West City, Illinois facts for kids

Quick facts for kids West City, Illinois
Village
Location of West City in Franklin County, Illinois.
Location of Illinois in the United States
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Franklin
Township	Browning
Area
• Total	1.63 sq mi (4.21 km2)
• Land	1.61 sq mi (4.16 km2)
• Water	0.02 sq mi (0.04 km2)
Elevation	440 ft (130 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	656
• Density	407.96/sq mi (157.52/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP Code(s)	62812
Area code(s)	618
FIPS code	17-80073
GNIS feature ID	420808
Wikimedia Commons	West City, Illinois

West City is a small village located in Franklin County, Illinois. It is right next to Benton, which is the main town of the county. In 2020, about 656 people lived in West City.

West City's Story

How West City Began

In the late 1800s, West City was a small community next to Benton. In the early 1900s, many people came from countries like Poland, Lithuania, and England. They moved to the West City area to work in the many coal mines there.

On March 29, 1911, 33 citizens, led by John Mulkey, asked the Franklin County Court to make West City an official village. At that time, about 350 people lived there. An election was held on April 15, 1911. Six trustees were chosen to help run the village.

On June 1, 1911, a judge officially declared West City to be a legally organized village.

Changes Over Time

In the 1920s, when a law called the Volstead Act was passed, West City became known for certain activities. Joseph A. Adams was elected mayor in April 1923. He worked with one group, which led to conflicts with another group.

On December 12, 1926, Mayor Adams was shot. The sheriff investigated and arrested Charlie Birger for being involved in the mayor's death. Birger was found responsible for ordering the killing. He was executed in Benton on April 19, 1928. This was the last public execution in Illinois. A copy of the gallows (the structure used for hangings) was built later and stands near the old Franklin County Jail, which is now a museum.

After these events and when the Volstead Act was ended in 1933, West City focused on legal businesses. During the 1940s and 1950s, local taverns and nightclubs became very successful.

Community and Education

Even with its past, churches were built in West City. Prospect Church, later called First Baptist, was the first organized church. Later, Trinity Baptist and Harmony Freewill Baptist churches were also started. Trinity Baptist is no longer active today.

At one point, West City had three schools: Old Jordon, Washington School, and New Jordon School. New Jordon School was located across from where the West City Village Hall is now.

On December 21, 1951, a sad event happened. 119 coal miners died in an underground explosion at the C.W. & F. Orient #2 coal mine in West Frankfort. West City and all of Franklin County remembered this tragedy.

Modern Developments

In 1963, Interstate 57 was built, which went right through the middle of West City. Work began in 1964, and it took almost 10 years to finish the highway.

Because of I-57, a shopping area called Rend Lake Plaza was started in 1978. Stores like Wal-Mart and Big John's Supermarket opened in 1979. Many restaurants and other businesses soon followed, bringing more activity to the village.

In 1978, a new Village Hall was built. West City also made its police department, street and water department, and volunteer fire department bigger.

Today, the mayor (who is also the president of the board) of West City is Charles Cockrum. He was elected in April 2009. The board of trustees helps the mayor run the village. The current trustees are Dale Watkins, Ron House, Linda Sullivan, Darren Romani, Curtis Baldwin, and Max Summers.

Where is West City?

West City is located at 37°59′40″N 88°56′30″W / 37.99444°N 88.94167°W / 37.99444; -88.94167. It shares borders with the city of Benton to the east and north. Interstate 57 runs through the center of West City. You can get to West City from Exit 71 on I-57. This highway goes north about 23 miles (37 km) to Mount Vernon and south about 20 miles (32 km) to Marion.

According to information from 2010, West City covers a total area of about 1.627 square miles (4.21 km²). Most of this area, about 1.61 square miles (4.17 km²), is land. A small part, about 0.017 square miles (0.04 km²), is water.

People of West City

As of the 2020 census, there were 656 people living in West City. These people lived in 250 households, and 137 of these were families. The village had about 403.69 people per square mile. There were 326 homes in total.

Most of the people in the village, about 87.96%, identified as White. Other groups included 1.22% African American, 0.76% Native American, and 1.07% Asian. About 1.07% were from other backgrounds, and 7.93% were from two or more backgrounds. People of Hispanic or Latino heritage made up 3.35% of the population.

In the 250 households, 28.0% had children under 18 living with them. About 31.60% were married couples. About 19.60% were households led by a woman without a husband present. And 45.20% were not families. Many households, 37.20%, were made up of single individuals. About 20.40% of households had someone aged 65 or older living alone.

The average household had 3.35 people, and the average family had 2.46 people.

The age breakdown of the village was:

• 29.1% were under 18 years old.
• 7.0% were from 18 to 24 years old.
• 23.8% were from 25 to 44 years old.
• 23.9% were from 45 to 64 years old.
• 16.3% were 65 years or older.

The average age in West City was 34.0 years. For every 100 females, there were about 112.1 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were about 96.4 males.

The average income for a household in the village was $37,813. For families, the average income was $50,313. The average income per person in the village was $20,148. About 24.8% of families and 29.9% of all people lived below the poverty line. This included 48.6% of those under 18 and 7.0% of those aged 65 or over.

See also

In Spanish: West City (Illinois) para niños