O'Fallon, Illinois Facts for Kids

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O'Fallon, Illinois

The Illinois Central Railroad Downtown Caboose

Flag	Seal

Nickname(s):

"O-Town"

Location of O'Fallon in St. Clair County, Illinois.

Township

O'Fallon

Government

• Type

Home rule

Area

• Total

15.71 sq mi (40.67 km²)

• Land

15.59 sq mi (40.39 km²)

• Water

0.11 sq mi (0.29 km²)

Elevation

541 ft (165 m)

Population

(2020)

• Total

32,289

• Density

2,070.60/sq mi (799.48/km²)

Time zone

UTC−6 (CST)

• Summer (DST)

UTC−5 (CDT)

ZIP code(s)

62269

Area code(s)

618

FIPS code

17-55249

GNIS feature ID

2395302

Wikimedia Commons

O'Fallon, Illinois

O'Fallon is a city in St. Clair County, Illinois, United States. The 2020 census listed the population at 32,289. The city is the second largest city in the Metro East region of the St. Louis metropolitan area and Southern Illinois. It sits 5 miles (8.0 km) from Scott Air Force Base and 18 miles (29 km) from Downtown St. Louis.

Like its namesake in St. Charles County, Missouri, O'Fallon is part of the St. Louis metro area. This makes O'Fallon (along with the two Troys in Illinois and Missouri) one of the few pairs of like-named municipalities to be part of the same metro region.

History
- Events
Geography
Demographics
Annual events
Parks and recreation
Schools
Notable people
Gallery
See also

History

O'Fallon, 1938

Founded in 1854, O'Fallon's namesake comes from Colonel John O'Fallon who was a wealthy gentleman from St. Louis. In downtown O'Fallon, a Baltimore and Ohio Railroad railroad depot was built, which helped put O'Fallon on the map. City lots were platted and sold at a public auction on May 18, 1854. A post office was established the following year and the city began attracting German settlers looking for fertile farming land. On January 27, 1874, O'Fallon was incorporated as a village. On March 14, 1905, the citizens voted for a change to the city form of government. Since its founding, O'Fallon has gained population every decennial census year except 1930, when the census showed a net loss of six residents.

Tornado damage, 2006

The city center is approximately two miles east of the intersection of Interstate 64 and U.S. Route 50. Suburban growth in O'Fallon expanded considerably during the 1980s and following the expansion of Interstate 64 in the 1990s. Subdivisions include Thornbury Hill, Nolin Creek Estates, Fairwood Hills, Deer Creek, Forest Hills, and Fairwood East. O'Fallon Township High School's main campus at 600 South Smiley Street has undergone numerous additions over the past decades to ease overcrowding, including the creation of the separate 9th Grade Milburn Campus.

O'Fallon's city seal was designed in 1974 by Michael Donovan, an OTHS freshman, during a contest held by the O'Fallon Junior Woman's Club to create a city flag. In May 1975, the design was finalized by Louis Bradshaw and was then adopted by the city as its official flag. According to the 2004 publication by the O'Fallon Historical Society, O'Fallon Sesquicentennial History:

"The design is yellow gold on a blue background—the colors of the high school. The pick and shovel represent the coal mines that were so important to O'Fallon's economy for over 100 years. The locomotive represents the railroad to which O'Fallon owes its existence. The planes represent Scott Air Force Base where many in O'Fallon find employment—both military and civil service."

Events

Tornado outbreak of April 2, 2006

Geography

O'Fallon is located at 38°35′N 89°54′W / 38.583°N 89.900°W / 38.583; -89.900 (38.591549, −89.912000). O'Fallon is:

5 mi (8.0 km) from Scott Air Force Base
10 mi (16 km) from McKendree University
and 17 mi (27 km) from St. Louis, Missouri

According to the 2010 census, the city has a total area of 14.48 square miles (37.5 km²), of which 14.35 square miles (37.2 km²) (or 99.10%) is land and 0.12 square miles (0.31 km²) (or 0.83%) is water.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1870	1,117	—
1880	921	−17.5%
1890	865	−6.1%
1900	1,267	46.5%
1910	2,018	59.3%
1920	2,379	17.9%
1930	2,373	−0.3%
1940	2,407	1.4%
1950	3,022	25.6%
1960	4,018	33.0%
1970	7,268	80.9%
1980	12,173	67.5%
1990	16,073	32.0%
2000	21,910	36.3%
2010	28,281	29.1%
2020	32,289	14.2%
U.S. Decennial Census 2018 Estimate

As of the census of 2020, there were 32,289 people, 12,093 households, and 7,114 families living in the city. The population density was 2,959/sq mi (1,142/km²). There were 13,225 housing units at an average density of 1,158/sq mi (447/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 70.59% White, 16.38% African American, 0.22% Native American, 2.75% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 1.44% from other races, and 8.52% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.49% of the population.

Of the 12,093 households, 39.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.8% were married couples living together, 23.8% had a female householder with no spouse/partner present, and 13.3% had a male householder with no spouse/partner present. 23.1% of households were made up of individuals and 51.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.10.

The city’s age distribution consisted of 28.2% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 37.6% from 15 to 44, 12.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% 65 or older. The median age was 37.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.1 males.

The median household income was $102,560 and the median family income was $123,695. The per capita income for the city was $51,826. About 4.2% of families and 3.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.5% of those under age 18 and 3.1% of those age 65 or over.

Annual events

May - Memorial Day To Honor Those Who Gave their lives in service of the nation (O'Fallon Veterans Monument)
November – Veterans Day Celebration at O'Fallon Veterans Monument; Veterans Day Parade - largest in the area
November, the Saturday after Thanksgiving - Lighted Holiday Parade

Parks and recreation

Rock Springs Nature Park

Public Library

O'Fallon Parks and Recreation

Family Sports Park
Hesse Park
Katy Cavin's Community Center
O'Fallon Community Park
O'Fallon Memorial Pool
Rock Springs Nature Park
- Nature center
- Jogging/cycling paths
- Nature trails
- Natural prairie
- Dog Park
MCT Goshen Trailhead
St. Clair Recreation Complex
St. Ellen Mine Park
Thoman Park
Veteran's Monument

Library

O'Fallon Public Library

Registered historic places

Scott Field Historic District

Schools

Delores Moye School

O'Fallon Community Consolidated School District #90
- Delores Moye Elementary School
- Estelle Kampmeyer Elementary School
- J. E. Hinchcliffe Sr. Elementary School
- Laverna Evans Elementary School
- Marie Schaefer Elementary School
- Amelia V. Carriel Junior High School
- Edward A. Fulton Junior High School
O'Fallon Central School District #104
O'Fallon Township High School District No. 203
- O'Fallon Township High School

Private schools

Discovery School
St. Clare Catholic School
First Baptist Academy

Notable people

Bob Cryder, professional football player
Bernie Fuchs, illustrator
William Holden, Academy Award-winning actor
Joseph W. Schmitt, spacesuit technician for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration