Springfield, Illinois - Wikipedia Springfield, Illinois Springfield, Illinois City City of Springfield The Illinois State Capitol as seen from Capitol Avenue Flag Seal Nickname ( s ) : Flower City Motto : Home of President Abraham Lincoln Location of Springfield in Sangamon County, Illinois. Location of Illinois in the United States Coordinates : 39 ° 41 ′ 54 '' N 89 ° 37 ′ 11 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 39.69833 ° N 89.61972 ° W ﻿ / 39.69833 ; - 89.61972 Coordinates : 39 ° 41 ′ 54 '' N 89 ° 37 ′ 11 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 39.69833 ° N 89.61972 ° W ﻿ / 39.69833 ; - 89.61972 Country United States State Illinois County Sangamon Founded April 10, 1821 Incorporated Town April 2, 1832 City Charter April 6, 1840 Government Mayor Jim Langfelder ( D ) Area City 66.38 sq mi ( 171.91 km ) Land 60.09 sq mi ( 155.64 km ) Water 6.28 sq mi ( 16.27 km ) Elevation 558 ft ( 170 m ) Population ( 2010 ) City 116,250 Estimate ( 2016 ) 115,715 Density 1,925.63 / sq mi ( 743.49 / km ) Metro 211,752 Time zone CST ( UTC − 6 ) Summer ( DST ) CDT ( UTC − 5 ) ZIP codes ZIP codes 62701 -- 62708, 62711, 62712, 62715, 62716, 62719, 62722, 62723, 62726, 62736, 62739, 62756, 62757, 62761 -- 62767, 62769, 62776, 62777, 62781, 62786, 62791, 62794, 62796 Area code 217 FIPS code 17 - 167 - 11046 Website www.springfield.il.us Springfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County. The city 's population of 116,250 as of the 2010 U.S. Census makes it the state 's sixth most populous city. It is the largest city in central Illinois. As of 2013, the city 's population was estimated to have increased to 117,006, with just over 211,700 residents living in the Springfield Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Sangamon County and the adjacent Menard County. Present - day Springfield was settled by European Americans in the late 1810s, around the time Illinois became a state. The most famous historic resident was Abraham Lincoln, who lived in Springfield from 1837 until 1861, when he went to the White House as President. Major tourist attractions include multiple sites connected with Lincoln including his presidential library and museum, his home, and his tomb at Oak Ridge Cemetery. The capital is centrally located within the state. The city lies in a valley and plain near the Sangamon River. Lake Springfield, a large artificial lake owned by the City Water, Light & Power company ( CWLP ), supplies the city with recreation and drinking water. Weather is fairly typical for middle latitude locations, with hot summers and cold winters. Spring and summer weather is like that of most midwestern cities ; severe thunderstorms may occur. Tornadoes hit the Springfield area in 1957 and 2006. The city has a mayor -- council form of government and governs the Capital Township. The government of the state of Illinois is based in Springfield. State government entities include the Illinois General Assembly, the Illinois Supreme Court and the Office of the Governor of Illinois. There are three public and three private high schools in Springfield. Public schools in Springfield are operated by District No. 186. Springfield 's economy is marked by government jobs, and the medical field, which account for a large percentage of the city 's workforce. Contents 1 History 1.1 Lincoln 1.1. 1 Lincoln and politics 1.1. 2 Population 1.1. 3 Business 1.1. 4 Religion 1.2 Civil War to 1900 1.3 20th century 1.3. 1 Utopia 1.3. 2 1908 race riot 1.4 21st century 2 Geography 2.1 Topography 2.2 Climate 3 Demographics 4 Cityscape 5 Culture 5.1 Literary tradition 5.2 Performing arts 5.3 Festivals 5.4 Tourism 5.5 Sports 5.6 Media 5.7 NOAA Weather Radio 6 Economy 6.1 Largest employers 7 Law and government 7.1 State government 7.2 Township 8 Education 9 Infrastructure 9.1 Health systems 9.2 Parks 9.3 Public utilities 9.4 Transportation 10 Notable people 11 Sister cities 12 See also 13 Notes 14 References 15 Further reading 16 External links History Springfield 's original name was Calhoun, after Senator John C. Calhoun of South Carolina. The land that Springfield now occupies was originally settled by trappers and traders who came to the Sangamon River in 1818. The settlement 's first cabin was built in 1820, by John Kelly. It was located at what is now the northwest corner of Second Street and Jefferson Street. In 1821, Calhoun became the county seat of Sangamon County due to fertile soil and trading opportunities. Settlers from Kentucky, Virginia, and as far as North Carolina came to the city. By 1832, Senator Calhoun had fallen out of the favor with the public and the town renamed itself Springfield after Springfield, Massachusetts. At that time, Springfield, Massachusetts was comparable to modern - day Silicon Valley -- known for industrial innovation, concentrated prosperity, and the celebrated Springfield Armory. Most importantly, it was a city that had built itself up from frontier outpost to national power through ingenuity -- an example that the newly named Springfield, Illinois, sought to emulate. Kaskaskia was the first capital of the Illinois Territory from its organization in 1809, continuing through statehood in 1818, and through the first year as a state in 1819. Vandalia was the second state capital of Illinois from 1819 to 1839. Springfield became the third and current capital of Illinois in 1839. The designation was largely due to the efforts of Abraham Lincoln and his associates ; nicknamed the `` Long Nine '' for their combined height of 54 feet ( 16 m ). The Potawatomi Trail of Death passed through here in 1838. Lincoln Lincoln and politics Lincoln arrived in the Springfield area when he was a young man in 1831, though he would not actually live in the city until 1837. He spent the ensuing six years in New Salem where he began his legal studies, joined the state militia and was elected to the Illinois General Assembly. In 1837 Lincoln moved to Springfield and spent the next 24 years as a lawyer and politician. Lincoln delivered his Lyceum address in Springfield. His farewell speech when he left for Washington is a classic in American oratory. Winkle ( 1998 ) examines the historiography concerning the development of the Second Party System ( Whigs versus Democrats ) and applies these ideas to the study of Springfield, a strong Whig enclave in a Democratic region, mainly by studying poll books for presidential years. The rise of the Whig Party took place in 1836 in opposition to the presidential candidacy of Martin Van Buren and was consolidated in 1840. Springfield Whigs tend to validate several expectations of party characteristics as they were largely native - born, either in New England or Kentucky, professional or agricultural in occupation, and devoted to partisan organization. Abraham Lincoln 's career mirrors the Whigs ' political rise, but by the 1840s Springfield began to fall into Democratic hands, as immigrants changed the city 's political makeup. By the 1860 presidential election, Lincoln was barely able to win his home city. Population Winkle ( 1992 ) examines the impact of migration on political participation in Springfield during the 1850s. Widespread migration in the 19th - century United States produced frequent population turnover within Midwestern communities, which influenced patterns of voter turnout and office - holding. Examination of the manuscript census, poll books, and office - holding records reveals the impact of migration on the behavior of 8,000 participants in 10 elections in Springfield. Most voters were short - term residents who participated in only one or two elections during the 1850s, and fewer than 1 % of all voters participated in all 10 elections. Instead of producing political instability, however, rapid turnover enhanced the influence of more persistent residents. Migration was selective by age, occupation, wealth, and birthplace. Therefore, more persistent voters were wealthier, more highly skilled, more often native - born, and socially more stable than nonpersisters. Officeholders were particularly persistent and socially and economically advantaged. Persisters represented a small `` core community '' of economically successful, socially homogeneous, and politically active voters and officeholders who controlled local political affairs while most residents moved in and out of the city. Members of a tightly knit and exclusive `` core community '', exemplified by Abraham Lincoln, blunted the potentially disruptive impact of migration on local communities. And the population as of 2013 is 117,006 Business The case of John Williams illustrates the important role of the merchant banker in the economic development of central Illinois before the Civil War. Williams began his career as a clerk in frontier stores and saved to begin his own business. Later, in addition to operating retail and wholesale stores, he acted as a local banker and then organized a national bank in Springfield. He was active in railroad promotion and as an agent for farm machinery. Religion During the mid-19th century, the spiritual needs of German Lutherans in the Midwest were not being tended. As a result of the efforts of such missionaries as Friedrich Wyneken, Wilhelm Loehe, and Wilhelm Sihler, this situation was remedied by the deployment of additional Lutheran ministers, the opening of Lutheran schools, and the creation in Ft. Wayne, Indiana of the Concordia Theological Seminary in 1846. The seminary moved to St. Louis, Missouri, in 1869, and then to Springfield in 1874. Through this seminary, during the last half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, the Lutheran Church -- Missouri Synod succeeded in serving the spiritual needs of Midwestern congregations by establishing additional seminaries, and by developing a viable synodical tradition. Civil war to 1900 The American Civil War made Springfield a major center of activity. Illinois regiments trained there, the first ones under Ulysses S. Grant, who marched his soldiers to a remarkable series of victories in 1861 -- 62. The city was a political and financial center of support, and new industries, businesses, and railroads were constructed to help support the war effort. The war 's first official death was a Springfield resident, Colonel Elmer E. Ellsworth. Camp Butler, seven miles ( 11 km ) northeast of Springfield, Illinois, opened in August 1861 as a training camp for Illinois soldiers, but also served as a camp for Confederate prisoners of war through 1865. In the beginning, Springfield residents visited the camp to experience the excitement of a military venture, but many reacted sympathetically to mortally wounded and ill prisoners. While the city 's businesses prospered from camp traffic, drunken behavior and rowdiness on the part of the soldiers stationed there strained relations as neither civil nor military authorities proved able to control disorderly outbreaks. After the war ended in 1865, Springfield became a major hub in the Illinois railroad system and besides politics and farming, coal mining was a major industry for Springfield by 1900. 20th century Utopia Local poet Vachel Lindsay 's notions of utopia were expressed in his only novel, The Golden Book of Springfield ( 1920 ), which draws on ideas of anarchistic socialism in projecting the progress of Lindsay 's hometown toward utopia. The Dana - Thomas House is a Frank Lloyd Wright design built in 1902 -- 03. Wright began work on the house in 1902. Commissioned by Susan Lawrence Dana, a local patron of the arts and public benefactor, Wright designed a house to harmonize with the owner 's devotion to the performance of music. Coordinating art glass designs for 250 windows, doors, and panels as well as over 200 light fixtures, Wright enlisted Oak Park artisans. The house is a radical departure from Victorian architectural traditions. Covering 12,000 square feet ( 1,100 m ), the house contained vaulted ceilings and 16 major spaces. As the nation was changing, so Wright intended this structure to reflect the changes. Creating an organic and natural atmosphere, Wright saw himself as an `` architect of democracy '' and intended his work to be a monument to America 's social landscape. It is the only historic site later acquired by the state exclusively because of its architectural merit. The structure was opened to the public as a museum house in September 1990 ; tours are available, 9 : 00 a.m. -- 4 : 00 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. 1908 Race Riot Main article : Springfield Race Riot of 1908 Sparked by the alleged rape of a white woman by a black man and the murder of a white engineer, supposedly also by a black man, in Springfield, and reportedly angered by the high degree of corruption in the city, some white residents took their anxiety and frustration out on blacks. Rioting broke out on August 14, 1908 and continued for three days in a period of violence known as the Springfield Race Riot. Gangs of white youth and blue - collar workers attacked the predominantly black areas of the city known as the Levee district, where most black businesses were located, and the Badlands, where many black residences stood. Two blacks were lynched and four whites were killed by gunfire when black property - owners sought to defend their homes and businesses. The riot ended when the governor sent in more than 3,700 militiamen to patrol the city, but isolated incidents of white violence against blacks continued in Springfield into September. 21st century Hotel damaged by the 2006 Springfield tornadoes On March 12, 2006, two F2 tornadoes hit the city, injuring 24 people, damaging hundreds of buildings, and causing $150 million in damages. On February 10, 2007, then - senator Barack Obama announced his presidential candidacy in Springfield, standing on the grounds of the Old State Capitol. Senator Obama also used the Old State Capitol in Springfield as a backdrop when he announced Joe Biden as his running mate on August 23, 2008. Geography Astronaut photography of Springfield Illinois taken from the International Space Station ( ISS ) Springfield is located at 39 ° 41 ′ 54 '' N 89 ° 37 ′ 11 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 39.69833 ° N 89.61972 ° W ﻿ / 39.69833 ; - 89.61972 ( 39.6983146, - 89.6195900 ). The city is at an elevation of 558 feet ( 170 m ) above sea level. Located within the central section of Illinois, Springfield is 90 miles ( 140 km ) northeast of St. Louis. The Champaign / Urbana area is to the east, Peoria is to the north, and Bloomington -- Normal is to the northeast. Decatur is 40 miles ( 64 km ) due east. Topography According to the 2010 census, Springfield has a total area of 65.764 square miles ( 170.33 km ), of which 59.48 square miles ( 154.05 km ) ( or 90.44 % ) is land and 6.284 square miles ( 16.28 km ) ( or 9.56 % ) is water. The city is located in the Lower Illinois River Basin, in a large area known as Till Plain. Sangamon County, and the city of Springfield, are in the Springfield Plain subsection of Till Plain. The Plain is underlain by glacial till that was deposited by a large continental ice sheet that repeatedly covered the area during the Illinoian Stage. The majority of the Lower Illinois River Basin is flat, with relief extending no more than 20 feet ( 6.1 m ) in most areas, including the Springfield subsection of the plain. The differences in topography are based on the age of drift. The Springfield and Galesburg Plain subsections represent the oldest drift, Illinoian, while Wisconsinian drift resulted in end moraines on the Bloomington Ridged Plain subsection of Till Plain. Lake Springfield is a 4,200 - acre ( 1,700 ha ) man - made reservoir owned by City Water, Light & Power, the largest municipally owned utility in Illinois. It was built and filled in 1935 by damming Lick Creek, a tributary of the Sangamon River which flows past Springfield 's northern outskirts. The lake is used primarily as a source for drinking water for the city of Springfield, also providing cooling water for the condensers at the power plant on the lake. It attracts approximately 600,000 visitors annually and its 57 miles ( 92 km ) of shoreline is home to over 700 lakeside residences and eight public parks. The term `` full pool '' describes the lake at 560 feet ( 170.7 m ) above sea level and indicates the level at which the lake begins to flow over the dam 's spillway, if no gates are opened. Normal lake levels are generally somewhere below full pool, depending upon the season. During the drought from 1953 to 1955, lake levels dropped to their historical low, 547.44 feet ( 166.86 m ) AMSL. The highest recorded lake levels were in December 1982, when the lake crested at 564 feet ( 172 m ). Climate Climate data for Springfield, Illinois ( Capital Airport ), 1981 -- 2010 normals Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high ° F ( ° C ) 73 ( 23 ) 78 ( 26 ) 91 ( 33 ) 90 ( 32 ) 101 ( 38 ) 104 ( 40 ) 112 ( 44 ) 108 ( 42 ) 102 ( 39 ) 93 ( 34 ) 83 ( 28 ) 74 ( 23 ) 112 ( 44 ) Average high ° F ( ° C ) 34.8 ( 1.6 ) 39.9 ( 4.4 ) 52.1 ( 11.2 ) 64.6 ( 18.1 ) 74.8 ( 23.8 ) 83.1 ( 28.4 ) 86.2 ( 30.1 ) 84.9 ( 29.4 ) 78.9 ( 26.1 ) 66.4 ( 19.1 ) 52.3 ( 11.3 ) 38.3 ( 3.5 ) 63.1 ( 17.3 ) Average low ° F ( ° C ) 18.7 ( − 7.4 ) 22.6 ( − 5.2 ) 32.2 ( 0.1 ) 42.4 ( 5.8 ) 52.6 ( 11.4 ) 61.9 ( 16.6 ) 65.4 ( 18.6 ) 63.6 ( 17.6 ) 54.6 ( 12.6 ) 43.8 ( 6.6 ) 33.9 ( 1.1 ) 22.5 ( − 5.3 ) 43.0 ( 6.1 ) Record low ° F ( ° C ) − 22 ( − 30 ) − 24 ( − 31 ) − 12 ( − 24 ) 17 ( − 8 ) 28 ( − 2 ) 39 ( 4 ) 48 ( 9 ) 43 ( 6 ) 31 ( − 1 ) 13 ( − 11 ) − 3 ( − 19 ) − 21 ( − 29 ) − 24 ( − 31 ) Average precipitation inches ( mm ) 1.82 ( 46.2 ) 1.81 ( 46 ) 2.63 ( 66.8 ) 3.51 ( 89.2 ) 4.24 ( 107.7 ) 4.46 ( 113.3 ) 3.94 ( 100.1 ) 3.24 ( 82.3 ) 2.90 ( 73.7 ) 3.15 ( 80 ) 3.21 ( 81.5 ) 2.52 ( 64 ) 37.43 ( 950.8 ) Average snowfall inches ( cm ) 6.4 ( 16.3 ) 5.5 ( 14 ) 2.5 ( 6.4 ) 0.3 ( 0.8 ) 0.0 ( 0 ) 0.0 ( 0 ) 0.0 ( 0 ) 0.0 ( 0 ) 0.0 ( 0 ) Trace 0.6 ( 1.5 ) 5.6 ( 14.2 ) 20.9 ( 53.1 ) Average precipitation days ( ≥ 0.01 in ) 9.1 8.1 10.7 11.3 11.7 10.2 8.6 8.3 7.4 8.5 9.6 9.9 113.4 Average snowy days ( ≥ 0.1 in ) 5.4 3.9 1.9 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.8 4.5 16.9 Average relative humidity ( % ) 73.4 74.0 71.3 65.3 65.6 66.6 70.4 74.0 71.9 68.4 73.8 77.6 71.0 Mean monthly sunshine hours 160.7 158.7 186.5 225.8 281.2 308.0 320.7 291.0 248.4 214.0 140.2 129.3 2,664.5 Percent possible sunshine 53 53 50 57 63 69 70 68 66 62 47 44 60 Source : NOAA ( extremes 1879 -- present, sun and relative humidity 1961 -- 1990 ) Springfield has a humid continental climate ( Köppen Dfa ) and experiences typical mid-latitude weather. Hot, humid summers and cold, rather snowy winters are the norm. Springfield is located in Tornado Alley and experiences large numbers of tornadoes. From 1961 to 1990 the city of Springfield averaged 35.25 inches ( 895 mm ) of precipitation per year. During that same period the average yearly temperature was 52.4 ° F ( 11.3 ° C ), with a summer maximum of 76.5 ° F ( 24.7 ° C ) in July and a winter minimum of 24.2 ° F ( − 4.3 ° C ) in January. From 1971 to 2000, NOAA data showed that Springfield 's annual mean temperature increased slightly to 52.7 ° F ( 11.5 ° C ). During that period, July averaged 76.3 ° F ( 24.6 ° C ), while January averaged 25.1 ° F ( − 3.8 ° C ). On June 14, 1957, a tornado hit Springfield, killing two people. On March 12, 2006, the city was struck by two F2 tornadoes. The storm system which brought the two tornadoes hit the city around 8 : 30pm ; no one died as a result of the weather. Springfield received a federal grant in February 2005 to help improve its tornado warning systems and new sirens were put in place in November 2006 after eight of the sirens failed during an April 2006 test, shortly after the tornadoes hit. The cost of the new sirens totaled $983,000. Although tornadoes are not uncommon in central Illinois, the March 12 tornadoes were the first to hit the actual city since the 1957 storm. The 2006 tornadoes followed nearly identical paths to that of the 1957 tornado. Demographics Historical population Census Pop. % ± 1840 2,579 -- 1850 4,533 75.8 % 1860 9,320 105.6 % 1870 17,364 86.3 % 1880 19,743 13.7 % 1890 24,963 26.4 % 1900 34,159 36.8 % 1910 51,678 51.3 % 1920 59,183 14.5 % 1930 71,864 21.4 % 1940 75,503 5.1 % 1950 81,628 8.1 % 1960 83,271 2.0 % 1970 91,753 10.2 % 1980 99,637 8.6 % 105,227 5.6 % 2000 111,454 5.9 % 116,250 4.3 % Est. 2016 115,715 − 0.5 % U.S. Decennial Census At the 2010 Census, 75.8 % of the population was White, 18.5 % Black or African American, 0.2 % American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2 % Asian, and 2.6 % of two or more races. 