are state licensed in the city, including Artistic Mind Tattoos, Karma Tattoos, and Tuff Luck Tattoos. They are inspected by the health department to ensure that the public safety is met while offering a service that brings revenue into the city.
If pampering yourself is an interest of yours, Carbondale offers many bus
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