West Frankfort, Illinois

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Coordinates: 37°53′55″N, 88°55′24″W
West Frankfort, Illinois
Franklin County, Illinois
County	Franklin County, Illinois
Founded	1810
Incorporated	1906 as a city
Mayor	Larry Warren
Area
- City	12.3 km² (4.8 sq mi)
Population
- City (2000)	12,949
Time zone	Central (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	Central (UTC-5)

West Frankfort is a city in Franklin County, Illinois, USA. The population was 12,949 at the 2000 census.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 External links

[edit] History

Although one might associate the name "West Frankfort" with the cities named "Frankfurt" in Germany or Frankfort in Kentucky, the truth is far more local. Around 1810, Francis Jordan, an early settler from Tennessee, with the help of his seven brothers, began construction of a fort atop a hill in present-day Franklin County. Completed in 1811, the fort was named "Frank's Fort", in Jordan's honor.

Francis Jordan also built a fort a few miles to the east, at Jordan's Settlement, near modern Thompsonville, Illinois. This fort was called "Jordan's Fort". The construction of these forts was in response to the danger of attack during Tecumseh's War, which culminated in the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811. Then-governor of the Illinois Territory, Ninian Edwards, actively encouraged the construction of these forts and offered the services of the Saline Militia in their erection.

Since the Shawnee Trail, an important trading route linking Kaskaskia, Illinois and Old Shawneetown, Illinois ran along the high ground in the vicinity of the fort, this area became an attractive destination for settlers in search of cheap acreage made available by the recently passed Bit Act of 1805. The resulting settlement took the name of the nearby fort, which was subsequently shortened to "Frankfort". Frankfort grew quickly during this period, its population rivaling that of Chicago at that time.

After railroad tracks linking Chicago, Paducah, and Memphis were laid 4 miles west of Frankfort, many businesses and residents migrated to the new commercial center which formed near the tracks. This new community came to be known as West Frankfort for its location west of Frankfort. The two cities eventually merged and retained the name of West Frankfort.

The area of West Frankfort formerly known as Frankfort is still sometimes referred to locally as Frankfort Heights or, more commonly, simply as "the Heights", due to its higher elevation relative to the rest of the city. A post office was maintained in Frankfort Heights until its destruction by fire in 2005, making West Frankfort one of the smallest cities in the United States to have two ZIP codes.

[edit] Geography

West Frankfort is located at 37°53′55″N, 88°55′24″W (37.898545, -88.923315)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.3 km² (4.8 mi²). 12.3 km² (4.8 mi²) of it is land and 0.21% is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 12,949 people, 6,005 households, and 5,486 families residing in the city. The population density was 666.2/km² (1,726.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.40% White, 0.20% African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.12% from other races, and 0.80% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.77% of the population.

In the city the population was spread out with 22.3% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 20.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 86.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $25,358, and the median income for a family was $34,432. Males had a median income of $32,621 versus $18,765 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,671. About 13.9% of families and 18.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.0% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.