2.0 % of Springfield 's population was of Hispanic or Latino origin ( they may be of any race ). Non-Hispanic Whites were 74.7 % of the population in 2010, down from 87.6 % in 1980. As of the census of 2000, there were 111,454 people, 48,621 households, and 27,957 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,063.9 people per square mile ( 796.9 / km2 ). There were 53,733 housing units at an average density of 995.0 per square mile ( 384.2 / km2 ). The racial makeup of the city was 81.0 % White, 15.3 % African American, 0.2 % Native American, 1.5 % Asian, 0.1 % Pacific Islander, 0.5 % from other races, and 1.5 % from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.2 % of the population. There were 48,621 households, out of which 27.5 % had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.1 % were married couples living together, 12.9 % had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.5 % were non-families. 36.1 % of all households were made up of individuals and 11.7 % had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.94. In the city, the population was spread out, with 28.0 % under the age of 18, 8.8 % from 18 to 24, 29.8 % from 25 to 44, 23.0 % from 45 to 64, and 14.4 % who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 88.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $39,388, and the median income for a family was $51,298. Families with children had a higher income of about $69,437. Males had a median income of $36,864 versus $28,867 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,324. About 8.4 % of families and 11.7 % of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.3 % of those under age 18 and 7.7 % of those age 65 or over. Cityscape An image of Downtown Springfield with a view of the State capitol Springfield proper is greatly based on a grid street system, with numbered streets starting with the longitudinal First Street which leads to the Illinois State Capitol and leading to 32nd Street in the far eastern part of the city. Previously the city had four distinct boundary streets : North, South, East, and West Grand Avenues. Since expansion, West Grand Avenue became MacArthur Boulevard and East Grand became 19th Street on the north side and 18th Street on the south side. 18th Street has since been renamed after Martin Luther King Jr. North and South Grand Avenues ( which run east -- west ) have remained important corridors in the city. At South Grand and Eleventh Street, the old `` South Town District '' lies, with the City of Springfield undertaking a significant redevelopment project there. Latitudinal streets range from names of presidents in the downtown area to names of notable people in Springfield and Illinois to names of institutions of higher education, especially in the Harvard Park neighborhood. Springfield has at least twenty separately designated neighborhoods, though not all are incorporated with associations. They include : Benedictine District, Bunn Park, the Cabbage Patch, Downtown, Eastsview, Enos Park, Glen Aire, Harvard Park, Hawthorne Place, Historic West Side, Laketown, Lincoln Park, Mather and Wells, Medical District, Near South, Northgate, Oak Ridge, Old Aristocracy Hill, Pillsbury District, Shalom, Springfield Lakeshore, Toronto, Twin Lakes, UIS Campus, Victoria Lake, Vinegar Hill, and Westchester neighborhoods. The Lincoln Park Neighborhood is an area bordered by 3rd Street on its west, Black Avenue on the north, 8th street on the east and North Grand Avenue. The neighborhood is not far from Lincoln 's Tomb on Monument Avenue. Springfield also encompasses four different suburban villages that have their own municipal governments. They include Jerome, Leland Grove, Southern View and Grandview. Culture Abraham Lincoln resided in Springfield for 24 years Springfield has been home to a wide array of individuals, who, in one way or another, contributed to the broader American culture. Wandering poet Vachel Lindsay, most famous for his poem `` The Congo '' and a booklet called `` Rhymes to be Traded for Bread '', was born in Springfield in 1879. At least two notable people affiliated with American business and industry have called the Illinois state capital home at one time or another. Both John L. Lewis, a labor activist, and Marjorie Merriweather Post, the founder of the General Foods Corporation, lived in the city ; Post in particular was a native of Springfield. In addition, astronomer Seth Barnes Nicholson was born in Springfield in 1891. Literary tradition Springfield and the Sangamon Valley enjoy a strong literary tradition in Abraham Lincoln, Vachel Lindsay, Edgar Lee Masters, John Hay, William H. Herndon, Benjamin P. Thomas, Paul Angle, Virginia Eiffert, Robert Fitzgerald and William Maxwell, among others. The Illinois State Library 's Gwendolyn Brooks Building features the names of 35 Illinois authors etched on its exterior fourth floor frieze. Through the Illinois Center for the Book, a comprehensive resource on authors, illustrators, and other creatives who have published books who have written about Illinois or lived in Illinois is maintained. Performing arts The Hoogland Center for the Arts in downtown Springfield is a centerpiece for performing arts, and houses among other organizations the Springfield Theatre Centre, the Springfield Ballet Company, the Illinois Symphony Orchestra and the Springfield Municipal Opera, also known as The Muni, which stages community theatre productions of Broadway musicals outdoors each summer. Before being purchased and renamed, the Hoogland Center was Springfield 's Masonic Temple. Prior to the Hoogland, the Springfield Theatre Centre was housed in the nearby Legacy Theatre. Sangamon Auditorium, located on the campus of the University of Illinois at Springfield also serves as a larger venue for musical and performing acts, both touring and local. A few films have been created or had elements of them created in Springfield. Legally Blonde 2 : Red, White & Blonde was filmed in Springfield in 2003. Musicians Artie Matthews and Morris Day both once called Springfield home. Other performing arts such as music and ballet are also common in Springfield. Springfield is also home to long running underground all - ages space The Black Sheep Cafe. Festivals Springfield is home to the annual Springfield Old Capitol Art Fair, a spring festival held annually in the third weekend in May. Since 2002, Springfield has also hosted the ' Route 66 Film Festival ', set to celebrate films routed in, based on, or taking part on the famous Route 66. Tourism The Springfield Maid - Rite Sandwich Shop, showing drive - thru window Springfield is known for some popular food items : the corn dog is claimed to have been invented in the city under the name `` Cozy Dog '', although there is some debate to the origin of the snack. The horseshoe sandwich, not well known outside of central Illinois, also originated in Springfield. Springfield was once the site of the Reisch Beer brewery, which operated for 117 years under the same name and family from 1849 to 1966. Lincoln 's Tomb The Maid - Rite Sandwich Shop in Springfield still operates what it claims as the first U.S. drive - thru window. The city is also known for its chili, or `` chilli '', as it is known in many chili shops throughout Sangamon County. The unique spelling is said to have begun with the founder of the Dew Chilli Parlor in 1909, due to a spelling error in its sign. Another interpretation is that the misspelling represented the `` Ill '' in the word Illinois. In 1993, the Illinois state legislature adopted a resolution proclaiming Springfield the `` Chilli Capital of the Civilized World. '' Springfield is dotted with sites associated with U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, who started his political career there. These include the Lincoln Home National Historic Site, a National Historical Park that includes the preserved surrounding neighborhood ; the Lincoln - Herndon Law Offices State Historic Site, the Lincoln Tomb State Historic Site, the Old State Capitol State Historic Site, the Lincoln Depot, from which Abraham Lincoln departed Springfield to be inaugurated in Washington, D.C. ; the Elijah Iles House, Edwards Place and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. Near the village of