Springfield, Illinois

Springfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 116,482 (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2006). Over 200,000 residents live in the Springfield Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Sangamon County and adjacent Menard County. Present day Springfield was first settled in the late 1810s, around the time Illinois became a state. One of the city's most important and prominent past residents is Abraham Lincoln, who moved from Indiana to the area in 1831 and lived in Springfield itself from 1837 until 1861. In 1908 a large race riot erupted in the city which culminated with the lynching of two African American residents and led to the founding of the NAACP. The event cast a negative shadow over the town's image.

Major tourist attractions include a multitude of historic sites connected with Abraham Lincoln, who lived here from 1837 until he went to theWhite House in 1861.

The city lies on a mostly flat plain which encompasses much of the surrounding countryside. There is more hilly terrain near the Sangamon River. Lake Springfield, a large man-made lake, owned by a local public utility company, supplies the city with recreation and drinking water. Weather is fairly typical for middle latitude location, with hot summers and cold winters. Spring and summer weather is like that of most midwestern cities-severe thunderstorms are common. On March 12, 2006 two tornadoes touched down in the city, and caused extensive damage. They were the first to hit the city since June 14, 1957.

The city is governed by a mayor-council form of government. The city proper is also the "Capital Township" governmental entity. In addition, the government of the state of Illinois is also based in Springfield. State government entities located in the city include the Illinois General Assembly, the Illinois Supreme Court and the Office of the Governor of Illinois. There are three public and one private high schools in Springfield. Public schools in Springfield are operated by District No. 186. The economy of Springfield is marked by government jobs, which account for a large percentage of the work force in the city.

History

Springfield's original name was Calhoun, after Senator John C. Calhoun of South Carolina. The land that Springfield now occupies was originally settled by trappers and traders who came to the Sangamon River in 1818. The settlement's first cabin was built in 1820, by John Kelly, its site is at the northwest corner of Second Street and Jefferson Street. In 1821, Calhoun became the county seat of Sangamon County; due to the fertile soil, and trading opportunities, settlers from Kentucky, Virginia, and as far as North Carolina came to the city. By 1832, Senator Calhoun had fallen out of the favor with the public and the town was renamed Springfield. By 1839, Springfield became the capital for the state of Illinois, moving it from Vandalia. The designation was largely due to the efforts of Abraham Lincoln and his associates; nicknamed the "Long Nine" for their combined height of 54 feet (16 m).

Lincoln

Lincoln and politics

Lincoln arrived in the Springfield area in 1831, though he would not actually live in the city until 1837. He spent the ensuing six years in New Salem where he began his legal studies, joined the state militia and was elected to the Illinois General Assembly. In 1837 Lincoln moved to Springfield and spent the next 24 years as a lawyer and politician; his Farewell speech when he left for Washington is a classic in American oratory.

Winkle (1998) examines the historiography concerning the development of the Second Party System (Whigs versus Democrats) and applies these ideas to the study of Springfield, a strong Whig enclave in a Democratic region, mainly by studying poll books for presidential years. The rise of the Whig Party took place in 1836 in opposition to the presidential candidacy of Martin Van Buren and was consolidated in 1840. Springfield Whigs tend to validate several expectations of party characteristics as they were largely native-born, either in New England or Kentucky, professional or agricultural in occupation, and devoted to partisan organization. Abraham Lincoln's career mirrors the Whigs' political rise, but by the 1840s Springfield began to fall into Democrat hands, as immigrants changed the city's political makeup. By the 1860 presidential election, Lincoln was barely able to win his home city.

Population

Winkle (1992) examines the impact of migration on political participation in Springfield during the 1850s. Widespread migration in the 19th-century United States produced frequent population turnover within Midwestern communities, which influenced patterns of voter turnout and office-holding. Examination of the manuscript census, poll books, and office-holding records reveals the impact of migration on the behavior of 8,000 participants in 10 elections in Springfield. Most voters were short-term residents who participated in only one or two elections during the 1850s, and fewer than 1% of all voters participated in all 10 elections. Instead of producing political instability, however, rapid turnover enhanced the influence of more persistent residents. Migration was selective by age, occupation, wealth, and birthplace. Therefore, more persistent voters were wealthier, more highly skilled, more often native-born, and socially more stable than nonpersisters. Officeholders were particularly persistent and socially and economically advantaged. Persisters represented a small "core community" of economically successful, socially homogeneous, and politically active voters and officeholders who controlled local political affairs while most residents moved in and out of the city. Members of a tightly knit and exclusive "core community," exemplified by Abraham Lincoln, blunted the potentially disruptive impact of migration on local communities.

