Murphysboro, Illinois
| Murphysboro | |
| City | |
 Liberty Theater in Murphysboro
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| Motto: "Ripe with possibilities" | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | Illinois |
| County | Jackson |
| Coordinates | 37°46′2″N 89°20′14″W / 37.76722°N 89.33722°WCoordinates: 37°46′2″N 89°20′14″W / 37.76722°N 89.33722°W |
| Area | 5.24 sq mi (14 km2) |
| - land | 5.15 sq mi (13 km2) |
| - water | 0.08 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Population | 7,970 (2010) |
| Density | 2,751.3/sq mi (1,062/km2) |
| Founded | 1843 |
| Timezone | CST (UTC-6) |
| - summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| Postal code | 62966 |
| Area code | 618 |
   Location of Murphysboro within Illinois
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| Website: http://www.murphysboro.com | |
Murphysboro is a city in and the county seat of Jackson County, Illinois, United States. The population was 7,970 at the 2010 census. The city is part of the Metro Lakeland area. The mayor of Murphysboro is Will Stephens. The government consists of the mayor and 10 city aldermen.
In 2017, the total solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 will have its point of longest duration (2 minutes, 41.7 seconds) near Murphysboro, at a point about 8 kilometers to the southwest (89.4030 degrees west longitude, 37.69335 degrees north latitude) in Giant City State Park.
Murphysboro is located at 37°46′2″N 89°20′14″W / 37.76722°N 89.33722°W (37.767245, -89.337346).
According to the 2010 census, Murphysboro has a total area of 5.235 square miles (13.56 km2), of which 5.15 square miles (13.34 km2) (or 98.38%) is land and 0.085 square miles (0.22 km2) (or 1.62%) is water.
Murphysboro is located 5 miles (8.0 km) southeast of Kinkaid Lake. Although Murphysboro is only 10 miles from the Mississippi River, the nearest access points to the river are in the towns of Grand Tower and Chester.
As part of the humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa), Murphysboro can grow a small number of cold hardy palm trees that can live year-round, and can be found sparingly around the municipality.
Established in September 1843, Murphysboro is the second county seat of Jackson County. Its birth is tied to the disastrous fire that destroyed the courthouse in the first county seat, Brownsville. The fire proved to be the catalyst to move the county seat to a more central location. The name was decided for the new town when William C. Murphy's name was drawn from a hat containing the names of the three commissioners who chose the new location, a 20-acre (81,000 m2) tract of land donated by Dr. John Logan and Elizabeth Logan. Logan County, Illinois, is named after Dr. Logan.
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