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 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 Springfield Park District also operates an independent police department.
Springfield is the capital city of the U.S. state of Illinois and the seat of Sangamon County. The city's population was 114,394 at the 2020 census, which makes it the state's seventh-most populous city, the second-most populous outside of the Chicago metropolitan area, and the most populous in Central Illinois. Approximately 208,000 residents live in the Springfield metropolitan area, which consists of all of Sangamon and Menard counties. Springfield lies in a plain near the Sangamon River north of Lake Springfield. The city is on historic Route 66.
Sangamon County is a county located near the center of the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 196,343. Its county seat and largest city is Springfield, the state capital.
Harristown is a village in Macon County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,310 at the 2020 census. It is included in the Decatur, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Chatham is a village in Sangamon County, Illinois, United States. It is located 2.8 miles (4.5 km) 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 13,008 as of 2019. The village lies along the original alignment of historic U.S. Route 66.
Clear Lake is an unincorporated community and former incorporated village in Sangamon County, Illinois, United States. The population was 267 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.
New Berlin is a village in Sangamon County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,346 at the 2010 census, and 1,327 at a 2018 estimate. It is part of the Springfield Metropolitan Statistical Area. New Berlin is home to CUSD #16, New Berlin High School.
Sherman is a village in Sangamon County, Illinois, United States. The population was 4,673 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area. The village was hit by a high end EF-2 tornado in the March 31st outbreak.
The University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) is a public university in Springfield, Illinois. The university was established by the Illinois General Assembly in 1969 as Sangamon State University with a focus on post-graduate education. It became the third member of the University of Illinois system on July 1, 1995. The university now also includes a liberal arts college and is a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. UIS is also a member 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.
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 and runs through Decatur and Springfield. The river is associated with the early career of Abraham Lincoln and played an important role in early European 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.
Lincoln Land Community College is a public community college in Springfield, Illinois. It has extended branches in different locations, including Beardstown, Jacksonville, Litchfield and Taylorville, Illinois. The main campus is less than half a mile from the University of Illinois Springfield.
The Sangamon Mass Transit District (SMTD) is a regional mass transit district that mostly serves Springfield, Illinois along with a few neighboring communities. It is governed by a seven-member board of trustees, who are all appointed by the Sangamon County Board of Supervisors. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 1,406,900, or about 5,500 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2024.
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.
Rochester is a village and suburb of Springfield in Sangamon County, Illinois, United States. The population was 3,689 at the 2010 census, and 3,713 at a 2018 estimate. The village was settled in 1819, and is located in Rochester Township.
Central Illinois is a region of the U.S. state of Illinois that consists of the entire central third of the state, divided from north to south. Also known as the Heart of Illinois, it is characterized by small towns and mid-sized cities. Agriculture, particularly corn and soybeans, as well as educational institutions and manufacturing centers, figure prominently.
The Interurban Trail is a 8.3-mile (13.4 km) rail trail in Sangamon County, Illinois, United States. 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, to the center of Chatham.
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.
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.
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.
The Sand Creek Conservation Area is a 755-acre (3 km2) natural area in the U.S. state of Illinois, located in South Wheatland Township south of Lake Decatur. The conservation area preserves tallgrass prairie and prairie-savanna acreage and serves the people of Macon County and the Decatur metropolitan area. The area is operated by the Macon County Conservation District.
The Macon County Conservation District (MCCD) is a public park authority, created in 1966, serving the metropolitan area of Decatur in the U.S. state of Illinois. The conservation district operates five conservation areas and six historic sites, as of 2022, throughout Macon County. Facilities include the park district's flagship open space, Rock Springs Conservation Area; a nature center within the Conservation Area, the Rock Springs Nature Center; and an Illinois State Natural Area, the Bois du Sangamon by Lake Decatur.