Business

The business career of John Williams illustrates the important role of the merchant banker in the economic development of central Illinois before the Civil War. Williams began his career as a clerk in frontier stores and saved to begin his own business. Later, in addition to operating retail and wholesale stores, he acted as a local banker and then organized a national bank in Springfield. He was active in railroad promotion and as an agent for farm machinery.

Religion

During the mid-19th century the spiritual needs of German Lutherans in the Midwest were not being tended. As a result of the efforts of such missionaries as Friedrich Wynecken, Wilhelm Loehe, and Wilhelm Sihler, this situation was remedied by the deployment of additional Lutheran ministers, the opening of Lutheran schools, and the creation in Ft. Wayne of the Concordia Seminary in 1846. The Seminary moved to St. Louis, Missouri, in 69, and its practical division moved to Springfield in 1874. Through this seminary, during the last half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th, the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod succeeded in serving the spiritual needs of Midwestern congregations by establishing additional seminaries, and by developing a viable synodical tradition.

Civil War to 1900

The American Civil War made Springfield a major center of activity. Illinois regiments trained there, the first ones under Ulysses S. Grant, who marched his soldiers to a remarkable series of victories in 1861-62. The city was a political and financial center of support, and new industries, businesses, and railroads were constructed to help support the war effort. The war's first official death was a Springfield resident, Colonel Elmer E. Ellsworth.

Camp Butler, seven miles (11 km) northeast of Springfield, Illinois, opened in August 1861 as a training camp for Illinois soldiers, but also served as a camp for Confederate prisoners of war through 1865. In the beginning, Springfield residents visited the camp to experience the excitement of a military venture, but many reacted sympathetically to the mortally wounded and ill prisoners. While the city's businesses prospered from camp traffic, drunken behavior and rowdiness on the part of the soldiers stationed there strained relations as neither civil nor military authorities proved able to control disorderly outbreaks.

After the war ended in 1865, Springfield became a major hub in the Illinois railroad system and besides politics and farming, coal mining was a major industry for Springfield by 1900.

20th century

Utopia

Local poet Vachel Lindsay's notions of utopia were expressed in his only novel, The Golden Book of Springfield (1920), which draws on ideas of anarchistic socialism in projecting the progress of Lindsay's hometown toward utopia.

The Dana-Thomas House is a Frank Lloyd Wright creation built in 1902-03. Wright began work on the house in 1902. Commissioned by local patron of the arts and public benefactor Susan Lawrence Dana, Wright's architecture harmonized with the owner's devotion to the performance of music. Coordinating art glass designs for 250 windows, doors, and panels as well as over 200 light fixtures, Wright enlisted Oak Park artisans. The house is a radical departure from Victorian architectural traditions and is the only historic site in Illinois acquired exclusively because of its architectural merit. Covering 12,000 square feet (1,100 m²), the house contained vaulted ceilings and 16 major spaces. As the nation was changing, so Wright intended this structure to reflect the changes. Creating an organic and natural atmosphere, Wright saw himself as an "architect of democracy" and intended his work to be a monument to America's social landscape. It was opened to the public in September 1990, tours are available, 9AM-4PM Wednesdays through Sundays.

Dystopia

Sparked by accusations of rape and assault of white women by black men in Springfield, and angered by the high degree of corruption in the city centered in black neighborhoods, the white citizenry rose up against blacks and rioting broke out in August 14-15, 1908. It was known as the Springfield Race Riot. Gangs of white youth attacked blacks in the inner city. The governor sent in 5000 militia and the riots ended after the two blacks were lynched and four whites killed by random gunfire. Springfield had a population 45,000 whites and 5,000 blacks, the latter concentrated in a downtown district. The riot involved whites attacking and burning out the black district and occurred in a period of relative economic and social stability. The city's black population was small and posed little threat to the material interests of the white community, but a major threat to "law and order" and the popular fear that corrupt criminals and politicians controlled the inner city. The rioters were largely native white American from the working-class who deliberately targeted successful blacks, who, they believed, threatened their status and identity. Black success in business and politics, attributed to corruption, violated whites' assumptions about moral standards and blacks' "proper place," and the riot was an effort to reinforce the boundaries of black subordination. Influential whites seldom rioted, but they, too, were intimately connected to the riot's origins, course, and the nature of its aftermath. Better-off whites saw the riots as a means to remove black deviants and "undesirables" from the city, while rioters intended to enforce the subordination (or expulsion) of all blacks. About 3000 blacks left the city, many permanently. 117 whites were indicted, but only one was convicted. Commentators across the country underscored the symbolic importance of a riot in Lincoln's hometown. Eastern blacks decided the long-time alliance with the Republican party was inadequate protection, and formed the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

21st century

On March 12, 2006, Two EF2 tornadoes hit the city, injuring 24 people, damaged hundreds of buildings, and caused $150 million in damages.