Petersburg, is New Salem State Park, a restored hamlet of log cabins. This is a reconstruction of the town where Lincoln lived as a young man. With the opening of the Presidential Library and Museum in 2004, the city has attracted numerous prominent visitors, including Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, the actor Liam Neeson, and the Emir of Qatar. Old State Capitol State Historic Site The Donner Party, a group of pioneers who resorted to cannibalism while snowbound during a winter in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, began their journey West from Springfield. Springfield 's Dana - Thomas House is among the best preserved and most complete of Frank Lloyd Wright 's early `` Prairie '' houses. It was built in 1902 -- 1904 and has many of the furnishings Wright designed for it. Springfield 's Washington Park is home to Thomas Rees Memorial Carillon and the site of a carillon festival, held annually since 1962. In August, the city is the site of the Illinois State Fair. Although not born in Springfield, Lincoln is the city 's most famous resident. He lived there for 24 years. The only home he ever owned is open to the public, seven days a week, free of charge, and operated by the National Park Service. Springfield has the area 's largest amusement park, Knight 's Action Park and Caribbean Water Park, which is open from May to September. The park also features and operates the city 's only remaining drive - in theater, the Route 66 Twin Drive - In. Sports team League Sport Venue Established Championships Springfield Jr. Blues North American Hockey League Ice Hockey Nelson Center Springfield Sliders Prospect League Baseball Robin Roberts Stadium 2008 Capital City Hooligans Men 's Roller Derby Association Men 's Roller Derby Skateland South 2012 N / A Historically, Springfield has been home to a number of minor league baseball franchises, the latest club, the college - prep Springfield Sliders, arriving in the city in 2008. In the 1948 baseball season, Springfield was also home to an All - American Girls Professional Baseball League team, the Springfield Sallies, but the team 's lackluster performance led them to be folded in with the Chicago Colleens as rookie development teams the following year. The city was the home of the Springfield Stallions, an indoor football team who played at the Prairie Capital Convention Center in 2007. Today, the city is host to the Springfield Jr. Blues, a North American Hockey League team that plays at the Nelson Recreation Center. The city is also a host to several Semi Pro Football Teams. The oldest organization is the Capital City Outlaws, which was established in 1992. The Outlaws which played 11 man football, most recently in The Midwest Football League until 2004, switched to an 8 - man Semi Pro Football League ( 8FL ) in 2004. The Sangamon County Seminoles became an expansion team in the 8FL in 2008. A newly formed team in 2010, the Springfield Foxes, play in the Mid States Football League ( MSFL ) ( 11 man ). The Foxes were league runners - up in the MSFL League Championship in 2012. The city has produced several notable professional sports talents. Current and former Major League Baseball players Kevin Seitzer, Jeff Fassero, Ryan O'Malley, Jason and Justin Knoedler, and Hall of Famer Robin Roberts were all born in Springfield. Springfield 's largest baseball field, Robin Roberts Stadium at Lanphier Park, takes its full name in honor of Roberts and his athletic achievements. Former MLB player Dick `` Ducky '' Schofield is currently an elected official in Springfield, and his son Dick also played in the Major Leagues, as does Ducky 's grandson, Jayson Werth. Ducky, Dick, and Jayson were all born in Springfield. Ducky 's daughter ( and Jayson 's mother ) Kim Schofield Werth, also from Springfield, is a track star who competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials. National Basketball Association players Dave Robisch, Kevin Gamble, and Andre Iguodala are all from the city. Long - time NFL announcer ( NBC ) and former Cincinnati Bengal Pro Bowl tight end Bob Trumpy is a city native, having graduated from Springfield High School. Former NFL wide receiver Otto Stowe was a 1967 graduate of the now - defunct Feitshans High School. A UFC fighter, Matt Mitrione, attended and played football for Sacred Heart Griffin. He also played in the NFL as an undrafted free agent. At the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Springfield native Ryan Held won a gold medal as a member of the USA 400 - meter ( 4 X 100 meter ) freestyle relay team along with Caeleb Dressel, Michael Phelps, and Nathan Adrian. During his senior year at Sacred - Heart Griffin High School in 2014, Held was named Illinois State Swimmer of the Year. Media The State Journal - Register is the primary daily newspaper for Springfield, and its surrounding area. The newspaper was founded in 1831 as the Sangamon Journal, and claims to be `` the oldest newspaper in Illinois. '' The local alternative weekly is the Illinois Times. Television stations Springfield is part of the Springfield - Decatur - Champaign TV market. Four TV stations broadcast from the Springfield area : WCIX MYTV 49, WICS ABC 20, WRSP FOX 55, and WSEC PBS 14. Springfield is also served by two stations in Decatur, WAND NBC 17 and WBUI CW 23, and two stations in Champaign, WCIA CBS 3 and WILL PBS 12. One television station that has since ceased to exist was WJJY - TV, which operated in the Springfield area for three years ( 1969 -- 1971 ). Radio stations The following radio stations broadcast in the Springfield area : WQNA 88.3 FM WLUJ 89.7 FM WSCT 90.5 FM WUIS 91.9 FM WUSW 92.7 FM WQQL 93.9 FM WCVS 96.7 FM WQLZ 97.7 FM WNNS 98.7 FM WXAJ 99.7 FM WYMG 100.5 FM WLFZ 101.9 FM WDBR 103.7 FM WFMB - FM 104.5 FM. WMAY 970 AM WTAX 1240 AM / 107.5 FM WFMB 1450 AM WCIC 90.5 FM Emojis Springfield is home to the first city specific emoji keyboard in the world that includes images for news, events, deals and business listings. Springfield Emojis, also includes images for Abraham Lincoln, the Dana Thomas house, numerous other landmarks, and the world famous horseshoe. NOAA weather Radio NOAA Weather Radio station WXJ75 transmits from Mechanicsburg and is licensed to NOAA 's National Weather Service Central Illinois Weather Forecast Office at Lincoln, broadcasting on a frequency of 162.400 mHz ( channel 1 on most newer weather radios, and most SAME weather radios ). The station activates the SAME tone alarm feature and a 1050 Hz tone activating older radios ( except for AMBER Alerts, using the SAME feature only ) for hazardous weather and non-weather warnings and emergencies, along with selected weather watches, for the Illinois counties of Cass, Christian, DeWitt, Logan, Macon, Macoupin, Mason, Menard, Montgomery, Morgan, and Sangamon. Weather permitting, a tone alarm test of both the SAME and 1050 Hz tone features are conducted every Wednesday between 11 AM and Noon. Economy Many of the jobs in the city center around state government, headquartered in Springfield. As of 2002, the State of Illinois is both the city and county 's largest employer, employing 17,000 people across Sangamon County. As of February 2007, government jobs, including local, state and county, account for about 30,000 of the city 's non-agricultural jobs. Trade, transportation and utilities, and the health care industries each provide between 17,000 and 18,000 jobs to the city. The largest private sector employer in 2002 was Memorial Health System. 3,400 people worked for that company. According to estimates from the `` Living Wage Calculator '', maintained by Pennsylvania State University, the living wage for the city of Springfield is $7.89 per hour for one adult, approximately $15,780 working 2,000 hours per year. For a family of four, costs are increased and the living wage is $17.78 per hour within the city. According to the United States Department of Labor 's Bureau of Labor Statistics ( BLS ), the Civilian Labor force dropped from 116,500 in September 2006 to 113,400 in February 2007. In addition, the unemployment rate rose during the same time period from 3.8 % to 5.1 %. Largest employers According to the City 's 2015 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the largest employers in the city are : # Employer # of Employees State of Illinois 17,500 Memorial Medical Center 5,854 St. John 's Hospital 3,096 Springfield Public Schools 2,095 5 Springfield Clinic LLP 2,039 6 Southern Illinois University School of Medicine 1,511 7 City of Springfield 1,467 8 BlueCross BlueShield 1,316 9 Horace Mann Educators Corporation 1,063 10 University of Illinois at Springfield 926 Law and government See also : List of Springfield city departments ; Sister cities of Springfield ; and List of mayors of Springfield, Illinois Springfield city government is structured under the mayor - council form of government. It is the strong mayor variation of that type of municipal government, the mayor holds executive authority, including veto power, in Springfield. The executive branch also consists of 17 non-elected city `` offices. '' Ranging from the police department to the Office of Public Works, each office can be altered through city ordinance. Elected officials in the city, mayor, aldermen, city clerk, and treasurer, serve four - year terms. The elections are not staggered. The council members are elected from ten districts throughout the city while the mayor, city clerk and city treasurer are elected on an at - large basis. The council, as a body, consists of the ten aldermen and the mayor, though the mayor is generally a non-voting member who only participates in the