The River Bend communities have a combined population of more than 80,000 persons. Each of the communities in the River Bend has its own culture and personality, all of them rich in history. Alton has stately homes and churches in addition to several recreational opportunities. Bethalto is expanding to the east with new businesses and new homes. East Alton is poised for growth with its new tax increment financing district. Quaint Elsah offers a quiet life where you can watch the world go by. Foster Township is watching the progress of IL-255 coming through and will have ample opportunity for new home development. Godfrey is looking to grow with the extension of IL-255 and the expansion of US 67 to a four-lane highway. New home developments are popping up across the village. Grafton welcomes tourists throughout the year with its wineries, antique shops and unique stores and has an expanding subdivision high above the river. The planned marina and condominium complex are just around the corner. Hartford is celebrating the bicentennial of Lewis & Clark's historic expedition and courting new business and industry to their Lewis & Clark Commerce Center. Roxana and South Roxana have already benefited from IL-255 and are watching new businesses grow in the Raifort Commerce Park. Wood River is home to beautiful parks and a golf course. Several new large and small retail developments are expanding the city's tax base.
The region has a median household income of more than $43,500. The median home value is more than $91,000. In other factors, over 70 percent of all homes are owner-occupied. The population of the River Bend is youthful – median age is 37.4 years.
Statistics for the River Bend Region consist of Alton, Bethalto, East Alton, Elsah, Godfrey, Grafton, Hartford, Roxana, South Roxana and Wood River
Counties served:
Northwest Madison and Southern Jersey counties in Illinois
Region:
Midwest, part of St. Louis Metropolitan Area
Population:
80,586
Households:
33,265 (2009 estimate)
Median Household Income:
$43,576 (2009 estimate)
Median Age:
37.43 (2009 estimate)
Average Travel Time to Work:
25.50 minutes
Median Housing Value:
$91,833 (2009 estimate)
Percentage with bachelors' degree or higher (25+ years of age)
Founded in 1818 and incorporated in 1837, Alton enjoyed rapid growth in its early years, thanks to its prime location on the banks of the Mississippi River. Today, the city is the largest municipality in the River Bend area, with a population of more than 30,000 people.
It is the region’s principal shopping center. Downtown Alton’s splendid array of quaintly styled antique shops makes it one of the St. Louis area’s best antique districts. The city boasts such grand attractions as a regional shopping mall, the popular Argosy Casino, and the Gordon F. Moore Community Park with its 18-hole golf course and 17 baseball and soccer fields. The golf course was the setting for the 1999 USGA Public Links Championship.
The city’s homes encompass everything from turn-of-the-century mansions on high bluffs overlooking the Mississippi to impressive new executive style homes, from comfortable new and old mid-size single-family homes and quality condominium and apartment complexes to small cozy homes with one to three bedrooms.
Alton Community Unit School District 11, with 11 schools, serves Alton and a few neighboring communities. Private schools are also an option.
The city has three hospitals: Alton Memorial Hospital, Saint Anthony’s Hospital, and its affiliate Saint Clare’s Hospital.
Chartered as a village in 1869, Bethalto has developed into one of the fastest growing communities in Madison County. It currently has a population of 10,000 residents.
Home to the St. Louis Regional Airport, Bethalto sits at the intersection of State Routes 140 and 111. Interstate 255, which is located on the west side of the Village, opened in the fall of 2006.
The community is served by the Bethalto Community Unit School District 8, offering kindergarten through high school classes. In addition, there are two parochial schools housing preschool through eighth grade students.
Bethalto has worked hard to have a fine public library, a Boys and Girls Club, a public swimming pool, a large senior citizens’ center, and through the grant process has developed a 25-acre park on the northwest side of town. The park joins four others in the Village and has a one-mile walking/jogging path, fishing lake, play area, picnic pavilions, and a nature area for all to enjoy.
Construction is booming in Bethalto with several new residential developments, single-family homes and condominiums being developed with more on the drawing board. A large commercial development is planned at the route 140 and IL 255 interchange.
Housing is available for all pocketbooks ranging from apartment living to large single family homes; senior living ranges from condominiums to a senior living facility.
Spirit abounds in Bethalto. “Bethalto Spirit” that is. Volunteers make up the group and sponsor concerts in the park during the summer, a magnificent Christmas Walk, and beautify the Village with plantings each year. Come to Bethalto, you will be glad you did!
With a population in excess of 6,830, East Alton also stands on the banks of the Mississippi, adjacent to the nation’s largest locks and dam. Incorporated in 1893, East Alton soon became the home of Olin Corporation, one of the world’s largest makers of ammunition. Today, the company employs some 1,700 workers at its East Alton facilities and has annual sales of more than $2.4 billion. In late 2007, Global Brass and Copper, Inc. purchased the brass division of Olin, retaining its 1,500 employees.
The village’s housing includes everything from quality apartments to large executive homes. The village is engaged in an image beautification program designed to enhance the quality of life in the community. It boasts its own police and fire protection. The Fire Department has both full-time firefighters and paid on-call volunteers.