On February 10, 2007, President Barack Obama announced his presidential candidacy in Springfield, standing on the grounds of the Old State Capitol.. President Obama also used the Old State Capitol in Springfield as a backdrop when he announced Joe Biden as his running mate on August 23, 2008.

Geography

Hotel damaged by the 2006 Springfield tornadoes.

Springfield is located at 39.783250°N 89.650373°W / 39.783250; -89.650373.Template:GR The city is at an elevation of 586 feet (178.6 m) above sea level. Within the Central section of Illinois,Springfield is 90 miles NE of the Greater St. Louis metropolitan area. The Champaign/Urbana area is to the east, Peoria, Illinois is to the North, and Bloomington/Normal is to the Northeast.

Topography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 60.3 square miles (156.2 km²), of which, 54.0 square miles (139.9 km²) of it is land and 6.3 square miles (16.3 km²) of it (10.46%) is water. The city is located in the Lower Illinois River Basin, in a large area known as Till Plain. Sangamon County, and the city of Springfield, are in the Springfield Plain subsection of Till Plain. The Plain is a result of glacial drift, known as the Illinoian drift, because of its large exposure over areas of Illinois.

The majority of the Lower Illinois River Basin is very flat, with relief extending no more than 20 ft. in most areas, including the Springfield subsection of the plain. The differences in topography are based on the age of drift. The Springfield and Galesburg Plain subsections represent the oldest drift, Illinoian, while Wisconsinian drift resulted in end moraines on the Bloomington Ridged Plain subsection of Till Plain.

Lake Springfield is a 4,200 acre (1700 ha) man-made reservoir owned by City Water, Light & Power, the largest municipally owned utility in Illinois. It was built and filled in 1935. The lake is used primarily as a source for drinking water for the city of Springfield, but it also provides cooling water for the condensers at the power plant located on the lake. It attracts approximately 600,000 visitors annually and its 57 miles (92 km) of shoreline is home to over 700 lakeside residences and eight public parks.

Water levels in the lake are measured from mean sea level. The term "full pool" describes the lake at 560 feet (170.7 m) above sea level and indicates the level at which the lake begins to flow over the dam's spillway, if no gates are opened. Normal lake levels are generally somewhere below full pool, depending upon the season. During the drought from 1953-1955 lake levels dropped to their historical low, 547.44 feet (166.9 m) above mean sea level. The highest recorded lake levels were in December 1982 when the lake crested at 564 feet (171.9 m).

Climate

Climate data for Springfield, IL
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Source: USTravelWeather.com [8]

Springfield has a humid continental climate (Koppen Dfa) and experiences typical middle latitude weather. Hot summers and cold winters are the norm. Illinois also experiences large numbers of tornadoes. From 1961 to 1990 the city of Springfield averaged 35.25 inches (89.3 cm) of precipitation per year. During that same period the average yearly temperature was 52.4 degrees Fahrenheit (11.3 °C), with a summer maximum of 76.5 degrees Fahrenheit (24.7 °C) in July and a winter minimum of 24.2 degrees Fahrenheit (-4.3 °C) in January.

From 1971-2000, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data showed that Springfield's average annual temperature increased to 62.4 degrees Fahrenheit (16.9 °C). During that period July temperatures, still the hottest month in Springfield on average, maxed out at 86.5 degrees Fahrenheit (30.3 °C) while January temperature increased slightly to an average of 33.1 degrees Fahrenheit (about 1 °C).

In 1957 a tornado hit Springfield, killing two people. On March 12, 2006, the city was struck by two F2 tornadoes. The storm system which brought the two tornadoes hit the city around 8:30pm; no one died as a result of the weather. Springfield received a federal grant in February 2005 to help improve its tornado warning systems and new sirens were put in place in November 2006 after eight of the sirens failed during an April 2006 test, shortly after the tornado hit. The cost of the new sirens totaled $983,000. Although tornadoes are not uncommon in central Illinois, the March 12 tornadoes were the first to hit the actual city since the 1957 storm. The 2006 tornados followed nearly identical paths to that of the 1957 tornado.