discussion. There are a few instances where the mayor does vote on ordinances or resolutions : if there is a tie vote, if more than half of the aldermen support the motion, whether there is a tie or not, and where a vote greater than the majority is required by the municipal code. State government See also : Government of Illinois As the state capital, Springfield, is home to the three branches of Illinois government. Much like the United States federal government, Illinois government has an executive branch, occupied by the state governor, a legislative branch, which consists of the state senate and house, and a judicial branch, which is topped by the Illinois Supreme Court. The Illinois legislative branch is collectively known as the Illinois General Assembly. Many State of Illinois bureaucrats work in offices in Springfield, and it is the regular meeting place of the Illinois General Assembly. All persons elected in a statewide manner in Illinois are required to have at least one residence in Springfield, and the state government funds these residents. As of 2014 none of the major constitutional officers in the State of Illinois designated Springfield as their primary residence ; most cabinet officers and all major constitutional officers instead primarily do their business in Chicago. A former director of the Southern Illinois University Paul Simon Institute for Public Affairs, Mike Lawrence, stated that many of the elected officials in Illinois `` spend so little time in Springfield ''. In 2012 St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Pat Gauen argued that because major state politicians such as the Governor of Illinois, as well as the Attorney General, Speaker of the House, the minority leader of the House, President of the Senate, the minority leader of the Senate, the Comptroller, and the Treasurer, all live in the Chicago area ; because they work from the James R. Thompson Center in Chicago and that `` Everybody who 's anybody in Illinois government has an office in Chicago '' ; and because in March 2011 Governor Pat Quinn only spent a 68 - day, 40 night period in Springfield as per his official schedule, `` in the reality of Illinois politics, ( Springfield ) shares de facto capital status with Chicago. '' University of Illinois researcher and former member of the Illinois legislature Jim Nowlan stated `` It 's almost like Chicago is becoming the shadow capital of Illinois '' and that `` Springfield is almost become a hinterland outpost. '' Lawrence criticized the fact that state officials spent little time in Springfield since it estranged them from and devalued Illinois state employees based in that city. According to Gauen, `` Illinois seems rather unlikely to move its official capital to Chicago ''. Township Outline of the Township area and the City of Springfield in Sangamon County The Capital Township formed from Springfield Township on July 1, 1877, and was established and named by the Sangamon County Board on March 6, 1878, and the limits of the township and City of Springfield were made co-extensive on February 17, 1892 to better serve the people. There are three functions of this township : assessing property, collection first property tax payment, and assisting residents that live in the township. One thing that makes the Capital township unique is that the township never has to raise taxes for road work, since the roads are maintained by the Springfield Department of Public Works. Education Springfield is currently home to six public and private high schools. The Springfield public school district is District No. 186. District 186 operates 24 elementary schools and an early learning center, ( pre-K ). District 186 operates three high schools, Lanphier High School, Springfield High School and Springfield Southeast High School, which replaced Feitshans High School in 1967, and five middle schools. Springfield 's Sacred Heart - Griffin High School is a city Catholic high school. Other area high schools include Calvary Academy and Lutheran High School. Ursuline Academy was a second Catholic high school founded in 1857, first as an all - girls school, and converted to co-ed in 1981. The school was closed in 2007. Springfield hosts three Universities. One is the University of Illinois at Springfield ( UIS, formerly Sangamon State University ), which is located on the southeast side of the city. The second is Benedictine University at Springfield located on North Fifth Street ( formerly known as Springfield College in Illinois ), and the third is Robert Morris University ( Illinois ), located on Montvale, just off Wabash. Springfield is also home to a junior college Lincoln Land Community College, located just south of UIS. From 1875 to 1976, Springfield was also home to Concordia Theological Seminary. The seminary was moved back to its original home of Fort Wayne, Indiana, and the campus now serves as the Illinois Department of Corrections Academy. The city is home to the Springfield campus of the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, which includes a Cancer Institute in Springfield 's Medical District. Infrastructure Health systems There are two Springfield hospitals, Memorial Medical Center and St. John 's Hospital. A third hospital, originally Springfield Community Hospital, and later renamed Doctor 's Hospital operated on Springfield 's south side until 2003. Kindred Healthcare opened a long term acute care hospital in Springfield in 2010, however, the facility was purchased by Vibra Healthcare in 2013, and is now operated by Vibra under the name Vibra Hospital of Springfield. St. John 's Hospital is home to the Prairie Heart Institute, which performs more cardiovascular procedures than any other hospital in Illinois. The dominant health care providers in the area are SIU HealthCare and Springfield Clinic. The major medical education concern in the area is the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. The major regional cancer center is the SIU Simmons Cancer Institute. Parks The Springfield Park District operates more than 30 parks throughout the city. The two best - known are Carpenter Park, an Illinois Nature Preserve on the banks of the Sangamon River, and Washington Park and Botanical Garden on the city 's southwest side and adjacent to some of Springfield 's most beautiful and architecturally interesting homes. Washington Park has also been home to the Thomas Rees Memorial Carillon since its dedication in 1962. Southwind Park, on the southern edge of the city, has been developed as a park enjoying full compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Lincoln Park, located next to Oak Ridge Cemetery where President Lincoln 's tomb is located, is home to the Nelson Recreation Center, which boasts a public swimming pool, tennis courts, and the city 's only public ice rink, home of the Springfield Jr. Blues, a minor league hockey team. Centennial Park, which rests on the outskirts of Springfield 's southwest limits, holds the city 's only public skatepark, as well as several ball fields, tennis courts, and a manmade hill for cardio exercises and sledding in winter months. In addition to the public - sector parks operated by the Springfield Park District, two significant privately operated tree gardens / arboretums operate within city limits : the Abraham Lincoln Memorial Garden on Lake Springfield south of the city, and the Adams Wildlife Sanctuary on Springfield 's east side. Public utilities The owner of Lake Springfield, City Water, Light & Power, supplies electric power generated from the Dallman Power Plants for the city of Springfield and eight surrounding communities, the company also provides the cities and towns with water from the lake. In 2005, ground was broken for a third municipally owned power plant. This Power Plant has been completed and came online in 2009. Natural gas is provided via AmerenCILCO, formerly Central Illinois Light Company ( CILCO ). Transportation Interstate 55 runs from north to south past Springfield, while I - 72, which is concurrent with US 36 from the Missouri state line to Decatur, runs from east to west. Springfield is also served by Amtrak passenger trains, which operate between Chicago and St. Louis and stop at the former Gulf, Mobile & Ohio station. Springfield is also served by Greyhound lines at a station on North Dirksen Parkway. Local mass transportation needs are met by a bus service. The Sangamon Mass Transit District ( SMTD ) operates Springfield 's bus system. The city also lies along historic Route 66. Border thoroughfare traffic is handled by Veterans Parkway and J. David Jones Parkway on the west side, Everett M. Dirksen Parkway on the east side, Sangamon Avenue on the north end, and Wabash Avenue, Stanford Avenue, and Adlai Stevenson Drive on the south end. The far south corridor is served by Toronto and Woodside Roads. Thoroughfare traffic through the heart of the city is provided by a series of one - way streets. Fifth and Sixth Streets serve the bulk of the north -- south traffic, with Fourth and Seventh Streets serving additional traffic between North Grand and South Grand Avenues. East - west traffic is handled by Jefferson Street, entering Springfield on the west side from IL 97, and then splitting into a pair of one - way streets at Amos Avenue ( Madison eastbound and Jefferson westbound ). The two converge again after Eleventh Street to become Clearlake Avenue, which in turn converges into I - 72 eastbound just past Dirksen Parkway. Additional east -- west one - way streets run through the downtown areas of Springfield, including Monroe, Adams, Washington, and Cook Streets, as well as a stretch of Lawrence Avenue. Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport serves the capital city with scheduled passenger jet service to Chicago / O'Hare, Dallas - Fort Worth, Fort Myers ( via the Punta Gorda Airport ) and Orlando ( via the Sanford Airport ). Springfield and the surrounding metropolitan area has constructed bike trails and bike lanes on a number of streets. Currently four main trails exist ; two significant paved trails, the Interurban Trail and the Lost Bridge Trail, serve Springfield and its suburbs of Chatham, Illinois and Rochester, Illinois respectively. The Lost Bridge Trail has been extended further into Springfield by the Bunn to Lost Bridge Trail, which follows a stretch of Ash Street and Taylor Avenue. Plans are to extend it further still to Stanford Avenue. A third trail, the Wabash Trail, extends westward from the northern end of the Interurban Trail toward Parkway Pointe, a regional shopping destination. The fourth trail is a section, opened in July 2011, of the Sangamon Valley Trail spanning north to south through the west central part of Sangamon County. The section open as of 2011 extends northward from Centennial Park to Stuart Park. This trail, if completed in its entirety, will reuse the entire Sangamon County portion of the abandoned St. Louis, Peoria and North Western Railway railroad line as a trail that will extend from Girard, Illinois, to Athens, Illinois. Notable people Main article : List of people from Springfield, Illinois Sister cities Springfield, Illinois, USA has five sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International, they include the following places : Astaneh - ye Ashrafiyeh ( Iran ) Villach ( Austria ) Killarney ( Ireland ) San Pedro ( Mexico ) Ashikaga ( Japan ) See also Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum Camp Butler National Cemetery Dana - Thomas House Illinois Executive Mansion Illinois Old State Capitol ( Springfield ) Illinois State Capitol Illinois State Fair Lanphier Park Lincoln Home National Historic Site Lincoln 's Tomb National Museum of Surveying University of Illinois at Springfield USS Springfield USS Springfield ( SSN - 761 ) White Oaks Mall Notes Jump up ^ Barry Popik, Smoky City, barrypopik.com website, March 27, 2005 Jump up ^ Official website ^ Jump up to : Springfield Online Archived 2007 - 05 - 01 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on April 13, 2007 Jump up ^ `` 2016 U.S. Gazetteer Files ''. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved Jun 30, 2017. ^ Jump up to : `` Springfield ( city ), Illinois ''. State & County QuickFacts. U.S. Census Bureau. 8 July 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2014. ^ Jump up to : `` Population and Housing Unit Estimates ''. Retrieved June 9, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Look Up a ZIP Code ''. USPS.com. p. 1. Archived from the original on May 12, 2017. Retrieved May 12, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Look Up a ZIP Code ''. USPS.com. p. 2. Archived from the original on May 12, 2017. Retrieved May 12, 2017. ^ Jump up to : U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System : City of Springfield Jump up ^ `` 2010 Census Data -- 2010 Census ''. 2010.census.gov. Archived from the original on 2011 - 07 - 06. Retrieved 2012 - 03 - 12. Jump up ^ `` Estimates of Resident Population Change and Rankings : July 1, 2012 to July 1, 2013 ''. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division. March 2014. Retrieved 16 September 2014. Jump up ^ Springfield history Retrieved on February 21, 2007 ^ Jump up to : Springfield, Illinois, archived from the original on 2012 - 04 - 01, retrieved 2017 - 03 - 07 ^ Jump up to : A Brief Sketch of Springfield, Illinois, archived from the original on 2012 - 03 - 05, retrieved 2017 - 03 - 07 ^ Jump up to : `` Springfield, Illinois ''. American History. 32 ( 4 ) : 60. September -- October 1997. ISSN 1076 - 8866, Academic Search Premier, ( EBSCO ). Jump up ^ Winkle, ( 1998 ) Jump up ^ Kenneth J. Winkle, `` The Voters of Lincoln 's Springfield : Migration and Political Participation in an Antebellum City. '' Journal of Social History 1992 25 ( 3 ) : 595 -- 611. ISSN 0022 - 4529 Fulltext : Ebsco Jump up ^ Robert E., Coleberd, Jr. `` John Williams : a Merchant Banker in Springfield, Illinois. '' Agricultural History 1968 42 ( 3 ) : 259 -- 265. ISSN 0002 - 1482 Jump up ^ Roger Howard Dallmann, `` Springfield Seminary. '' Concordia Historical Institute Quarterly 1977 50 ( 3 ) : 106 -- 130. ISSN 0010 - 5260 Jump up ^ Camilla A. Quinn, `` Soldiers on Our Streets : the Effects of a Civil War Military Camp on the Springfield Community. '' Illinois Historical Journal 1993 86 ( 4 ) : 245 -- 256. ISSN 0748 - 8149 Jump up ^ Ron Sakolsky, `` Utopia at Your Doorstep : Vachel Lindsay 's Golden Book of Springfield. '' Utopian Studies 2001 12 ( 2 ) : 53 -- 64. ISSN 1045 - 991X Fulltext : Ebsco ^ Jump up to : Donald P. Hallmark, `` Frank Lloyd Wright 's Dana - Thomas House : Its History, Acquisition, and Preservation '', Illinois Historical Journal 1989 82 ( 2 ) : 113 -- 126. ISSN 0748 - 8149 Jump up ^ `` Welcome to the Dana - Thomas House ''. Dana-thomas.org. 1983 - 08 - 23. Retrieved 2012 - 03 - 12. Jump up ^ Alexander O. Boulton, `` Pride of the Prairie '', American Heritage 1991 42 ( 4 ) : 62 -- 69. ISSN 0002 - 8738 Fulltext : Ebsco Jump up ^ Chicago Commission on Race Relations ( 1919 ) ; Crouthamel ( 1960 ) ; Senechal ( 1990 ) ^ Jump up to : `` Springfield Tornadoes of March 12, 2006 ''. National Weather Service Lincoln, Illinois. 11 May 2009. Retrieved 17 September 2014. Jump up ^ `` Obama : I 'm running for president ''. Chicagotribune.com. 2007 - 02 - 10. Retrieved 2012 - 03 - 12. Jump up ^ `` G001 -- Geographic Identifiers -- 2010 Census Summary File 1 ''. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2015 - 12 - 27. Jump up ^ Willman, H.B., and J.C. Frye, 1970, Pleistocene Stratigraphy of Illinois. Bulletin no. 94, Illinois State Geological Survey, Champaign, Illinois. Jump up ^ McKay, E.D., 2007, Six Rivers, Five Glaciers, and an Outburst Flood : the Considerable Legacy of the Illinois River. Proceedings of the 2007 Governor 's Conference on the Management of the Illinois River System : Our continuing Commitment, 11th Biennial Conference, Oct. 2 -- 4, 2007, 11 p. Jump up ^ Warner, Kelly L. `` Lower Illinois River Basin -- Physiography -- Water - Quality Assessment of the Lower Illinois River Basin : Environmental Setting, USGS Water Resources of Illinois ''. United States Geological Survey. Il.water.usgs.gov/. p. 3. Retrieved April 6, 2007. ^ Jump up to : Lake Springfield, City Water, Light & Power, City of Springfield. Retrieved February 20, 2007. Jump up ^ About CWLP, City Water, Light & Power, City of Springfield. Retrieved February 20, 2007. ^ Jump up to : Lake Water Levels, City Water, Light & Power, City of Springfield. Retrieved February 24, 2007. Jump up ^ `` NOWData -- NOAA Online Weather Data ''. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved November 22, 2012. Jump up ^ `` IL Springfield Capital AP ''. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved September 10, 2015. Jump up ^ `` WMO Climate Normals for Springfield / Capital ARPT, IL 1961 -- 1990 ''. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved September 10, 2015. Jump up ^ Normal Monthly Precipitation, Inches Archived 2006 - 09 - 19 at the Wayback Machine., Department of Meteorology, University of Utah. Retrieved February 24, 2007. Jump up ^ Normal Daily Temperature, ° F, Department of Meteorology, University of Utah. Retrieved February 24, 2007. ^ Jump up to : New City Tornado Sirens are Fully Operational, Press Release, City of Springfield. Retrieved February 21, 2007. Jump up ^ Springfield and Quincy Fire Department Awarded $146,646 in Homeland Security Grants, Press Release, Office of Congressman Ray Lahood, February 23, 2005. Retrieved March 7, 2007. Jump up ^ Minutes of the Springfield City Council -- April 4, 2006, ( PDF ), City of Springfield, City Clerk. Retrieved March 7, 2007. Jump up ^ `` Census of Population and Housing ''. Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Illinois - Race and Hispanic Origin for Selected Cities and Other Places : Earliest Census to 1990 ''. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2012 - 08 - 06. Jump up ^ `` American FactFinder ''. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008 - 01 - 31. Jump up ^ Neighborhood Associations, Office of Planning & Economic Development, City of Springfield. Retrieved March 11, 2007. Jump up ^ `` Boundaries '', Lincoln Park Neighborhood Association. Retrieved May 20, 2007. Jump up ^ Wood, Thomas J. and Kirsch, Sarah. `` Rhymes to Be Traded for Bread '', Web Exhibit, University of Illinois - Springfield. Retrieved February 21, 2007. Jump up ^ John L. Lewis House, Historic Sites Commission of Springfield, Illinois. Retrieved February 21, 2007 Jump up ^ Hales, Linda. Getting One 's Fill at Hillwood, Editorial Review, Washington Post, September 24, 2000. Retrieved February 21, 2007. Jump up ^ Murdin, Paul, ed. `` Abstract, Smithsonian / NASA ADS, Astronomy Abstract Service ''. Encyclopedia of Astronomy and Astrophysics. Retrieved February 21, 2007. CS1 maint : Extra text : authors list ( link ) Jump up ^ Illinois Authors on the Illinois State Library http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/library/about/illinois_authors.html Accessed 8 / 30 / 13 Jump up ^ `` Illinois Symphony Orchestra home page ''. Ilsymphony.org. 2012 - 02 - 01. Retrieved 2012 - 03 - 12. Jump up ^ Artie Matthews, Biography, AllMusic.com. Retrieved February 21, 2007. Jump up ^ Morris Day and The Time, Richard De La Fonte Agency, Inc. Retrieved February 21, 2007. Jump up ^ http://www.findsomethingtodo.com/category_e.asp?l=6&c=1 Jump up ^ http://www.findsomethingtodo.com/category_e.asp?l=6&c=17 Jump up ^ `` The Black Sheep Cafe ''. Black Sheep. Retrieved March 27, 2015. Jump up ^ http://www.socaf.org/ Jump up ^ staff. `` Annual Route 66 Film Festival ''. Central Illinois Film Commission. Retrieved 15 February 2016. Jump up ^ The Independent : A Magazine for Video and Filmmakers. 