Springfield Park District

Last updated February 23, 2019

The Springfield Park District, established in 1900, is the public park authority serving the metropolitan area of Springfield in the U.S. state of Illinois. The Springfield park district, which is separate from the municipal government of the city of Springfield, covers approximately 2,500 acres of open space. The park district has taxing power over about 60 square miles of Sangamon County; it operates 40 facilities that include four public golf courses.^[1] Facilities include the park district's flagship open space, Washington Park; an Illinois State Natural Area and Important Bird Area of Illinois, Carpenter Park; and the Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant Southwind Park.^[2]

Springfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County. The city's population of 116,250 as of the 2010 U.S. Census makes it the state's sixth most populous city. It is the largest city in central Illinois. As of 2013, the city's population was estimated to have increased to 117,006, with just over 211,700 residents living in the Springfield Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Sangamon County and the adjacent Menard County.

Illinois is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It has the 5th largest Gross Domestic Product by state, is the 6th-most populous U.S. state and 25th-largest state in terms of land area. Illinois is often noted as a microcosm of the entire United States. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in northern and central Illinois, and natural resources such as coal, timber, and petroleum in the south, Illinois has a diverse economic base, and is a major transportation hub. Chicagoland, Chicago's metropolitan area, contains over 65% of the state's population. The Port of Chicago connects the state to other global ports around the world from the Great Lakes, via the Saint Lawrence Seaway, to the Atlantic Ocean; as well as the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River, via the Illinois Waterway on the Illinois River. The Mississippi River, the Ohio River, and the Wabash River form parts of the boundaries of Illinois. For decades, Chicago's O'Hare International Airport has been ranked as one of the world's busiest airports. Illinois has long had a reputation as a bellwether both in social and cultural terms and, through the 1980s, in politics.

Sangamon County is a county located in the center of the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 197,465. Its county seat is Springfield, the state capital.

The park district operates 13 miles of bike trails in five units, designated as the Bunn to Lost Bridge Trail, Interurban Trail, Lost Bridge Trail, Sangamon Valley Trail, and Wabash Trail. ^[3]

The Interurban Trail is a 4.75-mile (7.6 km) rail trail in Sangamon County, Illinois. It was built by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and occupies an abandoned Illinois Terminal Railroad interurban corridor. It stretches from the south side of Springfield, Illinois, to the center of Chatham, Illinois.

The Lost Bridge Trail is a 5.0-mile (8.0 km) rail trail in Sangamon County, Illinois. It was built by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) along an abandoned Baltimore and Ohio Railroad corridor between the east side of Springfield, Illinois to the center of Rochester, Illinois.

The Sangamon Valley Trail is an 11.5-mile (18.5 km) rail trail on the west side of Sangamon County in the U.S. state of Illinois. Skirting Springfield, Illinois, it extends from Centennial Park, on Springfield's southwest side, to Irwin Bridge Road near Sangamon County's northern border. It was constructed by a Sangamon County team in two stages; the 5.5-mile-long first or southern stage was completed in 2010–2011 at a cost of $3.8 million, and opened to the public on July 26, 2011. The 6-mile-long second or northern half of the trail was completed in 2016-2017 at a cost of $4.4 million, and opened to the public on November 16, 2017. The trail is operated by the Springfield Park District.

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Glen Carbon is a village in Madison County, Illinois, United States, 19 miles (31 km) northeast of St. Louis. The population was 12,934 at the 2010 census.

Petersburg is a city in Menard County, Illinois, United States, on the bluffs and part of the floodplain overlooking the Sangamon River. It is part of the Springfield, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,299 at the 2000 census, and 2,185 at a 2009 estimate. It is the county seat of Menard County. Petersburg is located approximately two miles north of New Salem, the original settlement where Abraham Lincoln first settled when he came to Illinois.

Chatham is a village in Sangamon County, Illinois, United States. It is located 2.8 miles south of Springfield and has a retail trade area that extends into four other municipalities, including Springfield. The population was 11,500 as of the 2010 census and estimated to be 11,946 as of 2012. The village lies along the original alignment of historic U.S. Route 66.

The University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) is a public university in Springfield, Illinois, United States. The university was established in 1969 as Sangamon State University by the Illinois General Assembly and became a part of the University of Illinois system on July 1, 1995. As a public liberal arts college, and the newest campus in the University of Illinois system, UIS is a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. UIS is also part of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and the American Council on Education. The campus' main repository, Brookens Library, holds a collection of nearly 800,000 books and serials- in addition to accessible resources at the University of Illinois Chicago and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campuses.