Cityscape

Springfield proper is greatly based on a grid street system, with numbered streets starting with the longitudinal First Street which leads to the Illinois State Capitol and leading to 32nd Street in the far eastern part of the city. Previously the city had four distinct boundary streets: North, South, East, and West Grand Avenues. Since expansion, West Grand Avenue became MacArthur Boulevard and East Grand became 19th Street on the north side and 18th Street on the south side. 18th Street has since been renamed after Martin Luther King Jr. North and South Grand Avenues (which run east–west) have remained important corridors in the city. At South Grand and Eleventh Street, the old "South Town District" lies, with the City of Springfield undertaking a huge redevelopment project there.

Latitudinal streets range from names of presidents in the downtown area to names of notable people in Springfield and Illinois to names of institutions of higher education, especially in the Harvard Park neighborhood.

Springfield has at least twenty separately designated neighborhoods, though not all are incorporated with associations. They include: Benedictine District, Bunn Park, the Cabbage Patch, Eastside, Enos Park, Glen Aire, Harvard Park, Hawthorne Place, Historic West Side, Laketown, Lincoln Park, Near South, Northgate, Oak Ridge, Shalom, Springfield Lakeshore, Twin Lakes, UIS Campus, Vinegar Hill, and Westchester neighborhoods.

The Lincoln Park Neighborhood is an area bordered by 3rd Street on its west, Black Avenue on the north, 8th street on the east and North Grand Avenue. The neighborhood is not far from Lincoln's Tomb on Monument Avenue.

Springfield also encompasses four different suburban villages that have their own municipal governments. They include Jerome, Leland Grove, Southern View and Grandview.

Culture

Abraham Lincoln was one of Springfield's most important residents.

Springfield has been home to a wide array of individuals, who, in one way or another, contributed to the broader American culture. Wandering poet Vachel Lindsay, most famous for his poem "The Congo" and a booklet called "Rhymes to be Traded for Bread", was born in Springfield in 1879. At least two notable people affiliated with American business and industry have called the Illinois state capital home at one time or another. Both John L. Lewis, a labor activist, and Marjorie Merriweather Post, the founder of the General Foods Corporation, lived in the city; Post in particular was a native of Springfield. In addition, astronomer Seth Barnes Nicholson was born in Springfield in 1891.

Literary Tradition

Springfield and the Sangamon Valley enjoy a lush literary tradition in Abraham Lincoln, Vachel Lindsay, Edgar Lee Masters, and John Knoepfle, among others. Heritage and legacy endure in the vibrant discourse community extant today in Illinois’ state capital, where four institutions of higher learning; a state-of-the-art, world-class library and museum; Quiddity, the first international literary journal and public-radio program; and a solid society of artistic interests each coalesce to produce a region steeped in the pursuit of the very arts and letters that produce wellsprings for a life rich in meaning, learning, and public service.

Performing arts

The Hoogland Center for the Arts in downtown Springfield is a centerpiece for performing arts, and houses among other organizations the Springfield Theatre Centre, the Springfield Ballet Company and the Springfield Municipal Opera, also known as The Muni, which stages community theatre productions of Broadway musicals outdoors each summer. A few films have been created or had elements of them created in Springfield. Legally Blonde 2 was filmed in Springfield in 2003. Musicians Artie Matthews and Morris Day both once called Springfield home. Other performing arts such as music and ballet are also common in Springfield.

Tourism

The Springfield Maid-Rite Sandwich Shop, showing drive-thru window.

Springfield has long had an affiliation with food. The corn dog on a stick is claimed to have been invented in the city under the name “Cozy Dog,” although there is some debate to the actual origin of the popular snack. The horseshoe sandwich, not well-known outside of central Illinois, also originated in Springfield. Springfield was also once home to the Reisch Beer brewery.

Lincoln's Tomb.

The alleged first U.S. drive-thru window is still in operation in Springfield at the Maid-Rite Sandwich Shop. The city is also known for its chili, or “chilli”, as it is known in many chili shops throughout Sangamon County. The unique spelling is said to have begun with the founder of the Dew Chilli Parlor in 1909, due to a spelling error in the chili parlor’s sign. Another interpretation is that the misspelling represented the “Ill” in the word Illinois. In 1993 the Illinois state legislature adopted a resolution proclaiming Springfield the “Chilli Capital of the Civilized World.”

