Vienna, Illinois

Vienna ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Johnson County, Illinois, United States, and it is the site of two well-known state penitentiaries. The population of Vienna was 1,343 at the 2020 census.

History

Vienna was originally an Indian trading post in the early 1800s, the forming of Vienna far preceded the rise of the railroad and coal industries in the region, but it was not named after Austria's capital. Platted as early as 1818 - the same year Illinois became a state - and named the county seat, Vienna was incorporated as a village in 1837 and then as a city in 1893. It has served as the county seat for close to 200 years. In fact, the first post office opened in 1821 before the town was ever incorporated. Vienna is also one of the settlements tens of thousands of Native Americans were forced to pass through in 1830 en route to Oklahoma where they were relocated by the U.S. government. That forced migration westward came to be known as the Trail of Tears due to the brutal conditions that the Native Americans faced. Having to walk barefoot in the middle of winter, thousands died by order of the U.S. government. The Johnson County Courthouse was built in 1868 and is one of the oldest active courthouses in the state. Total cost of the project 140 years ago was a little more than $80,000 (approximately $1.5 million in 2021).

Notable locations

Vienna Correctional Center—6695 State Route 146 E., Vienna, IL 62995—was opened in November 1965. Vienna is a minimum-security prison. The operational capacity is 1,963. This is an adult male facility only. The Average Annual Cost Per Inmate is $21,310 (FY16).

Heron Pond - Little Black Slough Nature Preserve, a National Natural Landmark, is nearby.

The Tunnel Hill State Trail trail-head and headquarters is located in Vienna.

The Trail of Tears halfway point commemorative totem and flags are located in the adjacent city park.

Vienna is home to the Johnson County Courthouse and the Vienna Public Library, which are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Dixon Springs State Park is located nearby in Dixon Springs, which is about 15 minutes from downtown Vienna.

The Garden of the Gods Wilderness is located a short distance east of Vienna, offering hikers a place to hike locally.

Education

The city, which has about 700 students within its two districts, is home to Vienna Grade School and Vienna High School. Located nearby are Shawnee Community College in Ullin and Southern Illinois University Carbondale in Carbondale, which both act as a local college for students of the geographical area.

Transportation

Although Vienna is not served by an airport or train station, bus service runs through the city twice daily.
Greyhound Bus service to Vienna runs daily to the local Hospitality House and Greyhound Bus Station downtown.

Major highways

* I-24
* US 45
* Illinois Route 146 crosses at the major intersection downtown with U.S. 45.
* Illinois Route 147
* Illinois Route 37
* Illinois Route 145

Bicycling

Vienna is considered by some to be the bicycling capital of the Midwestern USA. Most people who live in the area bicycle weekly on the many trails and bike routes within the city. A bike path that runs from Vienna High School to Vienna Trail of Tears City Park was completed in August 2014, and allows visitors to commute between Northern Vienna and the Tunnel Hill State Trail.

U.S. Bicycle Route 76 crosses with Tunnel Hill State Trail in Vienna.

Tunnel Hill State Trail's Headquarters is in Vienna, and an entire facility equipped with restrooms and vending machines is located within the headquarters, as well as a bicycling museum.

Geography

Vienna is located at (37.416103, -88.894268).

According to the 2010 census, Vienna has a total area of , of which (or 98.72%) is land and (or 1.28%) is water.

Demographics

As of the 2020 census there were 1,343 people, 649 households, and 370 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 707 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 91.59% White, 1.34% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.07% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 2.08% from other races, and 4.62% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.57% of the population.

There were 649 households, out of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.59% were married couples living together, 17.26% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.99% were non-families. 39.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 28.51% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.10 and the average family size was 2.36.

The city's age distribution consisted of 21.4% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 15.4% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 28.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 75.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,809, and the median income for a family was $55,234. Males had a median income of $36,103 versus $21,484 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,554. About 15.9% of families and 24.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 41.6% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* Levi Casey, triple jumper
* Pleasant T. Chapman, Congressman, born nearby and practiced law here
* George W. English, U.S. District Court judge, born nearby, practiced law here, was impeached in 1926
* William Heirens, reputed serial-killer, spent 23 years at Vienna Correctional Center
* Andrew J. Kuykendall, Congressman, practiced law here
* Adrian Lindsey, college football coach
* C. L. McCormick, Illinois legislator, lived here
* William W. Mitchell Sr., Arizona legislator, born here
* Paul Powell, former Illinois Secretary of State, born here

References

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Cities in Johnson County, Illinois
Cities in Illinois
County seats in Illinois