Bethalto, Illinois

Bethalto
Village
Downtown Bethalto
Country United States
State Illinois
County Madison
Coordinates 38°54′15″N 90°2′48″W / 38.90417°N 90.04667°W / 38.90417; -90.04667Coordinates: 38°54′15″N 90°2′48″W / 38.90417°N 90.04667°W / 38.90417; -90.04667
Area 7.60 sq mi (20 km2)
 - land 7.52 sq mi (19 km2)
 - water 0.08 sq mi (0 km2)
Population 9,521 (2010)
Density 483.8/km2 (1,253/sq mi)
Founded 1834 (1834)
Mayor Alan Winslow
Timezone CST (UTC-6)
 - summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
Postal code 62010
Area code 618
Location of Bethalto within Illinois
Location of Illinois in the United States
Wikimedia Commons: Bethalto, Illinois
Website: bethalto.com

Bethalto is a village located in Madison County, Illinois, United States. Bethalto, like the rest of Madison County, is part of the Illinois Metro East portion of the Greater St. Louis metropolitan area. The population of Bethalto was 9,521 at the 2010 census.[1]

Geography

Bethalto is located at 38°54′15″N 90°2′48″W / 38.90417°N 90.04667°W / 38.90417; -90.04667 (38.904197, -90.046579).[2]

According to the 2010 census, Bethalto has a total area of 7.6 square miles (19.68 km2), of which 7.52 square miles (19.48 km2) (or 98.95%) is land and 0.08 square miles (0.21 km2) (or 1.05%) is water.[3]

History

Bethalto was founded in 1834, incorporated April 19, 1869, under a special charter and again in 1873 under the State of Illinois' general law. It is governed by a Village President and six trustees elected at large.[4]

The original name of Bethalto was Bethel. However, when the first post office was established, it was discovered that there was already a Bethel, Illinois. There is a general consensus that the name "Bethalto" came from the first four letters of Bethel and the first four letters of nearby Alton.[5]

The Bethalto Village Hall is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1880628—
189087940.0%
1900477−45.7%
1910447−6.3%
19204715.4%
193068745.9%
19401,20775.7%
19502,11575.2%
19603,23553.0%
19707,074118.7%
19808,63022.0%
19909,50710.2%
20009,454−0.6%
20109,5210.7%
Est. 20159,349[6]−1.8%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]

As of the census[8] of 2000, there were 9,454 people, 3,810 households, and 2,647 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,437.3 people per square mile (554.7/km²). There were 4,007 housing units at an average density of 609.2 per square mile (235.1/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 97.84% White, 0.76% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.33% from other races, and 0.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.00% of the population.

There were 3,810 households out of which 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.5% were non-families. 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the village the population was spread out with 25.7% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 91.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.0 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $42,201, and the median income for a family was $50,764. Males had a median income of $41,512 versus $22,981 for females. The per capita income for the village was $18,697. About 6.5% of families and 9.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.1% of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those age 65 or over.[9]

Business and industry

As a bedroom community, Bethalto is home to a cottage industry that includes Specialty Stands, the world's leading manufacturer of custom oak slot machine stands, which is actually located in Moro, an unincorporated community north of Bethalto; RF Technologies, North America's largest independent service center for drive-through communication systems; and West Star Aviation, an aircraft servicing and manufacturing company located at the St. Louis Regional Airport. Major governmental institutions include St. Louis Regional Airport, Bethalto Community Unit School District 8 and the Bethalto Public Library. Local restaurants include Geno's 140 Club, The Eagle's Nest, El Mezcal, The GrindHouse, and Roma's Pizza.

In late October 2006, the segment of four-lane, controlled-access Illinois Route 255 (an extension of Interstate 255) between Illinois Route 143 and Fosterburg Road was opened.[10] This highway provides Bethalto residents with convenient access to the area's freeway system and provides greater through traffic to further economic development for the region.

Parks and recreation

Bethalto Municipal Park

The main park in Bethalto consists of a stage amphitheater, swimming pool, lighted tennis courts, baseball fields, soccer fields, skateboard park, and a newly re-modeled basketball court. The park is where the Bethalto Homecoming is held every year. During the event bands play, carnival rides may be ridden for small fees and a variety of culturally diverse food and beverage stands are set up. The park is conveniently located in the center of town, directly adjacent to the village hall.