The city of Springfield is dotted with sites centered around U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, who started his political career in Springfield. These include: the Lincoln Home National Historic Site, a National Historical Park that includes the preserved surrounding neighborhood, the Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices State Historic Site, the Lincoln Tomb State Historic Site, the Old State Capitol State Historic Site, the Lincoln Depot from which Abraham Lincoln departed Springfield to be inaugurated in Washington D.C., and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. Near the village of Petersburg, is New Salem State Park, a restored hamlet of log cabins, recreating the town where Lincoln lived as a young man. With the opening of the Presidential Library and Museum in 2004, the city has seen a number of prominent visitors, including President George W. Bush and the Emir of Qatar.

Old State Capitol State Historic Site.

The Donner Party, a group of pioneers who resorted to cannibalism while snowbound in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, began their journey in Springfield. Springfield's Dana-Thomas House is among the best preserved and most complete of Frank Lloyd Wright's early "Prairie" houses. It was built in 1902-1904 and has many of the furnishings Wright designed for it. Springfield's Washington Park is home to Thomas Rees Memorial Carillon and the site of an annual carillon festival, held since 1962. In August, the city is the site of the Illinois State Fair.

Although not born in Springfield, Abraham Lincoln is the city's most famous resident. He lived there for 24 years. The only home he ever owned is open to the public, seven days a week, free of charge, and operated by the National Park Service.

Sports

Historically, Springfield has been home to a number of minor league baseball franchises, the last club leaving the city after 2001. The city was the home of the Springfield Stallions, an indoor football team who played at the Prairie Capital Convention Center in 2007. Today, the city is host to the Springfield Junior Blues, a North American Hockey League team that plays at the Nelson Recreation Center.

The city has produced several notable professional sports talents. Current and former Major League Baseball players, Kevin Seitzer, Jeff Fassero, Ryan O'Malley, Jason and Justin Knoedler, and Hall of Famer Robin Roberts were all born in Springfield. Former MLB player Dick "Ducky" Schofield is currently an elected official in Springfield, and his son Dick Schofield also played in the Major Leagues, as does Ducky's grandson, Jayson Werth. Ducky, Dick, and Jayson were all born in Springfield. Ducky's daughter (and Jayson's mother) Kim Schofield Werth, also from Springfield, is a track star who competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials. National Basketball Association players Dave Robisch, Kevin Gamble, and Andre Iguodala are also all from the city. Former NFL wide receiver, Otto Stowe, was a 1967 graduate of the now defunct Feitshans High School.

Media

The State Journal-Register is the primary daily newspaper for Springfield, and its surrounding area. The newspaper was originally founded in 1831 as the Sangamon Journal, and claims to be "the oldest newspaper in Illinois." The local alternative weekly is the Illinois Times. There are four TV channels which include WCFN MYTV 49, WICS ABC 20, WRSP FOX 55, and WSEC PBS 14. There are several radio stations based in Springfield, including WUIS 91.9 FM, WXAJ 99.7 FM, WCVS 96.7 FM WMAY 970 AM, WNNS 98.7 FM, WQLZ 92.7 FM, WTAX 1240 AM/107.5 FM, WDBR 103.7 FM, WABZ 93.9 FM, WYMG 100.5 FM, WQQL 101.9 FM, WLCE 97.7 FM, WFMB 1450 AM, and WFMB-FM 104.5 FM. One television station that has since ceased to exist was WJJY-TV, which operated in the Springfield area for three years (1969-1971).

Springfield is also served by an NBC affiliate in Decatur (WAND-TV) and a CBS affiliate in Champaign (WCIA).

Springfield also has an online website, Springfield Reader, that serves the community as well.

