Roxana is a village 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 1,454 at the 2020 census.
The
ZIP Code is 62084.
A majority of the land in Roxana is taken up by the
Wood River Refinery
The Wood River Refinery is an oil refinery located in Roxana, Illinois, approximately north of St. Louis, Missouri, on the east side of the Mississippi River. The refinery is currently owned by Phillips 66 and Cenovus Energy and operated by the ...
, an
oil refinery
An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial processes, industrial process Factory, plant where petroleum (crude oil) is transformed and refining, refined into products such as gasoline (petrol), diesel fuel, Bitumen, asphalt base, ...
operated by
Phillips 66
The Phillips 66 Company is an American Multinational corporation, multinational energy company headquartered in Westchase, Houston, Texas. Its name, dating back to 1927 as a trademark of the Phillips Petroleum Company, assisted in establishing ...
. The refinery was originally built and owned by
Shell Oil
Shell plc is a British multinational oil and gas company, headquartered in London, England. Shell is a public limited company with a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and secondary listings on Euronext Amsterdam and the New Y ...
. As of 2016, the refinery is capable of refining of oil per day to produce
gasoline
Gasoline ( North American English) or petrol ( Commonwealth English) is a petrochemical product characterized as a transparent, yellowish, and flammable liquid normally used as a fuel for spark-ignited internal combustion engines. When for ...
,
jet fuel
Jet fuel or aviation turbine fuel (ATF, also abbreviated avtur) is a type of aviation fuel designed for use in aircraft powered by Gas turbine, gas-turbine engines. It is colorless to straw-colored in appearance. The most commonly used fuels for ...
,
diesel,
asphalt
Asphalt most often refers to:
* Bitumen, also known as "liquid asphalt cement" or simply "asphalt", a viscous form of petroleum mainly used as a binder in asphalt concrete
* Asphalt concrete, a mixture of bitumen with coarse and fine aggregates, u ...
,
propane
Propane () is a three-carbon chain alkane with the molecular formula . It is a gas at standard temperature and pressure, but becomes liquid when compressed for transportation and storage. A by-product of natural gas processing and petroleum ref ...
, and other products, and supplies part of the
St. Louis
St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...
,
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
,
Indiana
Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
, and
Ohio
Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
regions.
Roxana is considered to be part of the
River Bend portion of the St. Louis
Metro East
The Metro East is an urban area in Southern Illinois, United States that contains the eastern and northern urban, suburban, and exurban areas on the Mississippi River in Greater St. Louis. It encompasses eight Illinois counties and constitutes ...
area. It is well known for its bright Christmas lights lining
Illinois Route 111
Illinois Route 111 (IL 111) is an north–south state highway in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders o ...
, its main street, throughout the holiday season each year.
History
In 1918, Shell Oil Company opened its Wood River Refinery in what was then called "Wood River Field", an area south of the city of
Wood River. As houses began being built close to the refinery, the population there grew to the point that, in 1921, this unincorporated area became the incorporated village of Roxana.
The origin of the village's name is unknown. Local lore is that the name "Roxana" was chosen to honor a "Queen Roxanne" of the
Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
, inasmuch as the village owed its very existence to Netherlands-state-owned
Royal Dutch Shell
Shell plc is a British multinational oil and gas company, headquartered in London, England. Shell is a public limited company with a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and secondary listings on Euronext Amsterdam and the New ...
. But there had never been a Queen Roxanne of the Netherlands. The Dutch monarch at the time was
Wilhelmina of the Netherlands
Wilhelmina (; Wilhelmina Helena Pauline Maria; 31 August 1880 – 28 November 1962) was List of monarchs of the Netherlands, Queen of the Netherlands from 1890 until her abdication in 1948. She reigned for nearly 58 years, making her the longest- ...
. However, Royal Dutch/Shell Group also founded Roxana Petroleum Company in 1912 in
Oklahoma
Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...
to explore for and produce
crude oil
Petroleum, also known as crude oil or simply oil, is a naturally occurring, yellowish-black liquid chemical mixture found in geological formations, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons. The term ''petroleum'' refers both to naturally occurring u ...
.
Subsequently, Shell built refineries near
New Orleans
New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
in 1916, at Wood River in 1918, and parallel with US Route 20 across
Hammond and
East Chicago in
Lake County, Indiana
Lake County is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. In 2020, its population was 498,700, making it Indiana's List of counties in Indiana, second-most populous county. The county seat is Crown Point, Indiana, C ...
, in 1926. The Hammond-East Chicago refinery was linked directly by pipeline to Wood River and resulted in the residential neighborhood of
Roxana (East Chicago) adjacent to it.
Originally constructed on , the Wood River Refinery now covers approximately . Phillips 66 acquired it, the largest in its system, in the early 2000s.
A
Baptist
Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...
church was organized in September 1921, and the land where the current First Baptist Church of Roxana now stands, at the corner of Tydeman Street and Central Avenue, was purchased in early 1922. The first services were held there on December 3, 1922. J.A. Wilson served as the church's first pastor.
