Centralia, Illinois

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Centralia is a city located in Marion and Clinton Counties in Illinois. The population was 14,136 at the 2000 census. The town was founded because it was the point where the two original branches of the Illinois Central Railroad, built in 1856, converged. The town is named for the railroad.

1 Mine tragedy
2 Sports
3 Local features
4 Notable residents
5 Geography
6 Demographics
7 External links

[edit] Mine tragedy

On March 25, 1947 the Centralia No. 5 coalmine explosion near the town killed 111. The Mine Safety and Health Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor reported the explosion was caused when an underburdened shot or blown-out shot ignited coal dust. At the time of the explosion 142 men were in the mine. Sixty five men were killed by burns and violence and forty five by afterdamp. Eight men were rescued but one died from the effects of afterdamp.

[edit] Sports

The Centralia High School basketball team became known as the "Orphans" in 1936 because upstate sports reporters thought them shabby upstarts to be competing at the state level. However, the name became prophetic after the No. 5 mine disaster; at one time, all the players had lost a father in the mines. Despite the nickname, the high school is the winningest team in Illinois high school basketball.

There are some alternate theories as to why the sports teams of Centralia High School are called the "Orphans". One maintains that it was due to a large orphanage that at one time was present in the town, another widely accepted theory is that the players wore a bunch of unmatched jerseys when they went to state and a state reporter said that they look like a bunch of orphans out there.

[edit] Local features

Centralia's Foundation Park is a scenic 235 acre park that features hiking trails, an exercise trail, an ice skating pond and two fishing ponds both stocked with bass, bluegill and catfish. The park also sports a restored prairie, a Chapel in the Woods, the Hall Shelter, the Sentinel Shelter, The Bowl (an outdoor amphitheatre), Moose Oven and the Miner's Memorial.

Foundation Park is the site of the annual Balloon Fest, a hot air balloon festival. Recent events have had about forty balloons and drew 40000 visitors.

In addition to Foundation Park, the Centralia Foundation also supports the Centralia Carillon, ranked as eighth-largest in the world with 65 bells, the greatest of which weights 5-1/2 tons.

Centralia is home to Kaskaskia College.

Centralia (C-Town) is the home of the Centralia Cultural Society. This community theatre has been providing the tri-county area with performances for over 50 years.

[edit] Notable residents

James Brady – press secretary to President Ronald Reagan
Dike Eddleman – olympic athelete
Gary Gaetti – major league baseball player
Eldo "Dick" Garrett – NBA basketball player, drafted out of Southern Illinois University in the second round of the 1969 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Lakers. He also played for the NBA's Buffalo Braves and Milwaukee Bucks.
Kirk Rueter – major league baseball player
Tom Wargo – professional golfer

[edit] Geography

Centralia is located at 38°31′31″N, 89°7′57″W (38.525257, -89.132548)^GR1. This is approximately 60 miles east of St. Louis, Missouri. Centralia is on the border of south-west Marion County with portions of the city located in Clinton, Washington and Jefferson counties, and is 10 miles north of exit 61 of I-64 and 10 miles west of exit 109 of I-57. Centralia is one of three Illinois cities with portions in four counties, the others being Barrington Hills & Aurora.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 19.8 km² (7.6 mi²). 19.4 km² (7.5 mi²) of it is land and 0.4 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (1.83%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 14,136 people, 5,784 households, and 3,568 families residing in the city. The population density was 727.7/km² (1,884.4/mi²). There were 6,276 housing units at an average density of 323.1/km² (836.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 86.50% White, 10.34% African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.73% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.41% from other races, and 1.71% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.20% of the population.

There were 5,784 households out of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.1% were married couples living together, 14.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.3% were non-families. 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.3% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 19.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 85.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,905, and the median income for a family was $39,123. Males had a median income of $30,511 versus $21,967 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,174. About 11.2% of families and 14.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.1% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.