Economy

Many of the jobs in the city center around state government, headquartered in Springfield. As of 2002, the State of Illinois is both the city and county's largest employer, employing 17,000 people across Sangamon County. As of February 2007, government jobs, including local, state and county, account for about 30,000 of the city's non-agricultural jobs. Trade, transportation and utilities, and the health care industries each provide between 17,000 and 18,000 jobs to the city. The largest private sector employer in 2002 was Memorial Health Systems. 3,400 people worked for that company. According to estimates from the "Living Wage Calculator", maintained by Pennsylvania State University, the living wage for the city of Springfield is $6.50 per hour for one adult, approximately $13,000 working 2,000 hours per year. For a family of four costs are increased and the living wage is $19.49 per hour within the city. According to the United States Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) the Civilian Labor force dropped from 116,500 in September 2006 to 113,400 in February 2007. In addition, the unemployment rate rose during the same time period from 3.8% to 5.1%.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1840	2,579		—
1850	4,533		75.8%
1860	9,320		105.6%
1870	17,364		86.3%
1880	19,743		13.7%
1890	24,963		26.4%
1900	34,159		36.8%
1910	51,678		51.3%
1920	59,183		14.5%
1930	71,864		21.4%
1940	75,503		5.1%
1950	81,628		8.1%
1960	83,271		2.0%
1970	91,753		10.2%
1980	99,637		8.6%
1990	105,227		5.6%
2000	111,454		5.9%
Decennial US Census

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 111,454 people, 48,621 households, and 27,957 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,063.9 people per square mile (796.9/km²). There were 53,733 housing units at an average density of 995.0/sq mi (384.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 81.01% White, 15.34% African American, 0.21% Native American, 1.45% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.47% from other races, and 1.49% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.20% of the population.

There were 48,621 households out of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.1% were married couples living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.5% were non-families. 36.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the city the population was spread out with 28.0% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 88.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $39,388, and the median income for a family was $51,298. Families with children had a higher income of about $69,437. Males had a median income of $36,864 versus $28,867 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,324. About 8.4% of families and 11.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.3% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.

Law and government

See also: List of Springfield city departments; Sister cities of Springfield; and List of mayors of Springfield, Illinois

Springfield city government is structured under the mayor-council form of government. It is the strong mayor variation of that type of municipal government, the mayor holds executive authority, including veto power, in Springfield. The executive branch also consists of 17 non-elected city "offices." Ranging from the police department to the Office of Public Works, each office can be altered through city ordinance.

Elected officials in the city, mayor, aldermen, clerk, and treasurer, serve four year terms. The elections are not staggered. The council members are elected from ten districts throughout the city while the mayor, city clerk and city treasurer are elected on an at-large basis. The council, as a body, consists of the ten aldermen and the mayor, though the mayor is generally a non-voting member who only participates in the discussion. There are a few instances where the mayor does vote on ordinances or resolutions: if there is a tie vote, if more than half of the aldermen support the motion, whether there is a tie or not, and where a vote greater than the majority is required by the municipal code.

As the state capital Springfield is home to the three branches of Illinois government. Much like the United States federal government, Illinois government has an executive branch, occupied by the state governor, a legislative branch, which consists of the state senate and house, and a judicial branch, which is topped by the Illinois Supreme Court. The Illinois legislative branch is collectively known as the Illinois General Assembly.

Township

File:Capital Township Sangamon.PNG

Outline of the Township area and the City of Springfield in Sangamon County.

The Capital Township formed from Springfield Township on July 1, 1877, and was established and named by the Sangamon County Board on March 6, 1878, and the limits of the township and City of Springfield were made co-extensive on February 17, 1892 to better serve the people. There are three functions of this township: assessing property, collection first property tax payment, and assisting residents that live in the township. One thing that makes the Capital township unique is that the township never has to raise taxes for road work, since the roads are maintained by the Springfield Department of Public Works.

Education

Springfield is home to at least eight public and private high schools. The public school district is District No. 186. The city is also home to two community colleges as well as the Springfield campus of the University of Illinois, which is located on the southeast side of the city. The city is home to the Springfield campus of the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, which is in the early stages of building a Cancer Institute in Springfield's Medical District. There are also two junior colleges located in Springfield, Springfield College, and Lincoln Land Community College. Due to an agreement of partnership with Springfield College in 2003, Benedictine University also has a presence in Springfield.

Springfield Public School District 186 operates 24 elementary schools and an early learning center, (pre-K), in the city of Springfield. The district operates three high schools, Lanphier High School, Springfield High School and Springfield Southeast High School, and five middle schools.

Springfield's Sacred Heart-Griffin High School is a city Catholic high school. Other area high schools include Calvary Academy and Lutheran High School.

Infrastructure

Health systems

There are two Springfield hospitals, Springfield Memorial Medical Center and St. John's Hospital. A third hospital, named Doctor's Hospital operated on Springfield's south side until 1999.

