Centralia

History

Centralia is named for the Illinois Central Railroad, built in 1853. The city was founded where the two original branches of the railroad converged. Centralia was first chartered as a city in 1859. The original monument is at the junction of Highway 51 and the Marion-Jefferson County Line Road; today there is a small easement situated in the northeast corner of this intersection, which contains a monument and historical marker. Many Germans settled on the north side of town and Italians on the south side of town. A broad red stripe through the center of the flag represents the railroads to which the city owes its existence. A gold star above and below the stripe signifies the area's mining and agricultural industries. Lastly, a triangle pyramid with a sphinx head design is symbolic of Egypt, a tribute to Southern Illinois’ nickname, “Little Egypt”. The Centralia mine disaster occurred in 1947 when the nearby Centralia No. 5 coal mine exploded, killing 111 people. The disaster was memorialized in folk singer Woody Guthrie's song "The Dying Miner".

Geography

Centralia is located approximately east of St. Louis, Missouri. Most of the city, including its downtown, is in southwestern Marion County, but the city extends west into Clinton County and south into Washington and Jefferson counties. The city is north of exit 61 of Interstate 64 and west of exit 109 of Interstate 57. Centralia is one of three Illinois cities with portions in four counties, the others being Barrington Hills and Aurora. Because of its unique location within multiple counties, portions of Centralia are associated with different Core Based Statistical Areas (CBSAs). The Centralia Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Marion County. The Clinton County portion of the city is considered part of the St. Louis, MO–IL Metropolitan Statistical Area, while the Jefferson County portion lies within the Mt. Vernon Micropolitan Statistical Area. The portion of Centralia in Washington County is not considered part of any metropolitan or micropolitan area. According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Centralia has a total area of , of which (or 88.81%) is land and (or 11.19%) is water.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,228
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  2,301
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,256
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  2,181
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  2,154
• Great Blue/Cocoi Heron

  Ardea herodias Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  2,032
• Downy Woodpecker

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  1,912
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,869

Largest nearby schools

• Centralia High School
  High · Centralia · 863 students · 12.9:1 ratio
• Centralia Jr High School
  Middle · Centralia · 604 students · 13.4:1 ratio
• Central City Elem School
  Elementary · Centralia · 323 students · 14:1 ratio
• Selmaville Elem School
  Elementary · Salem · 239 students · 14.1:1 ratio
• Raccoon Cons Elem School
  Elementary · Centralia · 225 students · 13.2:1 ratio
• Jordan Elem School
  Elementary · Centralia · 221 students · 11.6:1 ratio
• Sandoval Elem School
  Elementary · Sandoval · 203 students · 14.5:1 ratio
• Odin Attendance Center K-8
  Elementary · Odin · 178 students · 11.1:1 ratio