A formal
village hall
A village hall is a public building in a rural or suburban community which functions as a community centre without a religious affiliation.
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, a village hall is a building which is owned by a local gover ...
, called for by a vote for a "Municipal Building", was built on $36,000 worth of bonds in 1938. It currently houses Roxana's Village President, Treasurer, Water Department, and Clerk's offices, the fire and police departments, the village board room, and a municipal gymnasium.
In the early 1940s, a large
Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...
-style theater was built at the northwest corner of Thomas Street and Central Avenue, at 400 N. Central Avenue. To the south across Thomas Street used to sit Burbank School, built in 1936 (torn down in 2009), and at the southeast corner of the intersection lay Roxana Drug Store. Seating approximately 580 people, the theater was originally designed for
vaudeville
Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...
acts as well as movie showings. In 1949, a
tornado
A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...
tore the roof off, but after repairs were made, the theater reopened. In the late 1960s, it was closed for nearly two years before being sold in June 1968 from the estate of Albert Critchlow to Bloomer Amusement Co. of
Belleville. It was thereafter operated as "BAC Cine" for many years. In 1992, the Cine was purchased by Kerasotes Theatres, Inc., of
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Illinois. Its population was 114,394 at the 2020 United States census, which makes it the state's List of cities in Illinois, seventh-most populous cit ...
, which operated it until its closing in February 2002.
In 2000, the theater was purchased from Kerasotes and was donated to the Roxana
Church of the Nazarene
The Church of the Nazarene is an evangelical Christian denomination that emerged in North America from the Wesleyan-Holiness movement within Methodism during the late 19th century.
The denomination has its headquarters in Lenexa, Kansas. and it ...
, which is located just to the north. The church now operates the building as the Nazarene Community Center, where it is available for rental and group events.
Geography
Roxana is located in western Madison County and is bordered to the north by
Wood River, to the west by
Hartford
Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...
, and to the southwest by
South Roxana.
Illinois Route 143 passes through the northern side of the village, leading northwest into Wood River and southeast to
Edwardsville, the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
.
Illinois Route 111
Illinois Route 111 (IL 111) is an north–south state highway in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders o ...
passes through the northwest part of the village, leading north into Wood River and south to
Pontoon Beach.
Illinois Route 255
Illinois Route 255 (IL 255), also referred to as the Alton Bypass, is a northwesterly extension of Interstate 255 (I-255) in southwestern Illinois in the St. Louis metropolitan area. IL 255 starts at I-270 in Pontoon Beach an ...
, a four-lane freeway, runs through the east side of the village, with access from Exits 5 and 6. Route 255 leads northwest to
Godfrey and south to Interstates
255 and
270 in Pontoon Beach.
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...
, Roxana has a total area of , of which , or 1.69%, are water.
Demographics
As of the census
of 2000, there were 1,547 people, 655 households, and 436 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 697 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 98.51%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.13%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.26%
Native American, 0.26%
Asian, 0.39% from
other races, and 0.45% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race were 0.65% of the population.
There were 655 households, out of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.4% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.4% were non-families. 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the village, the age distribution of the population shows 23.4% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.8 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $38,800, and the median income for a family was $45,500. Males had a median income of $40,078 versus $27,045 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the village was $20,511. About 2.5% of families and 3.8% 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 3.0% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Located within the village is
Roxana High School. The school district is served by two elementary schools, though only one is located within the village limits of Roxana. Central Elementary School is in Roxana, while South Roxana Elementary School is within
South Roxana. The former Burbank Elementary School, located at the corner of Thomas Street and Central Avenue, closed in 1984 and was demolished in 2009.
Nearby colleges and universities include
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) is a public university in Edwardsville, Illinois, United States. Located within the Metro East of Greater St. Louis, SIUE was established in 1957 as an extension of Southern Illinois University Ca ...
,
Principia College
Principia College is a private liberal arts college in Elsah, Illinois. It was founded in 1912 by Mary Kimball Morgan with the purpose of "serving the Cause of Christian Science." Morgan wrote in her book, Education at the Principia that, "Alt ...
, a four-year private college in
Elsah, and
Lewis and Clark Community College
Lewis and Clark Community College is a public community college in Godfrey, Illinois. It serves approximately 3,973 credit and non-credit students annually. The college has nine locations throughout the St. Louis Metro East, including a campu ...
in
Godfrey. The Dental School of
Southern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University is a system of public universities in the southern region of the U.S. state of Illinois. Its headquarters is in Carbondale, Illinois.
Board of trustees
The university is governed by the nine member SIU Board of T ...
is located close by in the city of
Alton.
Roxana Park
In May 1934, a village ordinance was passed creating a Recreation Board that would develop a plan for activities and playground sites, establish a budget and employ a Supervisor to manage the operation. In 1938, Village Hall was constructed which included a gymnasium for recreational activities. The first meeting of the Village Board in the newly constructed Village Hall was held on Wednesday, February 1, 1939. Village Hall, consisting of the gym, fire department, police department and other village offices, is located at the intersection of Central Avenue and West Third Street.