St. John's Hospital is home to the Prairie Heart Institute, which performs more cardiovascular procedures than any other hospital in Illinois. The dominant health care provider in the area is Springfield Clinic. The major medical education concern in the area is the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine– located in Springfield.

Parks

The Springfield Park District operates more than 30 parks throughout the city. The two best-known are Carpenter Park, an Illinois Nature Preserve on the banks of the Sangamon River, and Washington Park and Botanical Garden on the city's southwest side and adjacent to some of Springfield's most beautiful and architecturally interesting homes. As well as Lincoln Park, located next to Oak Ridge Cemetery where President Lincoln's tomb is located. Centennial Park, which rests on the outskirts of Springfield's southwest limits, holds the city's only public skateboard rink, as well as several ball fields, tennis courts, and a manmade hill for cardio exercises and sledding in winter months.

Public utilities

The owner of Lake Springfield, City Water, Light & Power, supplies electric power generated from the Lakeside and Dallman Power Plants for the city of Springfield and eight surrounding communities, the company also provides the cities and towns with water from the lake. In 2005, ground was broken for a third municipally owned power plant.Natural gas is provided via AmerenCILCO, formerly Central Illinois Light Company (CILCO).

Transportation

Interstate 55 runs from north to south past Springfield, while I-72, also known as US 36, runs from east to west. Springfield is also served by Amtrak passenger trains, which operate between Chicago and St. Louis and stop at the former Gulf, Mobile & Ohio station. Local mass transportation needs are met by a bus service. The Springfield Mass Transit District (SMTD) operates Springfield's bus system. The city also lies along historic Route 66.

Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport serves the capital city with air service to Chicago/O'Hare, Chicago/Midway,Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, and Dulles/Washington, D.C..

Springfield and the surrounding metropolitan area has constructed bike trails and bike lanes on a number of streets. Currently three main trails exist, with several more proposed, including the Sangamon Valley Trail spanning north to south through the west central part of Sangamon County. Expansions on the existing trails are in the works. Two significant paved trails, the Interurban Trail and the Lost Bridge Trail, serve Springfield and its suburbs of Chatham, Illinois and Rochester, Illinois. The other trail is the Wabash Trail, spanning from the northern end of the Interurban Trail and traveling westward toward Parkway Pointe, a regional shopping destination.

Sister Cities

Springfield, Illinois, USA has four sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International, they include the following places:

• Villach (Austria)
• Killarney (Ireland)
• San Pedro (Mexico)
• Ashikaga (Japan)

Further reading

• Angle, Paul M. "Here I have lived": A history of Lincoln's Springfield, 1821-1865 (1935, 1971)
• Crouthamel, James L. "The Springfield Race Riot of 1908." Journal of Negro History 1960 45(3): 164-181. Issn: 0022-2992 in Jstor
• Harrison, Shelby Millard, ed. The Springfield Survey: Study of Social Conditions in an American City (1920), famous sociological study of the city vol 3 online
• Laine, Christian K. Landmark Springfield: Architecture and Urbanism in the Capital City of Illinois. Chicago: Metropolitan, 1985. 111 pp.
• Lindsay, Vachel. The Golden Book of Springfield (1920), a novel excerpt and text searc
• Senechal, Roberta. The Sociogenesis of a Race Riot: Springfield, Illinois, in 1908. 1990. 231 pp.
• VanMeter, Andy. "Always My Friend: A History of the State Journal-Register and Springfield." Springfield, Ill.: Copley, 1981. 360 pp. history of the daily newspapers
• Wallace, Christopher Elliott. "The Opportunity to Grow: Springfield, Illinois during the 1850s." PhD dissertation Purdue U. 1983. 247 pp. DAI 1984 44(9): 2864-A. DA8400427 Fulltext: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses
• Winkle, Kenneth J. "The Second Party System in Lincoln's Springfield." Civil War History 1998 44(4): 267-284. Issn: 0009-8078

Primary sources

• Chicago Commission on Race Relations. Negro in Chicago (1919), section on Springfield Riot, pp 66–71 complete edition online
• History of Sangamon County, Illinois (1881)

See also

• Abraham Lincoln Memorial Garden
• Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
• Camp Butler National Cemetery
• Executive Mansion
• Illinois State Capitol
• Illinois State Fair
• Lincoln Home National Historic Site
• Lincoln Tomb
• USS Springfield
• USS Springfield (SSN-761)

External links

• City of Springfield
• Illinois General Assembly
• Template:Wikitravel
• Springfield, Illinois at Curlie