Belleville, IL
| Belleville, Illinois | |
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 Belleville welcome sign
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| Country | United States |
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| State | Illinois |
| County | St. Clair |
| Township | Belleville |
| Elevation | 515 ft (157 m) |
| Coordinates | 38°31′18″N 89°59′43″W / 38.52167°N 89.99528°WCoordinates: 38°31′18″N 89°59′43″W / 38.52167°N 89.99528°W |
| Area | 23.01 sq mi (60 km2) |
| - land | 22.74 sq mi (59 km2) |
| - water | 0.27 sq mi (1 km2) |
| Population | 43,765 (2012) |
| Density | 2,196.4/sq mi (848/km2) |
| Founded | 1814 |
| Mayor | Mark W. Eckert |
| Timezone | CST (UTC-6) |
| - summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| Postal code | 62220-62223, 62225, 62226 |
| Area code | 618 |
 Location in St. Clair County and the state of Illinois.
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.svg) Location of Illinois in the United States
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Website: belleville |
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Belleville (French: Belle ville, meaning "Beautiful city") is a city in St. Clair County, Illinois, United States, co-extensive with Belleville Township. The population was 42,034 according to the Census Bureau's 2015 estimates. It is the eighth-most populated city outside the Chicago Metropolitan Area and the most populated city south of Springfield in the state of Illinois. It is the county seat of St. Clair County, and the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Belleville and the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows. Belleville is the most populated city in the Metro-East region of the St. Louis Metropolitan Area and in Southern Illinois. Due to its proximity to Scott Air Force Base, the population receives a boost from military and federal civilian personnel, defense contractors, and military retirees.
The city of Belleville was named by George Blair in 1814. Blair donated an acre of his land for the Town Square and an additional 25 acres (100,000 m2) adjoining the square for the new county seat, causing the county seat to be transferred from the village of Cahokia. Belleville was incorporated as a village in 1819, and became a city in 1850. It is said that Blair named the city Belleville (French for "beautiful city") because he believed that a French name would attract new residents. Since major immigration in the mid-19th century occurred following revolutions in Germany, most of the population is of German heritage.
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Wikipedia