Alhambra is a village in Madison County,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The population was 622 at the 2020 census. Alhambra is part of the

Metro-East Metro East is a region in southern Illinois that contains eastern and northern suburbs and exurbs of St. Louis, Missouri, United States. It encompasses five Southern Illinois counties (and parts of three others) in the St. Louis Metropolitan Stati ...

region of the

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

, MO-IL

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...

History

Alhambra was laid out in 1849. The name was inspired by ''

Tales of the Alhambra ''Tales of the Alhambra'' (1832) is a collection of essays, verbal sketches and stories by American author Washington Irving (1783–1859) inspired by, and partly written during, his 1828 visit to the palace/fortress complex known as the Alhambr ...

'' by

Washington Irving Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He is best known for his short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and " The Legen ...

. The first cooperative

soybean The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean, which has numerous uses. Traditional unfermented food uses of soybeans include soy milk, from which tofu an ...

processing unit in Illinois, the Alhambra Grain & Feed Co., was located in the village. It began full production on March 1, 1945.''Soybean Digest'', May 1945, p. 14.

Geography

Alhambra is located in northeastern Madison County at (38.888614, -89.732616).

Illinois Route 140 Illinois Route 140 (IL 140) is a east–west highway with its western terminus at Illinois Route 143 in Alton and its eastern terminus at U.S. Route 40 (US 40) near Mulberry Grove. It also overlaps IL 111 in Alton and IL 127 in Greenvil ...

passes through the village as Main Street, leading west to Hamel and east to Greenville.

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

, is to the southwest. According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, Alhambra has a total area of , of which , or 1.05%, are water. The village drains southwest to Silver Creek, a south-flowing tributary of the

Kaskaskia River The Kaskaskia River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed May 13, 2011 in central and southern Illinois in the Un ...

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, there were 630 people, 209 households, and 145 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 216 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 98.73%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, and 1.27% from two or more races. There were 209 households, out of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.3% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 5.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.6% were non-families. 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.90. In the village, the population was spread out, with 17.1% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 22.9% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 34.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48 years. For every 100 females, there were 78.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 70.0 males. The median income for a household in the village was $36,818, and the median income for a family was $53,214. Males had a median income of $31,484 versus $22,981 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the village was $16,124. About 3.1% of families and 4.7% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 4.1% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

* {{authority control Villages in Madison County, Illinois Villages in Illinois 1849 establishments in Illinois