East Alton School District 13 and East Alton-Wood River Community High School serve the community’s students with excellent facilities, equipment, education programs, and instructors. Residents have quick access to Alton’s hospitals. Three community parks – Van Preter Park, Kutter Park and Lions Park, a community recreation complex and the East Alton Ice Arena provide residents with great opportunities for recreation.
The Village of Elsah’s entrance is in the valley at the base of Mount Radiance, one of the high limestone bluffs that form much of the Mississippi shoreline in the River Bend area. The Village of Elsah municipal limits include the valley and the bluffs to the east. The Great River Road is the primary access road, although the village can be reached from the north off Highway 3 as well from the east on Beltrees Road.
Valuing the community’s historic architectural heritage, the Village includes two historic districts. The Elsah Historic District is composed of 19th century buildings located in the valley. On the bluffs, the Principia College Historic District is a National Historic Landmark recognizing the work of architect Bernard R. Maybeck. Local zoning and the dedication of the community to historic preservation have helped retain the appearance of the buildings as well as property values.
Quality of life and easy access to employment in Alton and St. Louis have drawn a variety of residents to Elsah. Also, since 1935, Principia College, a liberal arts four-year college for Christian Scientists, has been a part of village life. Three bed and breakfasts, a few shops and a restaurant provide a consistent tourist activity that harmonizes with the residential nature of the village. Since 1893, Elsah has been a “dry town.”
The village government and police office occupy the second story of the 1857 Elsah School building. With dedicated volunteers and part time staff, the village uses its web site, e-mail and an answering service to provide prompt replies to questions from the public.
Residents are served by Jersey County schools, as well as hospitals in Jerseyville and Alton, only a few minutes from the village. Residents do their primary shopping in Jerseyville and Alton.
Foster Township
First settled in 1814, Foster Township covers 30 square miles surrounding the tiny hamlet of Fosterburg. Its town hall is used by citizens as a meeting place and is available to all residents for special occasions. A community park with play equipment, as well as picnic shelters, is located off to the side of the town hall building.
The township maintains about 50 miles of roads that pass a grand exhibit of country homes ranging from small family farms to splendid estates. With a population of 3,600, the township’s rolling and wooded rural land is attracting a great deal of new home construction. The area is horse country and is home to a major saddle club.
The Madison County Sheriff’s Department provides township residents with police protection. They are protected from fires by the Fosterburg Fire Protection District.
Only a few minutes from Alton and St. Louis, Foster Township has easy access to shopping, hospitals, and other amenities of the larger communities. It is served by Alton and Bethalto schools.
Many churches of several denominations are located in the township as well as two golf courses. The new 255 Highway being constructed is expected to increase population and business growth as it transverses the township.
Originally called Monticello, the Village of Godfrey was named for the Massachusetts sea captain Benjamin Godfrey, who was one of the community’s first settlers and the largest land owner at the time of settlement. Today, the unique community of Godfrey sits just north of Alton along the Mississippi River. The Village of Godfrey is second only to Chicago in the state of Illinois as the municipality with the largest area base, measuring in at 36 square miles.
Except for the commercial strip along Godfrey Road, the community is basically residential with a large number of small lakes and numerous fine homes. Located just 30 miles north of St. Louis, Godfrey is poised for development with the extension of the I-255 corridor.
Godfrey is home to Lewis and Clark Community College, an impressive 215-acre campus that boasts a student population of over 7000 students each semester. The campus serves as a regional resource to area residents and visitors throughout the world. The Alton School District serves the community’s public school population with the new high school campus located within the Godfrey municipal limits, as well as three of the elementary schools and the Early Childhood Center.
Godfrey is protected by its own fire protection district, with police protection contracted through the Madison County Sheriff’s Department. Residents utilize the three hospital facilities in adjoining Alton.
Recreation opportunities abound in Godfrey. Rolling Hills Golf Course sits just west of Godfrey Road and offers an 18-hole regular golf course and 9-hole executive golf course. The Parks and Recreation Department offers youth sports programs throughout the year including soccer, baseball, basketball and volleyball. The 200+ acres of parks in Godfrey offer walking and biking trails, playgrounds, native landscapes and athletic fields. The most unique feature of the parks is the giant 7-acre corn maze featured every fall in Glazebrook Park. “The Great Godfrey Maze” is open during the months of September and October for children and adults.
The Growth Association reaches into neighboring Jersey County to include picturesque Grafton, located at the point where the Illinois River and the Mississippi River converge. It is also a gateway to Pere Marquette State Park.
Grafton is a “Real American River Town” where many changes are taking place since the days of the paddlewheel steamboats. It has become a favored tourist stop with its antique stores, quaint gift shops, galleries, cozy restaurants, wineries and comfortable bed and breakfasts lining the Great River Road, Grafton’s main street.
Two splendid new subdivisions, Grafton Hills and West Ridge at the Palisades, have been developed atop the high bluffs that overlook the city. Both feature prestigious single-family homes on large lots and are amid surrounded woodland hills. Additionally, the new Grafton Harbor Marina is near completion and three new condominium complexes are under construction in the river community – Wind Rivers Condominiums, Timber Ridge Condominiums, and The Villas at Grafton Harbor.
