Brighton, Illinois
Encyclopedia
Brighton is a village located mostly in Macoupin County, Illinois
and partially in Jersey County, Illinois
. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the village had a total population of 2,254. The village's current mayor is Wayne Schafer.
Brighton is a part of the Metro-East
region and the St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the village has a total area of 1.6 square miles (4.1 km²), of which, 1.6 square miles (4.1 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²) of it (or 1.83%) is water.
into productive farmland. A post office was opened in 1837, and the village was incorporated in 1869. Brighton is also noted for its five star historic museum.
Brighton currently has three restaurants, one grocery store, and one traffic signal. It straddles two counties, so that part of the village is in Macoupin County
, and a smaller part is in Jersey County
. Also, some rural residents of Madison County
have Brighton mailing addresses. Although the village is fairly small, located nearly twenty miles away from the nearest major suburbs of St. Louis, it has a suburban feel to it instead of a rural one.
of 2000, there were 2,196 people, 816 households, and 608 families residing in the village. The population density
is 1,364.2 people per square mile (526.6/km²). There are 855 housing units at an average density of 531.2 per square mile (205.0/km²). The racial makeup of the village is 98.41% White, 0.05% African American, 0.05% Native American, 0.46% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.14% from other races, and 0.87% from two or more races. 1.09% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 816 households, of which 38.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.9% are married couples
living together, 9.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 25.4% are non-families. 22.5% of all households are made up of individuals, and 11.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.61 and the average family size is 3.06.
In the village, the population is spread out with 26.6% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females, there are 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 87.0 males.
The median income for a household in the village is $38,750, and the median income for a family is $43,167. Males have a median income of $37,150 versus $23,616 for females. The per capita income
for the village is $16,453. 6.5% of the population and 6.8% of families are below the poverty line. Of the total population, 7.7% of those under the age of 18 and 8.2% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Macoupin County, Illinois
Macoupin County is a county located in the southwestern portion of the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 47,765, which is a decrease of 2.6% from 49,019 in 2000. The county seat is Carlinville. Macoupin County is an outlying county of the Metro-East region...
and partially in Jersey County, Illinois
Jersey County, Illinois
Jersey County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. Jersey County is part of the St. Louis Metropolitan Area. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 22,985, which is an increase of 6.1% from 21,668 in 2000...
. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the village had a total population of 2,254. The village's current mayor is Wayne Schafer.
Brighton is a part of the Metro-East
Metro-East
Metro East is a region in Illinois that comprises the eastern suburbs of St. Louis, Missouri, United States. It encompasses five Southern Illinois counties in the St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area. The region's most populated city is Belleville at 45,000 residents...
region and the St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area
St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area
Greater St. Louis is the area of Missouri and Illinois that surrounds and includes the independent city of St. Louis. Depending on the counties included in the area, it can refer to the St. Louis, MO-IL metropolitan statistical area or the St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington, MO-IL combined...
.
Geography
Brighton is located at 39°2′22"N 90°8′23"W (39.039357, -90.139645).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the village has a total area of 1.6 square miles (4.1 km²), of which, 1.6 square miles (4.1 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²) of it (or 1.83%) is water.
History
Brighton is a small community that dates back to the early 19th century, when settlers began the transformation of the Illinois prairiePrairie
Prairies are considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type...
into productive farmland. A post office was opened in 1837, and the village was incorporated in 1869. Brighton is also noted for its five star historic museum.
Brighton currently has three restaurants, one grocery store, and one traffic signal. It straddles two counties, so that part of the village is in Macoupin County
Macoupin County, Illinois
Macoupin County is a county located in the southwestern portion of the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 47,765, which is a decrease of 2.6% from 49,019 in 2000. The county seat is Carlinville. Macoupin County is an outlying county of the Metro-East region...
, and a smaller part is in Jersey County
Jersey County, Illinois
Jersey County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. Jersey County is part of the St. Louis Metropolitan Area. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 22,985, which is an increase of 6.1% from 21,668 in 2000...
. Also, some rural residents of Madison County
Madison County, Illinois
Madison County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. Madison County is part of the Metro-East region of the St. Louis Metro Area. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 269,282, which is an increase of 4.0% from 258,941 in 2000. The county seat is Edwardsville, home to...
have Brighton mailing addresses. Although the village is fairly small, located nearly twenty miles away from the nearest major suburbs of St. Louis, it has a suburban feel to it instead of a rural one.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 2,196 people, 816 households, and 608 families residing in the village. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
is 1,364.2 people per square mile (526.6/km²). There are 855 housing units at an average density of 531.2 per square mile (205.0/km²). The racial makeup of the village is 98.41% White, 0.05% African American, 0.05% Native American, 0.46% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.14% from other races, and 0.87% from two or more races. 1.09% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 816 households, of which 38.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.9% are married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 9.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 25.4% are non-families. 22.5% of all households are made up of individuals, and 11.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.61 and the average family size is 3.06.
In the village, the population is spread out with 26.6% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females, there are 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 87.0 males.
The median income for a household in the village is $38,750, and the median income for a family is $43,167. Males have a median income of $37,150 versus $23,616 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the village is $16,453. 6.5% of the population and 6.8% of families are below the poverty line. Of the total population, 7.7% of those under the age of 18 and 8.2% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Notable residents
- Jason IsringhausenJason IsringhausenJason Derik Isringhausen is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher.-New York Mets:Isringhausen was chosen as a draft-and-follow prospect by the New York Mets in the 44th round of the 1991 Major League Baseball Draft...
- currently a pitcherPitcherIn baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
for the New York MetsNew York MetsThe New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
in Major League BaseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
, formerly played for the St. Louis CardinalsSt. Louis CardinalsThe St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
and Tampa Bay RaysTampa Bay RaysThe Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League. Since their inception in , the club has played at Tropicana Field...
. - Chuck Powell - radio personality currently hosting morning programming on KPKXKPKX98.7 The Peak is a commercial Adult Hits music radio station in Phoenix, Arizona, broadcasting on 98.7 FM.-Early Years:98.7 FM signed on in July 1960 as KTAR-FM, co-owned with KTAR and KTAR-TV . In the mid-1970's, the station became KBBC broadcasting Easy Listening music programming...
in Phoenix, ArizonaPhoenix, ArizonaPhoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
.
Interesting Notes
- Martha A. Bentley, There the Heart Is: A History of Brighton, Illinois, 1826—1964, was reprinted in 1995.
- Brighton is also noted for its BurgooBurgooBurgoo is a term used for many types of stew or porridge made from a mixture of ingredients.-North American usage:Burgoo is a spicy stew, similar to Irish or Mulligan stew, often served with cornbread or corn muffins....
soup, which is served at the Betsey Ann Picnic, the annual homecoming event for the community.
- Around the center of the village, there was an old American Civil WarAmerican Civil WarThe American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
prisoner of war camp that was controlled by the UnionUnion (American Civil War)During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
.
- The set of a train station at Brighton was depicted in Meredith WillsonMeredith WillsonRobert Meredith Willson was an American composer, songwriter, conductor and playwright, best known for writing the book, music and lyrics for the hit Broadway musical The Music Man...
's The Music ManThe Music ManThe Music Man is a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson, based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey. The plot concerns con man Harold Hill, who poses as a boys' band organizer and leader and sells band instruments and uniforms to naive townsfolk before skipping town with...
movie musical from 1962 in the opening scene where some of the residents are chasing a salesman onto the train. In the widescreen version, to the far right-side of the screen you can see a sign with the name "Brighton, Illinois".
External links
- Village of Brighton website