Jacksonville, Illinois
| City of Jacksonville | |
| City | |
 Civil War monument in Central Park
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| Motto: "Where People Make The Difference" | |
| Nickname: The Athens Of The Midwest | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | Illinois |
| County | Morgan |
| Elevation | 610 ft (185.9 m) |
| Coordinates | 39°43′55″N 90°14′4″W / 39.73194°N 90.23444°WCoordinates: 39°43′55″N 90°14′4″W / 39.73194°N 90.23444°W |
| Area | 10.67 sq mi (27.6 km2) |
| - land | 10.47 sq mi (27 km2) |
| - water | 0.19 sq mi (0 km2), 1.8% |
| Population | 19,446 (2010) |
| Density | 805.5/sq mi (311.0/km2) |
| Founded | 1825 |
| Government | Mayor-Council |
| Mayor | Andy Ezard |
| Timezone | CST (UTC-6) |
| - summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP Code | 62650 |
| Area code | 217 |
 Location in the United States
Location in the United States
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| Website: www.JacksonvilleIL.com | |
Jacksonville is a city in Morgan County, Illinois, United States. The population was 19,446 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Morgan County.
Jacksonville is the principal city of the Jacksonville Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Morgan and Scott counties.
Jacksonville was established by European Americans on a 160-acre tract of land in the center of Morgan County in 1825, two years after the county was founded. The town grew at a rapid rate, and a town square was quickly developed. In 1829, the Presbyterian Reverend John M. Ellis worked to found a new "seminary of learning" in the new state of Illinois. A group of Congregational students at Yale University heard about his plans and headed westward to establish the new school. These students were a part of the famous "Yale Bands," groups of students who established several colleges in the frontier, what is now the Midwest. Illinois College was one of the first institutions of higher learning in the Midwest.
The college stimulated the growth of Jacksonville. A new courthouse was built on the square, churches were constructed, railroads were planned, and stores and taverns were built. By 1834, Jacksonville had the largest population of any city in the state of Illinois, outnumbering Chicago. In the 1830s, the town was on the path of Native Americans who were being forcibly removed by the federal government to west of the Mississippi. The Potawatomi passed through here in 1838 on what they called their Trail of Death as they were forced from their traditional homelands to the dry and barren Indian Territory to the west.
Jacksonville's education complex and standing in the state was developed by the establishment of state institutions: the Illinois School for the Deaf and the Illinois School for the Visually Impaired. The Illinois Conference Female Academy was founded for education for girls; it later developed as MacMurray College. By 1850, Illinois College had issued Illinois' first college degrees and opened the first medical school in the state. Because of this, Jacksonville earned the nickname of "Athens of the West."
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Wikipedia