Sangamon River watercourse in the United States of America

The Sangamon River is a principal tributary of the Illinois River, approximately 246 miles (396 km) long, in central Illinois in the United States. It drains a mostly rural agricultural area between Peoria and Springfield. The river is associated with the early career of Abraham Lincoln and played an important role in the early white settlement of Illinois, when the area around was known as the "Sangamon River Country". The section of the Sangamon River that flows through Robert Allerton Park near Monticello was named a National Natural Landmark in 1971.

The Old State Capitol State Historic Site, in Springfield, Illinois, is the fifth capitol building built for the U.S. state of Illinois. It was built in the Greek Revival style in 1837–1840, and served as the state house from 1840 to 1876. It is the site of candidacy announcements by Abraham Lincoln in 1858 and Barack Obama in 2007. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1961, primarily for its association with Lincoln and his political rival Stephen Douglas.

Rochester is a village in Sangamon County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,893 at the 2000 census, and 3,246 at a 2009 estimate. The village was settled in 1819, and is located in Rochester Township.

Springfield Township is located in Sangamon County, Illinois. It is made up of unincorporated areas bordering on the city of Springfield, which should not be confused with the township. As of the 2010 census, its population was 6,245 and it contained 3,099 housing units.

Carpenter Park is a 322-acre (1.3 km²) park on the north bank of the Sangamon River on the far north side of the city of Springfield, Illinois. Part of the park is a listed Illinois Nature Preserve and has been designated as an Important Bird Area of Illinois. The park, which is operated by the Springfield Park District, is one of the roadside attractions of old Route 66.

Rock Springs Conservation Area is a 1,300 acre (5 km²) park located 4 miles (6.5 km) southwest of Decatur, Illinois. Centering on the Rock Spring Nature Center, a small environmental-education museum and community center, it is the largest parcel of parkland, in terms of surface area, in Macon County.

The Wabash Trail is a 3.0-mile (4.8 km) rail trail in Sangamon County, Illinois. It was built by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and occupies an abandoned Wabash Railroad right-of-way on the southwest side of Springfield, Illinois, stretching eastward from Robbins Road to the Wabash Trail Parking on South Park Avenue, linking with the northern terminus of the Interurban Trail. Upkeep and policing of the trail are managed by the Springfield Park District.

Toronto was an unincorporated rural community located in Woodside Township, Sangamon County, Illinois. It was located adjacent to what is now the Toronto Road exit at Mile 90 of the Illinois section of Interstate 55. Today, the Toronto neighborhood of Springfield is roughly defined as the region bordering Lake Springfield south of Interstate 72 and east of Interstate 55.

The Sangamon River State Fish and Wildlife Area, also and formerly known as the Sangamon County Conservation Area and the Sangamon River State Habitat Area, is a 127-acre (51-hectare) forest preserve located in Fancy Creek Township near the village of Cantrall in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is located on the banks of the Sangamon River, and preserves open space for visitors and residents of metropolitan Springfield, Illinois.

Sangamon Auditorium is a 2,018-seat concert hall and performing arts center located in Springfield, Illinois, on the campus of the University of Illinois at Springfield. It was built in 1981. It is the home of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra. Hal Holbrook opened the auditorium on February 21, 1981 with his one-man show, Mark Twain Tonight!, which he has reprised at the auditorium many times since. Over 2,000 events have been presented at the Auditorium since its opening. These have included concerts, Broadway and stage shows, graduation ceremonies and various other events.

The Sangamon County Courts Complex, located at 200 S. 9th Street in Springfield, is the county courthouse serving Sangamon County, Illinois. The Complex is made up of two adjacent buildings, one used for county offices and courtroom operations and the other one housing the sheriff's office and county jail. Both buildings have secured entrances/exits, as well as internal security separating the two buildings.

References

↑ "Springfield Park District: About the Springfield Park District". Springfield Park District. Retrieved 2016-03-01.
↑ "Springfield Park District: About the Springfield Park District". Springfield Park District. Retrieved 2016-03-01.
↑ "Springfield Park District: Find a Park". Springfield Park District. Retrieved 2016-03-01.

Coordinates: 39°46′8.5″N89°38′2.4″W / 39.769028°N 89.634000°W / 39.769028; -89.634000

Geographic coordinate system Coordinate system

A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are often chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position and two or three of the numbers represent a horizontal position; alternatively, a geographic position may be expressed in a combined three-dimensional Cartesian vector. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation. To specify a location on a plane requires a map projection.

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[SPD-home_page-1] "Springfield Park District: About the Springfield Park District". Springfield Park District. Retrieved 2016-03-01.

[SPD-park_list-2] "Springfield Park District: About the Springfield Park District". Springfield Park District. Retrieved 2016-03-01.

[SPD-bike_trails-3] "Springfield Park District: Find a Park". Springfield Park District. Retrieved 2016-03-01.