Bethalto Arboretum

Entrance to the arboretum
Bethalto Arboretum at night

The Bethalto Arboretum is an arboretum on the east end of town that was developed in 1966 after the demise of the railroad era in Bethalto. It is one of the few arboretums in the area. A directory of trees and bushes contained in the arboretum may be viewed in the mayor and clerk's offices. There are also many plaques, in memory of Bethalto's notable persons, placed next to many of the trees in the park. The park is centered on a road truck (Rail Wheels) on top of a short slab of railroad track. The short piece of track remains in its original position as part of the old railroad tracks that existed to transport coal to and from the area.

Culp Lane Park

Culp Lane Park is a large park on the northwest end of town that was established in 2005. Among its many features are a lake (fishing is allowed), a children's play area, and a new arboretum. It has become a popular site for Bethalto residents to come for exercise as well as leisure. The park is a great spot for events like sports parties or picnics. Wilbur Trimpe Middle School goes on class trips to fish there before colder seasons occur.

Bethalto Sports Complex

The Bethalto Sports Complex is located on the north side of town just off Culp Lane. The complex was completed in 2006 and is made up of two baseball fields, two softball fields, two soccer fields, a grandstand, and a concession stand. The complex, which is maintained by the Village of Bethalto, replaced the old baseball and soccer fields located at Civic Memorial High School for varsity and junior varsity baseball, softball and soccer teams. The Indians, the Bethalto Legion team, also calls the complex home.

Khoury League Diamonds

The Bethalto Khoury League Diamonds are located on the south side of town in the Chateaux residential area. The complex consists of four lighted diamonds with a concession stand in the center. The fields are primarily set up to handle all of the local Boys & Girls Clubs of America youth baseball and softball games. The fields are also home to a number of private and select league baseball teams that play there every summer.[4]

Schools

Bethalto Unit Schools are the largest employer in Bethalto and have the greatest impact in terms of land area and government spending. The school district, Bethalto Unit School District 8 (BCUSD8), is made up of two intermediate schools, three primary schools, one middle school, one high school, a special needs school, an administration building, and an industrial complex.

The list of schools and links to their respective website are as follows:

Two private schools serving kindergarten through eighth grade are in Bethalto:

Religious organizations

Bethalto is home to a number of religious organizations, consisting of both small and large congregations.

The churches in Bethalto are listed here in alphabetical order:[4]

  • Assembly of God
  • Bethalto United Methodist
  • Bethalto United Presbyterian
  • Bethel General Baptist
  • Bible Baptist Church
  • Church of God
  • Church of the Nazarene (IL District Office)
  • Conerstone Church
  • Concordia Lutheran
  • Cottage Hills Baptist Church
  • First Baptist Church
  • First Church of God
  • First Christian Church
  • First General Baptist
  • First Southern Baptist Church
  • Grace Community Church
  • Heart's Harvest
  • Landmark Worship Center
  • Meadowbrook Assembly of God
  • Metro Presbyterian Church
  • Our Lady Queen of Peace
  • Riverbend Calvary Chapel
  • St. Paul's United Methodist
  • Zion Lutheran

References

  1. ↑ "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Bethalto village, Illinois". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on September 11, 2013. Retrieved January 23, 2012.
  2. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  3. ↑ "G001 - Geographic Identifiers - 2010 Census Summary File 1". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2015-08-02.
  4. 1 2 3 Bethalto Village Brochure Retrieved March 5, 2011.
  5. ↑ Bethalto Library Town History Retrieved on July 3, 2007.
  6. ↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015". Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Archived from the original on May 11, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  8. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2013-09-11. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  9. ↑ "Description of Illinois". Illinois.com Inc. Retrieved March 6, 2011.
  10. ↑ Kapiolani Saxton, J. (2006, October 21). Another 7.6 miles is added to Interstate 255. Belleville News-Democrat (IL), retrieved July 7, 2007, from EBSCO Newspaper Source database.
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