Godfrey is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

in Madison County,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, United States. The population was 17,825 at the 2020 census. Godfrey is located within the River Bend portion of the Greater St. Louis metropolitan area.

History

The village is named for Captain Benjamin Godfrey, a native

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

er, who arrived in the area in 1832. 1838 saw the establishment of the Monticello Female Seminary, later renamed Monticello College. Captain Godfrey, the father of eight daughters, was an advocate of higher education for women and made a large donation of funds and land for the college. Monticello operated as a two-year college for women until the campus was sold in 1970 to establish Lewis and Clark Community College. Monticello's final class graduated in 1971. The nearby mouth of the Missouri River was the starting point for the expedition of

Lewis and Clark Lewis may refer to: Names * Lewis (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Lewis (surname), including a list of people with the surname Music * Lewis (musician), Canadian singer * " Lewis (Mistreated)", a song by Radiohe ...

Geography

Godfrey is located in the northwest corner of Madison County at (38.948097, -90.202886). It is bordered to the southeast by the city of Alton, to the east by Foster Township, to the north and west by Jersey County, and to the south by the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

, across which is the city of West Alton, Missouri. Godfrey is by road north of downtown St. Louis. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Godfrey has a total area of , of which are land and , or 5.39%, are water. The southwestern edge of the village is a wall of limestone bluffs along the

. Approximately upstream is the mouth of the

Illinois River The Illinois River () is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River at approximately in length. Located in the U.S. state of Illinois, the river has a drainage basin of . The Illinois River begins with the confluence of the Des Plaines ...

. The

Missouri River The Missouri River is a river in the Central United States, Central and Mountain states, Mountain West regions of the United States. The nation's longest, it rises in the eastern Centennial Mountains of the Bitterroot Range of the Rocky Moun ...

empties into the Mississippi downstream. Godfrey retains the status of a village and is a mixture of small business, agriculture, and upper middle class housing developments. Several highways cross the village.

U.S. Route 67 U.S. Route 67 is a major north–south U.S. highway which extends for 1,560 miles (2,511 km) in the Central United States. The southern terminus of the route is at the United States-Mexico border in Presidio, Texas, where it continues ...

passes through the village center, leading south into Alton and thence into Missouri, while to the north it leads to Jerseyville.

Illinois Route 3 Illinois Route 3 (IL 3) is a major north–south arterial state highway in southwestern Illinois. It has its southern terminus at Cairo Junction (about north of Cairo, Illinois, Cairo) at the intersection of U.S. Route 51 in Illinois, U.S ...

passes through the southern part of the village, leading southeast into the north part of Alton and west to Grafton. Illinois Route 100 follows the Mississippi River along the southern edge of the village, leading east into the center of Alton and west-northwest to Grafton. Illinois Route 267 splits off from US 67 north of the village center and leads northeast to

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

. Finally, Illinois Route 255, a four-lane expressway, has its northern terminus at US 67 in Godfrey; it leads southeast to Interstates 255 and 270 in Pontoon Beach.

Demographics

At the 2000 census there were 16,286 people, 6,427 households, and 4,698 families living in the village. The population density was . There were 6,694 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 94.06% White, 4.04% African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.65% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races, and 0.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.98%. Of the 6,427 households 29.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.2% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.9% were non-families. 23.3% of households were one person and 11.4% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.90. The age distribution was 22.6% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 26.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.8% 65 or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.1 males. The median household income was $50,342 and the median family income was $57,971. Males had a median income of $43,017 versus $27,870 for females. The per capita income for the village was $25,292. About 3.2% of families and 5.9% 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 ...

, including 5.1% of those under age 18 and 2.5% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* Zoe Akins, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and playwright; attended school in Godfrey * Craig Hentrich, NFL punter, 1994–2009 * John Madson, freelance naturalist, tallgrass prairie ecosystems * Ellis Wainwright, brewer, art collector and socialite

References

External links

* {{Riverbend, state=collapsed Villages in Madison County, Illinois Populated places established in 1832 Illinois populated places on the Mississippi River 1832 establishments in Illinois Villages in Illinois