Cottage Hills, Illinois

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Cottage Hills
Unincorporated community
Cottage Hills, Illinois
CottageHillsIllinois.jpg
Cottage Hills is located in Illinois
Cottage Hills
Cottage Hills
Coordinates: 38°54′11″N 90°04′12″W / 38.90306°N 90.07000°W / 38.90306; -90.07000Coordinates: 38°54′11″N 90°04′12″W / 38.90306°N 90.07000°W / 38.90306; -90.07000
CountryUnited States
StateIllinois
CountyMadison
Elevation
512 ft (156 m)
Population
 • Total3,604[1]
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
62018
Area code(s)618
GNIS feature ID406618[2]

Cottage Hills is an unincorporated community in Madison County, Illinois, United States. In 2018, Cottage Hills had a population of 3,604. Cottage Hills is west of Bethalto, north of Rosewood Heights, East of East Alton, and is a part of the St. Louis Metro Area. Cottage Hills has a post office with ZIP code 62018.[3] Between 1915 and 1980 a railway under the name of St. Louis Division Old Line used to pass through the community.[4] Similar to most communities in Madison County, Cottage Hills is a bedroom community. Cottage Hills is best known for its very religious population, which has caused many churches to spur up in the community.

History[]

Cottage Hills was likely inhabited around the same time as the other parts of Madison County, becoming primarily used for farming. Due to this, during the late 1800s a train station used for loading grain was established. Cottage Hills during this time was originally known as Possum Ridge, for its location on the edge of the Mississippi Bluffs.[5]

Following the 1934 Purchase of the Stoker Family's Farm in the region, work on building a suburb in the region began, fueled mostly by people moving out of Bethalto. Between 1934 and the 1950s, cottage hills grew in size substantially, with a post office being established in 1941. During this time as well, the Rio Theater opened, which was rather popular among the local folk. However, after issues and incidents that costed the theater too much, which made it close in 1956. During this time period from 1934 to the late 1950s, cottage hills was developed into a rather large suburb of around 4,000 people.[6][7]

In the coming decades, Cottage Hills would slowly decline, with the railway that passed through eventually closing and being torn down. With later on being replaced with a bike path, which was built in 2018.[8] During the late 20th century, Cottage Hills' economy would slowly die out, with most people going to Bethalto or Alton for their entertainment and food needs. Due to this, industries like the motor industry developed heavily during this time, with the main road, MacArthur Drive, or Route 140 becoming a large hub for motor specific buildings. With the industry contributing about half of the locally employed people in the community.

References[]

  1. ^ "United States Zip Codes". United States Zip Codes. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
  2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  3. ^ ZIP Code Lookup Archived June 15, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Mile Marker 239–240 (July 5, 2019). "Rails and Trails Transportation History Sources". Rails and Trails.
  5. ^ "Cottage Hills". madison.illinoisgenweb.org. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
  6. ^ "Cottage Hills, IL, Theaters". madison.illinoisgenweb.org. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
  7. ^ "Cottage Hills – Madison Historical". Retrieved July 17, 2021.
  8. ^ Cousins, Scott (November 1, 2018). "'A great coming together of the community': Bike trail opens near Kutter Park". The Edwardsville Intelligencer. Retrieved July 17, 2021.


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