In 1947, land was purchased for the purpose of park and recreation facilities, and a
softball
Softball is a Variations of baseball, variation of baseball, the difference being that it is played with a larger ball, on a smaller field, and with only underhand pitches (where the ball is released while the hand is primarily below the ball) ...
diamond was constructed. The park is located in the northeastern part of the village, to the north and east of Roxana High School.
In 1952, the Park District was incorporated, followed by the addition of a public
swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming and associated activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built abo ...
in 1957. Adjacent to the pool was a recreation area which included
trampoline
A trampoline is a device consisting of a piece of taut, strong fabric stretched between a steel frame often using many coiled spring (device), springs. People bounce on trampolines for recreational and competitive purposes.
The fabric that use ...
s,
miniature golf
Miniature golf (also known as minigolf, putt-putt, crazy golf, and by #Nomenclature, several other names) is an offshoot of the sport of golf focusing solely on the putting aspect of its parent game. The aim of the game is to score the lowest ...
and donkey cart rides.
In 1959, additional land was purchased, and a house was acquired from
Shell Oil Company
Shell USA, Inc. (formerly Shell Oil Company, Inc.) is the United States–based wholly owned subsidiary of Shell plc, a UK-based transnational corporation " oil major" which is among the largest oil companies in the world. Approximately 18,000 ...
and moved to the property. This was the original meeting place of many community groups. When the house became too small to accommodate the needs of the people, the Rox-Arena was constructed in 1969. For many years, Roxana Park Director Lyle Dona lived in this house within the park.
In the years following,
picnic shelters were added along with additional ball fields, concession stand, soccer field, playgrounds and bike/walking paths. The main park now is home to four
baseball diamond
A baseball field, also called a ball field or baseball diamond, is the field upon which the game of baseball is played. The term can also be used as a metonym for a baseball park. The term sandlot is sometimes used, although this usually refers ...
s—the High School Diamond, the Lighted Diamond, the South Diamond and the Picnic Diamond.
In 1993, Burbank Park was purchased from the school district. It now contains a baseball diamond, playground, picnic shelter, soccer field, and basketball court. It is the site of the annual Roxana Homecoming Festival held each May.
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Park District, a new pool house was constructed in 2002.
Transportation
Roxana is served by
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
in
Alton,
St. Louis Regional Airport (formerly known as Civic Memorial Airport) in
Bethalto, and
Lambert-St. Louis International Airport
St. Louis Lambert International Airport is the primary international airport serving metropolitan St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Commonly referred to as Lambert Field or simply Lambert, it is the largest and busiest airport in the sta ...
.
The nearest interstate highway is
Interstate 270, approximately to the south, although
Illinois Route 255
Illinois Route 255 (IL 255), also referred to as the Alton Bypass, is a northwesterly extension of Interstate 255 (I-255) in southwestern Illinois in the St. Louis metropolitan area. IL 255 starts at I-270 in Pontoon Beach an ...
is a
controlled access highway, meeting federal interstate standards. Easy access can be had to
Interstate 55
Interstate 55 (I-55) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, connecting the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes. The ...
,
Interstate 70
Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from Interstate 15, I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to Interstate 695 (Maryland), I-695 and Maryland Route 570 (MD 570) in Woodlawn, Baltimo ...
and
Interstate 64
Interstate 64 (I-64) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the Eastern United States. Its western terminus is at Interstate 70, I-70, U.S. Route 40 (US 40), and U.S. Route 61, US 61 in Wentzville, Missouri. Its eastern ter ...
.
Illinois Route 111
Illinois Route 111 (IL 111) is an north–south state highway in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders o ...
(Central Avenue) is the main route through Roxana. It is a four-lane, non-divided highway through the village, and boasts the only two stoplights in town (located at its intersections with Thomas Street and Tydeman Street).
Illinois Route 255
Illinois Route 255 (IL 255), also referred to as the Alton Bypass, is a northwesterly extension of Interstate 255 (I-255) in southwestern Illinois in the St. Louis metropolitan area. IL 255 starts at I-270 in Pontoon Beach an ...
was completed in 1998 and runs through the eastern portion of the village limits, east of the
Wood River refinery
The Wood River Refinery is an oil refinery located in Roxana, Illinois, approximately north of St. Louis, Missouri, on the east side of the Mississippi River. The refinery is currently owned by Phillips 66 and Cenovus Energy and operated by the ...
. Although the village has plans to develop the area near Route 255, this has not yet occurred.
Notable people
*
Harry Gallatin
Harry Junior "The Horse" Gallatin (April 26, 1927 – October 7, 2015) was an American professional basketball player and coach. Gallatin played nine seasons for the New York Knicks in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1948–49 BAA ...
, forward and center with the
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...
, and coach with the
St. Louis Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games at S ...
and
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...
References
External links
*
Roxana Community Unit School District #1Roxana Community Park DistrictWood River Refinery History Museum
{{Riverbend, state=collapsed
Villages in Madison County, Illinois
Populated places established in 1921
Villages in Illinois