Christopher is a city in Franklin County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,382 at the time of the 2010 census.
Christopher | |
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City | |
![]() Market Street | |
![]() Location of Christopher in Franklin County, Illinois. | |
![]() ![]() Christopher ![]() ![]() Christopher | |
Coordinates: 37°58′20″N 89°3′10″W | |
Country | United States |
State | Illinois |
County | Franklin |
Government | |
• Mayor | Gary Bartolotti |
Area | |
• Total | 1.64 sq mi (4.24 km2) |
• Land | 1.62 sq mi (4.20 km2) |
• Water | 0.01 sq mi (0.04 km2) |
Elevation | 440 ft (130 m) |
Population (2020) | |
• Total | 2,697 |
• Density | 1,662.76/sq mi (642.13/km2) |
Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
ZIP Code(s) | 62822 |
Area code | 618 |
FIPS code | 17-40052 |
GNIS feature ID | 406104[2] |
Wikimedia Commons | Christopher, Illinois |
Website | http://www.cityofchristopher.org/ |
Christopher was founded in 1879 as a railroad stop, and named for Christopher Harrison, a grandson of prominent early settler Isham Harrison. A post office opened the following year. The community voted to become a village in 1903, and a city in 1910.[3]
In 1906, the United Coal Mining Company No. 1 mine opened near Christopher. An explosion at the mine killed eight men on July 27, 1915.[4] The mine was sold to the Old Ben Coal Corporation, and renamed Old Ben Coal Mine No. 1 in 1916. The mine closed in 1929.[5]
On November 29, 1917, an explosion at Old Ben Coal Corporation's Mine No. 11 killed 17 men.[6][7][8]
On March 22, 1918, five men who were accused of being "pro-German" became victims of a mob numbering more than 300 people. They were:[9]
Christopher is located 20 miles northeast of Carbondale, Illinois at 37°58′20″N 89°3′10″W (37.972099, -89.052911).[12]
According to the 2010 census, the city has a total area of 1.58 square miles (4.1 km2), of which 1.58 square miles (4.1 km2) (or 100%) is land and 0.01 square miles (0.026 km2) (or 0.63%) is water.[13]
Historical population | |||
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Census | Pop. | %± | |
1910 | 1,825 | — | |
1920 | 3,830 | 109.9% | |
1930 | 4,244 | 10.8% | |
1940 | 3,833 | −9.7% | |
1950 | 3,545 | −7.5% | |
1960 | 2,854 | −19.5% | |
1970 | 2,910 | 2.0% | |
1980 | 3,086 | 6.0% | |
1990 | 2,774 | −10.1% | |
2000 | 2,836 | 2.2% | |
2010 | 2,382 | −16.0% | |
2020 | 2,697 | 13.2% | |
U.S. Decennial Census[14] |
As of the census[15] of 2000, there were 2,836 people, 1,297 households, and 814 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,011.0 inhabitants per square mile (776.5/km2). There were 1,436 housing units at an average density of 1,018.3 per square mile (393.2/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 98.62% White, 0.11% African American, 0.04% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.11% from other races, and 0.85% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.53% of the population.
There were 1,297 households, out of which 25.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.6% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.2% were non-families. 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.79.
In the city the population was spread out, with 21.8% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 21.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $25,045, and the median income for a family was $34,342. Males had a median income of $30,222 versus $18,458 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,141. About 14.3% of families and 19.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.4% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.
Places adjacent to Christopher, Illinois | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities of Franklin County, Illinois, United States | ||
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County seat: Benton | ||
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CDP | ||
Other unincorporated communities |
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Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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