With a population of approximately 650, Grafton prides itself in having its own 24-hour police protection. Fire protection is provided through QEM fire district located just five miles from the city. Grafton students attend the schools of Jersey Community Unit School District 100, with a brand new elementary school in operation. The doctors and hospitals of Alton and Jerseyville meet the residents’ medical needs.
The Village of Hartford is located at the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers and offers easy access to St. Louis, just 30 short minutes southwest. The Village is very excited about tourism and providing jobs for our region and the 200th Anniversary of the Lewis and Clark expedition to be commemorated nationwide.
The Village is focused on tourism and business development to include a 180-foot Lewis and Clark Confluence Tower located in the 60-acre Lewis and Clark Commerce Center along with hotel and restaurant development to serve visitors coming to Site #1 of the National Lewis and Clark Trail.
Downtown redevelopment is important to our future along with bike trail development throughout our community to better serve residents and bike riders traveling along the Confluence Bikeway from the spectacular Lewis and Clark Visitor Center and the fabulous Great Rivers Museum in Alton. Development of 500 industrial acres on the east side of our community is a top priority with enterprise zones and TIF district incentives. This industrial site has a lot to offer with rail access.
Hartford was incorporated in 1920 and provides police and volunteer fire protection to 1,545 residents. Two school districts serve the community: Wood River-Hartford School District 15, with two elementary schools and a junior high school and East Alton-Wood River Community High School District 14, with one high school in Wood River.
As its name infers, South Roxana is south of Roxana in the far south section of the River Bend area. The community, with a population of over 2,000, has its own police department and fire protection department.
South Roxana is served by Roxana Community Unit School District 1, which has one elementary school in the village.
The village has two parks. The largest is Dads Park, owned by the local Dads Club, which sponsors weekly Bingo games in a big park building, and the annual Homecoming celebration.
A Roxana interchange on the new IL 255 highway promises to help the village reach its goal of business and light industry development.
Roxana is situated in the southern portion of the River Bend area. It is home to the ConocoPhillips Refinery and Roxana Landfill Authority. The village is a small residential community with a population of 1,500. However, Roxana has lots of room to grow!
The Raifort Commerce Park, a business park surrounding I-255, provides more than 1,800 acres of commercial and industrial property that is available for business development or expansion. Two new access roads have been completed in Raifort Commerce Park that will enhance the immediate access to IL Routes 255 and 111. These new roads provide high visibility and frontage locations along the IL 255 corridor. Utilities are in place throughout the Commerce Park and can be easily extended to meet the specific needs of any developer.
The Village of Roxana boasts a full-time police and fire department and provides its own water and wastewater services. Wastewater disposal and refuse collection are provided to Roxana Corporate Citizens at no charge.
The village also offers many facilities for its citizens. A library, gymnasium, pool, athletic fields and meeting rooms are a few of the social centers that are used by the school, residents and community groups.
The Roxana Community Unit School District 1, with two elementary schools and a combined junior/senior high school, serves the community. Total school enrollment in the district is 2,000.
The City of Wood River is located approximately 15 miles NE of downtown St. Louis and is an integral part of the River Bend region’s nearly 90,000 residents. The city provides a wealth of resources for residents in the form of services, recreation and tourism, economical housing and convenience.
As a full-service community, the city provides highly professional services via its Council-Manager form of government. The City employs approximately 75 full-time staff members, operates a $17 million budget, provides water and sewer services, operates a 911 emergency service and maintains an ISO fire rating of 4.
Uniquely positioned at the southern entrance of America’s newest National Scenic Byway, Wood River is a dynamic tourism region attracting many visitors annually. The municipally owned and operated Aquatic Center is a $4 million recreational complex that includes two four-story water slides, an Olympic size pool, diving wells and a volleyball court. During its 15-week operating season, the Aquatic Center provides numerous water programs and events.
Wood River’s 18-hole championship public golf facilities, Belk Park Golf Course, draw more than 50,000 visitors a year through numerous tournaments, stroke play, and special events. It has been recognized as one of the most popular public golf courses in the St. Louis Metro area. In addition, the course was the winner of Golf Digest’s “Places to Play 4 Star Awards.”
The city’s newest development, Wood River Plaza, is a 72-acre shopping complex anchored by a 204,000 sq. ft. Wal-Mart SuperCenter with a food center and drive-thru pharmacy. Numerous restaurants, specialty shops, and national tenants have opened and many others are expected to open. The complex offers three stand-alone strip centers and several outlot parcels.
A 13-acre automall complex anchored by Federico Chrysler-Dodge and Auto Centers Nissan opened in 2007. The project includes two 25,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art facilities offering automobile sales and service to the residents of this region.
Wood River consists of a diverse stock of housing. From modern luxury homes to over 50 historic Sears Homes, you’ll find a home to suit your budget and lifestyle. There are currently four new subdivisions in the planning and development stages.
Offering the perfect blend of small community living with convenient access to shopping and entertainment, professional sporting events and numerous tourist attractions, the City of Wood River is an exciting place to call home.
Overview