Highland, Illinois
Highland is a city in Madison County, Illinois, United States. The population was 9,991 at the 2020 census. Highland began as a Swiss settlement and derived its name from later German immigrants. Highland is a sister city of Sursee in Switzerland. Highland, because it is located in Madison County, Illinois, is a part of the Metro-East region of the Greater St. Louis metropolitan area. History. Highland, Illinois was settled in the early 19th century by Swiss-German settlers. The town was founded in 1837 and celebrated its 175th Jubilee in 2012. It was first named Helvetia (pronounced  hellveesha) in accordance with the Heritage of the town's Swiss-German founding members. The town voted to change its name to the English version - Highland, in the early 20th century, as well as stopping production of its German language newspaper, in part to avoid negativity towards those of Germanic heritage at the advent of the First World War. Around the same time, a small town in northern Illinois also started calling itself Highland. Eventually, the town in northern Illinois became Highland Park. Highland also has been home to many well-known businesses including Pet Milk and the Wicks Organ  Company. For the past 60 years, Highland Supply Corporation has been producing and selling Floral Grass - a traditional decorative product used to line Easter baskets. Highland is also home to The Korte Company (builder of many large and well-known buildings including Universal Studios in Florida). Highland has a rich history including extended visits by such notables as Abraham Lincoln. On November 21, 1915, the Liberty Bell passed through Highland on its nationwide tour returning to Pennsylvania from the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. After that trip, the Liberty Bell returned to Pennsylvania and will not be moved  again. The current mayor is Kevin B. Hemann. Highland is in the process of implementing citywide availability of a municipal broadband network using Fiber to the home technology. Geography. According to the 2010 census, Highland has a total area of , of which (or 86.29%) is land and (or 13.71%) is water. Highways. The following highways run through or around Highland: IL-160, IL-143, US-40, and I-70 (slightly north). Education. The Highland Community Unit School District serves Highland area students including those from Alhambra, Illinois, Grantfork, Illinois, and New Douglas, Illinois. Kindergarten through sixth grade schools are located in each of the  districts municipalities while the district's middle and high schools are located in Highland. Starting in August 2014 6th grade is located at the Highland Middle School. In September 2014, the district's teachers staged a strike for the first time in the district's history. Additionally, Highland has a local parochial school named St. Paul Catholic School offering Kindergarten through eighth grade education. The Louis Latzer Memorial public library has a collection of more than 48,000 print volumes, a substantial media collection, and public computer access along with access to subscription databases and a genealogy collection. It is also  a member of the Illinois Heartland Library System. Demographics. As of the census of 2010, there were 9,919 people, 4,013 households, and 2,633 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,561.1 people per square mile (602.2/km). There were 3,610 housing units at an average density of 667.9 per square mile (257.6/km). The racial makeup of the city was 97.00% White, 0.2% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.4% of the population. There were 4,013 households and 2,633  families. 50.3% of the families have children 18 years old or younger. There are 2,017 husband-wife families. 29.5% of all the households were made up of one individual and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.99. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.8% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 23% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was  36.8 years. Of the total population 4,714 are males and 5,205 are females. The median income for a household in the city was $39,524, and the median income for a family was $52,240. Males had a median income of $36,536 versus $25,620 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,101. About 3.6% of families and 6.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.9% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over. Mentions in popular media. Highland is the setting for the first song on  the "Illinois" album by Sufjan Stevens, titled 'Concerning the UFO sighting near Highland, Illinois', in which Stevens mentioned a 21st-century UFO sighting by the owner of the local mini-golf course. Highland was also mentioned on "The Daily Show" on 9 Feb 2006. A report mentioned local pharmacist and state legislator Ron Stephens, who protested an executive order by then Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich requiring a pharmacist to fill emergency contraception prescriptions.