Highland, Illinois
City in Illinois, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Highland is a city in Madison County, Illinois, United States. The population was 9,991 at the 2020 census.[3] Highland began as a Swiss settlement and derived its name from later German immigrants
Highland, Illinois | |
|---|---|
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Flag | |
 Location in Madison County, Illinois | |
| Coordinates: 38°45′05″N 89°40′56″W[1] | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Illinois |
| County | Madison |
| Townships | Helvetia, Saline, Marine |
| Area | |
• Total | 7.84 sq mi (20.31 km2) |
| • Land | 6.81 sq mi (17.65 km2) |
| • Water | 1.03 sq mi (2.67 km2) |
| Elevation | 551 ft (168 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 9,991 |
| • Density | 1,466.2/sq mi (566.12/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code | 62249 |
| Area code | 618 |
| FIPS code | 17-34670 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2394375[1] |
| Website | www |
Highland is a sister city of Sursee in Switzerland.
Highland is a part of the Metro East region of the Greater St. Louis metropolitan area.
History
Highland was settled in the early 19th century by Swiss-German settlers. The town was founded in 1837 and celebrated its 175th Jubilee in 2012.[4] It was first named Helvetia (pronounced "hellveesha") in accordance with the heritage of the town's Swiss-German founding members. The town voted to change its name to the English version, "Highland", in the early 20th century, as well as stopping production of its German language newspaper, in part to avoid negativity toward those of Germanic heritage at the advent of the First World War. Around the same time, a small town in northern Illinois also started calling itself Highland. Eventually, the town in northern Illinois became Highland Park.
Highland has a rich history including extended visits by such notables as Abraham Lincoln.[5][6] On November 21, 1915, the Liberty Bell passed through Highland on its nationwide tour returning to Pennsylvania from the Panama–Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco.[7]
Geography
Highland is in southeastern Madison County, 30 miles (48 km) east of St. Louis. U.S. Route 40 passes through the city north of downtown, leading west 11 miles (18 km) to Troy and on to St. Louis, and to the northeast 20 miles (32 km) to Greenville. Illinois Route 160 passes through the center of Highland, leading north 6 miles (10 km) to Grantfork and south 10 miles (16 km) to Trenton, while Illinois Route 143 leads northwest 6 miles (10 km) to Marine and northeast 5 miles (8 km) to Pierron. Interstate 70 passes through the northern part of the city limits, with access from Exit 24 (IL 143) to the west and Exit 30 (US 40) to the east.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Highland has a total area of 7.84 square miles (20.31 km2), of which 6.81 square miles (17.64 km2) are land and 1.03 square miles (2.67 km2), or 13.13%, are water.[2] The city drains to the south to Sugar Creek, a tributary of the Kaskaskia River, and to the northwest to the East Fork of Silver Creek, another tributary of the Kaskaskia. Highland Silver Lake is a reservoir constructed on the East Fork; the Highland city limits extend north 5 miles (8 km) to the southern border of Grantfork to enclose the entire lake.
Climate
| Climate data for Highland, Illinois | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 2.74 (70) |
2.45 (62) |
3.43 (87) |
4.95 (126) |
5.18 (132) |
4.50 (114) |
4.36 (111) |
3.81 (97) |
3.34 (85) |
3.39 (86) |
3.64 (92) |
2.76 (70) |
44.55 (1,132) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 3.9 (9.9) |
2.0 (5.1) |
1.0 (2.5) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.4 (1.0) |
2.9 (7.4) |
10.2 (25.9) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 7.8 | 7.7 | 9.9 | 10.7 | 12 | 9.3 | 8.2 | 7.4 | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 7.8 | 103.3 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.01 in) | 2.8 | 1.9 | 0.7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 | 1.8 | 7.6 |
| Source: NOAA[8] | |||||||||||||
Economy
Highland has been home to businesses that include Pet Milk and the Wicks Organ Company. For the past 60 years, Highland Supply Corporation has been producing and selling floral grass, a traditional decorative product used to line Easter baskets. Highland is also home to The Korte Company (builder of many large and well-known buildings including Universal Studios in Florida).
Government
Highland is in the process of implementing citywide availability of a municipal broadband network using Fiber to the home technology.[9]
Education
The Highland Community Unit School District 5 serves Highland area students including those from Alhambra, Illinois, Grantfork, Illinois, and New Douglas, Illinois. Kindergarten through sixth grade schools are located in each of the districts municipalities while the district's middle and high schools are located in Highland. Starting in August 2014 6th grade is located at the Highland Middle School. In September 2014, the district's teachers staged a strike for the first time in the district's history.[10]
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Additionally, Highland has a local parochial school named St. Paul Catholic School offering Kindergarten through eighth grade education.
The Louis Latzer Memorial Public Library has a collection of more than 48,000 print volumes, a substantial media collection, and public computer access along with access to subscription databases and a genealogy collection. It is also a member of the Illinois Heartland Library System.[11]
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Highland had a population of 9,991. The median age was 40.0 years. 22.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 91.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 88.3 males age 18 and over.[13][14]
95.6% of residents lived in urban areas, while 4.4% lived in rural areas.[15]
There were 4,257 households in Highland, of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 46.6% were married-couple households, 16.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 29.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 32.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[13]
There were 4,542 housing units, of which 6.3% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.6%.[13]
| Race | Number | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| White | 9,305 | 93.1% |
| Black or African American | 43 | 0.4% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 24 | 0.2% |
| Asian | 101 | 1.0% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0 | 0.0% |
| Some other race | 42 | 0.4% |
| Two or more races | 476 | 4.8% |
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) | 184 | 1.8% |
2010 census
As of the census[16] of 2010, there were 9,919 people, 4,013 households, and 2,633 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,561.1 inhabitants per square mile (602.7/km2). There were 3,610 housing units at an average density of 667.9 per square mile (257.9/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 97.00% White, 0.2% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.4% of the population.
There were 4,013 households and 2,633 families. 50.3% of the families have children 18 years old or younger. There are 2,017 husband-wife families. 29.5% of all the households were made up of one individual and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.8% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 23% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.8 years. Of the total population 4,714 are males and 5,205 are females.
The median income for a household in the city was $39,524, and the median income for a family was $52,240. Males had a median income of $36,536 versus $25,620 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,101. About 3.6% of families and 6.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.9% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over.
Mentions in popular media
Highland is the setting for the first song on the Illinois album by Sufjan Stevens, titled 'Concerning the UFO sighting near Highland, Illinois', in which Stevens mentions a 21st-century UFO sighting by the owner of the local mini-golf course.[17][18]
Highland was also mentioned on The Daily Show on February 9, 2006. A report mentioned local pharmacist and state legislator Ron Stephens, who protested an executive order by Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich requiring a pharmacist to fill emergency contraception prescriptions.[19]
Notable people
- Geoff Hartlieb, pitcher for the Miami Marlins; attended Highland High School
- James Head, mixed martial artist in the Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Steve Hug, member of the 1972 Olympic team in gymnastics
- Arlo U. Landolt, astronomer
- Sam LaPorta, football player for the Detroit Lions
- Ken Oberkfell, third baseman with six teams; World Series champion (1982); born in Highland
- Jake Odorizzi, Major League Baseball pitcher; previously played for Highland High School
- Harry Parker, pitcher for various teams; born in Highland
- Aaron Rakers, relief pitcher for two teams; born in Highland