28. Foundation for Independent Video and Film. 2005. pp. 56 -- 58. Jump up ^ The Independent Film & Video Monthly. volume - 28 : Foundation for Independent Video and Film. 2005. Jump up ^ `` Interview with Edwin Waldmire -- Illinois Regional Archives Depository ( IRAD ) '' ( PDF ). Oral History Collections. Brookens Library, University of Illinois - Springfield. Retrieved February 24, 2007. Jump up ^ Storch, Charles. Birthplace ( maybe ) of the corn dog, Chicago Tribune, August 16, 2006, Newspaper Source, ( EBSCO ). Retrieved February 24, 2007. Jump up ^ Harris, Patricia ; Lyon, David ( November 20, 2006 ). `` The hottest thing in sandwiches ''. Boston Globe. Retrieved February 24, 2007. Jump up ^ 117 - Year - Old Brewing Co. Closes, ( PDF ) Chicago Tribune, ( 1963 -- Current file ) ; August 8, 1966 ; pg. C6. ProQuest Historical Newspapers, Chicago Tribune ( 1849 -- 1985 ). Retrieved March 10, 2007 Jump up ^ Pearson, Rick. `` A Guide for the National Press '', Chicago Tribune, February 9, 2007. Retrieved February 23, 2007. ^ Jump up to : Zimmerman - Wills, Penny. `` Capital City Chilli '', Illinois Times, January 30, 2003, Retrieved February 23, 2007 ^ Jump up to : About the City, Springfield, Illinois Convention and Visitors Bureau. Retrieved February 23, 2007. Jump up ^ Thomas, Benjamin P. Abraham Lincoln : A Biography, Alfred Knopf : New York, ( 1952 ). Retrieved February 24, 2007. Jump up ^ The visit of The Emir of Qatar to the United States ( May 2005 ), Press Release, Embassy of the State of Qatar in Washington, D.C.. Retrieved February 24, 2007. Jump up ^ Museum Dedication -- A Look Back, ( note : automatically plays band music ), Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. Retrieved February 24, 2007. Jump up ^ Reardon Patrick T. Donner Party began here too, Chicago Tribune, February 7, 2007. Retrieved February 21, 2007. ^ Jump up to : Dana - Thomas House, State Historic Sites, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. Retrieved March 7, 2007. Jump up ^ The 46th Annual Carillon Festival, Press Release, Thomas Rees Memorial Carillon. Retrieved February 24, 2007. Jump up ^ Jeff Fassero, Player Pages, Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 21, 2007. Jump up ^ Kevin Seitzer, Player Pages, Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 21, 2007. Jump up ^ Ryan O'Malley, Player Pages, Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 21, 2007. Jump up ^ Robin Roberts, Player Pages, Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 21, 2007. Jump up ^ Lew Freedman. Gamble Paying Off, Chicago Tribune, February 10, 2007. Jump up ^ Andre Iguodala to Donate $19,000 to Assist Tornado Relief Efforts in Springfield, Ill., Press Release, Philadelphia 76ers, April 4, 2006. Retrieved February 21, 2007 Jump up ^ `` Ryan Held Bio - SwimSwam ''. Retrieved 2016 - 09 - 12. Jump up ^ http://www.stationindex.com/tv/markets/champaign-springfield-decatur Jump up ^ The Rise & Fall of WJJY - TV. Retrieved on March 8, 2007. Jump up ^ Illinois Radio Stations. Retrieved on August 23, 2007. Jump up ^ Springfield Illinois news media. Retrieved on March 8, 2007. Jump up ^ Lincoln, National Weather Service. `` NOAA Weather Radio Station WXJ - 75 ( Springfield ) ''. NOAA Weather Radio Station WXJ - 75 ( Springfield ). National Weather Service Lincoln. Retrieved 7 / 8 / 16. Check date values in : access - date = ( help ) ^ Jump up to : Major Springfield Employers, Office of Planning and Economic Development, City of Springfield. Retrieved February 24, 2007. ^ Jump up to : `` Springfield, IL Economy at a Glance ''. Bls.gov. 2014 - 02 - 28. Retrieved 2014 - 03 - 05. ^ Jump up to : `` Living Wage Calculation for Springfield city, Sangamon County, Illinois ''. Living Wage Project. Retrieved 15 September 2014. Jump up ^ `` City of Springfield CAFR 2015 '' ( PDF ). Retrieved 2016 - 012 - 16. Check date values in : access - date = ( help ) ^ Jump up to : Code of Ordinances, City of Springfield, Title III : Chapter 32 : Article I -- Executive Branch. Municode.com. Retrieved February 25, 2007. ^ Jump up to : Code of Ordinances, City of Springfield, Title I : Chapter 30 : General Provisions. Municode.com. Retrieved February 25, 2007. ^ Jump up to : Code of Ordinances, City of Springfield, Title III : Chapter 31 : Legislative. Municode.com. Retrieved February 25, 2007. Jump up ^ Article IV -- Section 4, Jurisdiction, The Judiciary, Constitution of the State of Illinois, Illinois General Assembly. Retrieved March 7, 2007. Jump up ^ Article IV -- Section 1, Legislature -- Power and Structure, The Legislature, Constitution of the State of Illinois, Illinois General Assembly. Retrieved March 7, 2007. ^ Jump up to : Gauen, Pat. `` Illinois corruption explained : the capital is too far from Chicago '' ( Archive ). St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved on May 26, 2016. ^ Jump up to : Reeder, Scott. `` What does it cost taxpayers to pay for lawmakers ' empty Springfield residences ? '' ( Archive ). Illinois News Network. September 11, 2014. Retrieved on May 26, 2016. Jump up ^ Capital Township, Official site. Retrieved March 8, 2007. Jump up ^ Sangamon County Fact Sheet Archived 2007 - 10 - 24 at the Wayback Machine., Illinois State Archives. Retrieved March 10, 2007. Jump up ^ Schools, Springfield Public School District 186. Retrieved February 24, 2007 Jump up ^ Sacred Heart - Griffin. `` Sacred Heart -- Griffin High School ''. Shg.org. Retrieved 2014 - 03 - 05. Jump up ^ Lutheran High, Main page. Retrieved February 24, 2007. Jump up ^ Office of Student Affairs, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. Retrieved February 24, 2007. Jump up ^ New SimmonsCooper Cancer Institute Building, SimmonsCooper Cancer Institute, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. Retrieved February 24, 2007. Jump up ^ `` Doctors Hospital 's Medical Equipment Sold at Auction -- Health News ''. redOrbit. 2006 - 01 - 23. Retrieved 2014 - 03 - 05. Jump up ^ `` State board OKs Vibra 's purchase of Kindred Hospital ''. The State Journal - Register. Springfield, Illinois. 2013 - 08 - 15. Retrieved 2014 - 03 - 05. Jump up ^ Overview, Prairie Heart Institute, St. John 's Hospital. Retrieved August 7, 2011. Jump up ^ Springfield profile, Office of Planning & Economic Development, City of Springfield. Retrieved April 6, 2007. Jump up ^ Amtrak, Amtrak Station. Retrieved February 24, 2007. Jump up ^ Sangamon Mass Transit District, Sangamon Mass Transit System. Retrieved January 26, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport ( SPI ) - Springfield, IL ''. Jump up ^ http://www.springfieldparks.org/parks/bikeTrails/Bunn.aspx Jump up ^ `` Sangamon Valley Trail officially opens ''. Chris Young. State Journal - Register. 2010 - 07 - 27. Retrieved 2011 - 07 - 29. References Chicago Commission on Race Relations ( 1922 ). `` The Springfield Riot ''. The Negro in Chicago : A Study of Race Relations and a Race Riot. Chicago, Ill : University of Chicago Press. pp. 66 -- 71. History of Sangamon County, Illinois : Together with Sketches of Its Cities, Villages and Townships... Portraits of Prominent Persons, and Biographies of Representative Citizens. History of Illinois. Chicago : Inter-state Pub. Co. 1881. Further reading Angle, Paul M. `` Here I have lived '' : A history of Lincoln 's Springfield, 1821 -- 1865 ( 1935, 1971 ) Crouthamel, James L. `` The Springfield Race Riot of 1908. '' Journal of Negro History 1960 45 ( 3 ) : 164 -- 181. ISSN 0022 - 2992 in Jstor Harrison, Shelby Millard, ed. The Springfield Survey : Study of Social Conditions in an American City ( 1920 ), famous sociological study of the city vol 3 online `` Springfield ''. Illinois State Gazetteer and Business Directory for 1858 and 1859. Chicago, Ill : George W. Hawes. 1858. OCLC 4757260. Laine, Christian K. Landmark Springfield : Architecture and Urbanism in the Capital City of Illinois. Chicago : Metropolitan, 1985. 111 pp. ISBN 0935119019 OCLC 12942732 Lindsay, Vachel. The Golden Book of Springfield ( 1920 ), a novel excerpt and text search Senechal, Roberta. The Sociogenesis of a Race Riot : Springfield, Illinois, in 1908. 1990. 231 pp. VanMeter, Andy. `` Always My Friend : A History of the State Journal - Register and Springfield. '' Springfield, Ill. : Copley, 1981. 360 pp. history of the daily newspapers Wallace, Christopher Elliott. `` The Opportunity to Grow : Springfield, Illinois during the 1850s. '' PhD dissertation Purdue U. 1983. 247 pp. DAI 1984 44 ( 9 ) : 2864 - A. DA8400427 Fulltext : ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Winkle, Kenneth J. `` The Second Party System in Lincoln 's Springfield. '' Civil War History 1998 44 ( 4 ) : 267 -- 284. ISSN 0009 - 8078 External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Springfield, Illinois. Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Springfield_ ( Illinois ). City of Springfield Illinois General Assembly Springfield, Illinois at DMOZ `` Springfield, the capital of Illinois, U.S.A. ''. Encyclopædia Britannica ( 11th ed. ). 