Macomb

History

First settled in 1829 on a site tentatively named "Washington", the town was officially founded in 1830 as the county seat of McDonough County and given the name "Macomb" after Alexander Macomb, a general in the War of 1812. War veterans were given land grants in the Macomb area, which was part of the "Military Tract" set aside by Congress. In 1855 the Northern Cross Railroad, a predecessor to the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, was constructed through Macomb, leading to a rise in the town's population. On April 24, 1899, the Western Illinois State Normal School, currently Western Illinois University, was founded in Macomb. Representative Lawrence Sherman was instrumental in locating the school in Macomb. In 1903 the Macomb and Western Illinois Railway was built from Macomb to nearby Industry and Littleton by local financier Charles V. Chandler, though this railroad was abandoned in 1930. In 1918, construction on Illinois Route 3 was begun as a state financed highway from Cairo to Rock Island through Macomb; in the late 1920s U.S. Route 67 was extended along this route to Dubuque, Iowa. Macomb has been visited by several US Presidents over the years. Ulysses S. Grant, Andrew Johnson, Rutherford B. Hayes, William McKinley, and Theodore Roosevelt have all made short addresses in Macomb. On two occasions, Abraham Lincoln and Barack Obama addressed large audiences prior to their election as president. Obama was stumping for the U.S. Senate at the time, meaning a president or presidential nominee has not visited Macomb in 109 years and counting. The WIU campus and its Hanson Field Stadium were home to the St. Louis Rams' football summer training camp from 1996 to 2004. In 2005, the Rams decided to move summer training to their own facilities in St. Louis,…

Geography

The East Fork Lamoine River flows past the northern part of the city. U.S. Routes 67 and 136 pass through the city. They enter the city together from east on Jackson Street and split at the city center, US 67 turning north on Lafayette Street, and US 136 continuing west on Jackson Street. US 67 leads north to Monmouth and south to Rushville, while US 136 leads east to Havana and west to Keokuk, Iowa. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Macomb has a total area of , of which are land and , or 3.91%, are water.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  956
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  669
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  646
• Downy Woodpecker

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  641
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  632
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  617
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  614
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  566

Largest nearby schools

• Macomb Senior High School
  High · Macomb · 622 students · 14.8:1 ratio
• Lincoln Elem School
  Elementary · Macomb · 548 students · 12.5:1 ratio
• Edison Elementary School
  Middle · Macomb · 432 students · 13.1:1 ratio
• Macomb Junior High School
  Middle · Macomb · 308 students · 13.4:1 ratio
• West Prairie South Elementary Sch
  Elementary · Colchester · 177 students · 11.1:1 ratio
• West Prairie North Elementary Sch
  Elementary · Good Hope · 174 students · 13.4:1 ratio
• West Prairie Senior High School
  High · Sciota · 162 students · 10.8:1 ratio
• MacArthur Early Childhood Center
  Other · Macomb · 126 students · 31.5:1 ratio