Alton, Illinois
| Alton | |
| City | |
 The Clark Bridge, connecting Alton to West Alton, Missouri
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| Country | United States |
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| State | Illinois |
| County | Madison |
| Coordinates | 38°54′2″N 90°9′35″W / 38.90056°N 90.15972°WCoordinates: 38°54′2″N 90°9′35″W / 38.90056°N 90.15972°W |
| Area | 16.74 sq mi (43 km2) |
| - land | 15.47 sq mi (40 km2) |
| - water | 1.27 sq mi (3 km2) |
| Population | 27,865 (2010) |
| Density | 1,678.6/sq mi (648/km2) |
| Founded | 1837 |
| Mayor | Brant T. Walker |
| Timezone | CST (UTC-6) |
| - summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| Postal code | 62002 |
| Area code | 618 |
   Location of Alton within Illinois
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Website: alton-il |
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Alton is a city on the Mississippi River in Madison County, Illinois, United States, about 15 miles (24 km) north of St. Louis, Missouri. The population was 27,865 at the 2010 census. It is a part of the Metro-East region of the Greater St. Louis metropolitan area. It is famous for its limestone bluffs along the river north of the city, for its role preceding and during the American Civil War, and as the hometown of jazz musician Miles Davis and Robert Wadlow, the tallest known person in history. It was the site of the last Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas debate in October 1858. The former state penitentiary here was used during the war to hold up to 12,000 Confederate prisoners of war.
Although Alton once was growing faster than its sister city of St. Louis, a coalition of St. Louis businessmen planned to build a competing town to stop its expansion and bring business to St. Louis. The result was Grafton, Illinois.
Many blocks of housing in Alton were built in the Victorian Queen Anne style; they represent a prosperous period in the river city's history. At the top of the hill in the commercial area, several stone churches and a fine city hall also represent the city's wealth during its good times based on river traffic and shipping. It was a commercial center for a large agricultural area. Numerous residences on hills have sweeping views of the Mississippi River.
The Alton area was home to Native Americans for thousands of years before the 19th-century founding by European Americans of the modern city. Historic accounts indicate occupation of this area by the Illiniwek or Illinois Confederacy at the time of European contact. Earlier native settlement is demonstrated by archaeological artifacts and the famous prehistoric Piasa bird painted on a cliff face nearby. The image was first written about in 1673 by French missionary priest Father Jacques Marquette.
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Wikipedia