1911. You Know You 're From Springfield When... ( Springfield History ) Links to related articles State of Illinois Springfield ( capital ) Topics Index Buildings and structures Census areas Communications Culture Delegations Earthquakes Economy Education Energy Environment Geography Government Health History Languages Law Music People Politics Portal Protected areas Society Sports Tourism Transportation Windmills Seal of Illinois Regions American Bottom Central Illinois Champaign -- Urbana metropolitan area Chicago metropolitan area Collar counties Corn Belt Driftless Area Forgottonia Fox Valley Illinois - Indiana - Kentucky tri-state area Metro East Metro Lakeland Mississippi Alluvial Plain North Shore Northern Illinois Northwestern Illinois Peoria metropolitan area Quad Cities River Bend Rockford metropolitan area Southern Illinois Streatorland Wabash Valley Cities, towns and villages Alton / Granite City / Edwardsville Arlington Heights / Palatine Aurora / Naperville / Oswego / Plainfield Bartlett / Hanover Park / Streamwood 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Waukegan / North Chicago / Gurnee Wheaton Counties Adams Alexander Bond Boone Brown Bureau Calhoun Carroll Cass Champaign Christian Clark Clay Clinton Coles Cook Crawford Cumberland DeKalb DeWitt Douglas DuPage Edgar Edwards Effingham Fayette Ford Franklin Fulton Gallatin Greene Grundy Hamilton Hancock Hardin Henderson Henry Iroquois Jackson Jasper Jefferson Jersey Jo Daviess Johnson Kane Kankakee Kendall Knox LaSalle Lake Lawrence Lee Livingston Logan Macon Macoupin Madison Marion Marshall Mason Massac McDonough McHenry McLean Menard Mercer Monroe Montgomery Morgan Moultrie Ogle Peoria Perry Piatt Pike Pope Pulaski Putnam Randolph Richland Rock Island Saline Sangamon Schuyler Scott Shelby St. Clair Stark Stephenson Tazewell Union Vermilion Wabash Warren Washington Wayne White Whiteside Will Williamson Winnebago Woodford Municipalities and communities of Sangamon County, Illinois, United States County seat : Springfield Cities Auburn Leland Grove Springfield Virden ‡ Villages Berlin Buffalo Cantrall Chatham Clear Lake Curran Dawson Divernon Grandview Illiopolis Jerome Loami Mechanicsburg New Berlin Pawnee Pleasant Plains Riverton Rochester Sherman Southern View Spaulding Thayer Williamsville Townships Auburn Ball Buffalo Hart Capital Cartwright Chatham Clear Lake Cooper Cotton Hill Curran Divernon Fancy Creek Gardner Illiopolis Island Grove Lanesville Loami Maxwell Mechanicsburg New Berlin Pawnee Rochester Salisbury Springfield Talkington Williams Woodside Unincorporated communities Andrew Archer Barclay Barr Bates Bissell Bradfordton Breckenridge Buckhart Buffalo Hart Cimic Clayville Farmingdale Glenarm Island Grove Lowder New City Old Berlin Riddle Hill Salisbury Toronto Zenobia ‡ Footnotes ‡ This city also has portions in adjacent county or counties Capitals of the United States by jurisdiction Nation : US Washington States : AL Montgomery AK Juneau AZ Phoenix AR Little Rock CA Sacramento CO Denver CT Hartford DE Dover FL Tallahassee GA Atlanta HI Honolulu ID Boise IL Springfield IN Indianapolis IA Des Moines KS Topeka KY Frankfort LA Baton Rouge ME Augusta MD Annapolis MA Boston MI Lansing MN Saint Paul MS Jackson MO Jefferson City MT Helena NE Lincoln NV Carson City NH Concord NJ Trenton NM Santa Fe NY Albany NC Raleigh ND Bismarck OH Columbus OK Oklahoma City OR Salem PA Harrisburg RI Providence SC Columbia SD Pierre TN Nashville TX Austin UT Salt Lake City VT Montpelier VA Richmond WA Olympia WV Charleston WI Madison WY Cheyenne Territories : AS Pago Pago GU Hagåtña MP Saipan PR San Juan VI Charlotte Amalie Mayors of cities with populations exceeding 100,000 in Illinois Rahm Emanuel ( Chicago ) Richard Irvin ( Aurora ) Tom McNamara ( Rockford ) Bob O'Dekirk ( Joliet ) Steve Chirico ( Naperville ) Jim Langfelder ( Springfield ) Jim Ardis ( Peoria ) Dave Kaptain ( Elgin ) Other states AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY Abraham Lincoln 16th President of the United States ( 1861 -- 1865 ) U.S. Representative from Illinois ( 1847 -- 1849 ) Presidency First inauguration Perpetual Union Lincoln Bible Second inauguration Civil War Confiscation Acts President Lincoln 's 75,000 volunteers War based income tax Seaports blockade RMS Trent Affair Habeas Corpus suspended Emancipation Proclamation West Virginia statehood Overland Campaign strategy Hampton Roads Conference Tour of Richmond Ten percent plan Reconstruction 13th Amendment abolishing slavery Dakota War of 1862 Department of the Northwest Homestead Act of 1862 National Banking Acts Thanksgiving Day Birchard Letter Bixby letter National Academy of Sciences Department of Agriculture Pardons State of the Union Address, 1863 1864 Cabinet Judicial appointments Assassination Funeral and burial Lincoln Catafalque Speeches Lyceum address ( 1838 ) Peoria speech ( 1854 ) `` Lost Speech '' ( 1856 ) House Divided speech ( 1858 ) Lincoln - Douglas debates ( 1858 ) Cooper Union Address ( 1860 ) Farewell Address ( 1861 ) First inaugural address ( 1861 ) Gettysburg Address ( 1863 event ) Second inaugural address ( 1865 ) Life and views Early life and career Black Hawk War Matson Trial Spot Resolutions Boat lifting patent Hurd v. Rock Island Bridge Co. Baltimore Plot Lincoln 's beard Medical and mental health Poetry Religious views Sexuality Slavery Homes and places Lincoln Birthplace Knob Creek Farm Lincoln Boyhood Memorial Lincoln State Park Lincoln Trail Homestead State Memorial Lincoln 's New Salem Lincoln Home Lincoln Pioneer Village Little Pigeon Creek Community Cottage at the Soldier 's Home Lincoln Bedroom Lincoln Sitting Room Ford 's Theatre Petersen House Lincoln Tomb Elections Republican National Convention, 1856 1860 1864 National Union Party United States presidential election, 1860 1864 1860 campaign song Legacy Presidential Library and Museum Papers Lincoln / Net Bibliography Lincoln Memorial sculpture reflecting pool Mount Rushmore Lincoln 's Birthday Lincoln, Nebraska statue Abraham Lincoln ( Healy painting ) Abraham Lincoln sculpture, Washington D.C. Abraham Lincoln : The Man statue Lincoln Park Abraham Lincoln : The Head of State statue Lincoln Trail State Memorial Lincoln the Lawyer statue Kentucky statue The Peacemakers painting Lincoln Highway Other memorials Photographs Cultural depictions films postage stamps Lincoln penny Illinois Centennial half dollar currency five - dollar bill art Lincoln Prize Abraham Lincoln Association White House ghost Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln Lincoln -- Kennedy coincidences Aircraft Carrier USS Abraham Lincoln Family Family tree Mary Todd Lincoln ( wife ) Robert Todd Lincoln ( son ) Edward Baker Lincoln ( son ) William Wallace Lincoln ( son ) Thomas `` Tad '' Lincoln ( son ) Mary Todd `` Mamie '' Lincoln ( granddaughter ) Abraham Lincoln II ( grandson ) Jessie Lincoln ( granddaughter ) Thomas Lincoln ( father ) Nancy Hanks Lincoln ( mother ) Sarah Bush Lincoln ( stepmother ) Sarah Lincoln Grigsby ( sister ) Abraham Lincoln ( paternal grandfather ) Mordecai Lincoln ( paternal uncle ) Mary Lincoln Crume ( paternal aunt ) John Hanks ( maternal cousin ) Joseph Hanks ( great - grandfather ) Samuel Lincoln ( 17th - century ancestor ) Mary Lincoln Beckwith ( great - granddaughter ) Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith ( great - grandson ) Timothy Lincoln Beckwith ( great - great - grandson ) Old Bob ( horse ) ← James Buchanan Andrew Johnson → Book Outline VIAF : 158262680 LCCN : n79041941 GND : 4118770 - 2 BNF : cb12304077h ( data ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Springfield,_Illinois&oldid=800818734 '' Categories : Springfield, Illinois Cities in Springfield, Illinois, metropolitan area Cities in Illinois Cities in Sangamon County, Illinois County seats in Illinois Populated places established in 1819 1819 establishments in Illinois Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links Articles with inconsistent citation formats All articles with dead external links Articles with dead external links from March 2017 CS1 maint : Extra text : authors list Articles with dead external links from July 2017 Articles with permanently dead external links CS1 errors : dates Coordinates on Wikidata Wikipedia articles in need of updating from September 2014 All Wikipedia articles in need of updating All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from August 2011 Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2014 All articles containing potentially dated statements Articles with DMOZ links Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica with Wikisource reference Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikivoyage Languages Afrikaans አማርኛ Aragonés Asturianu Avañe'ẽ Azərbaycanca تۆرکجه Bân - lâm - gú Беларуская Bislama Български Bosanski Brezhoneg Català Cebuano Čeština Corsu Cymraeg Dansk Deitsch Deutsch Diné bizaad Eesti Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Estremeñu Euskara فارسی Føroyskt Français Frysk Gaeilge Gàidhlig Galego 한국어 Հայերեն Hrvatski Ido Ilokano Bahasa Indonesia Interlingua Interlingue Ирон Italiano עברית Kapampangan Kernowek Kiswahili Kreyòl ayisyen Kurdî Кыргызча Кырык мары Latina Latviešu Lietuvių Ligure Lumbaart Magyar Македонски Malagasy मराठी Nederlands नेपाल भाषा 日本 語 Napulitano Norsk Occitan पालि پنجابی Piemontèis Polski Português Română Runa Simi Русский Саха тыла संस्कृतम् Sardu Scots Shqip Sicilianu Simple English Slovenčina Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska Tagalog தமிழ் ไทย Türkçe Українська اردو Vèneto Tiếng Việt Volapük Winaray ייִדיש 粵語 Žemaitėška 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 15 September 2017, at 21 : 33. 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Question: when did springfield become the capital of illinois
Answer: 1839