Granite City (Illinois)

Madison County

17-30926

Granite City is a city in Madison County in the U.S. state of Illinois with 31 301 inhabitants ( 2000). The city is located in the Metro - East called the eastern part of the metropolitan area of ​​Greater St. Louis the city of St. Louis in neighboring Missouri.

Geography

Granite City is located in southwestern Illinois, west of Madison County, a few miles from the Mississippi River, 10 km north-east of St. Louis. Granite City has an area of 44.5 km ², of which 1.3 km ² water surface are.

History

Already at the beginning of the 19th century the first immigrants settled in the area and began farming, especially on the food supply of St. Louis. By 1830, called the area of the present town Six Mile, created from the distance to St. Louis.

In 1850 came two German immigrants, Frederick and William brothers (Frederick and William) Niedringhaus, to St. Louis, where they began the manufacture of kitchen appliances. In 1870 they settled the production of articles of granite and patented in 1891 they shifted production in the area of Six Mile. 1896 was officially established on the basis of the production of granite Granite City. In subsequent years, the brothers Niedringhaus employed up to 4,000 people in its factory. The work produced until the mid 20th century, when new materials such as aluminum, stainless steel or Pyrex displaced the objects produced from granite.

Economy

Granite City is today, partly due to the good transport facilities for heavy transports over the Mississippi River and the connections to Interstates 270, 255, 70, 55 and 64, an industrial site with branches of major U.S. companies such as U.S. Steel, precoat Metals, Tower Automotive, Capri - sun ( U.S. production of Capri - sun), Kraft Foods, Heidtman Steel, ADM Packaged Oils, Nestle Company and Praire Farms.

Sons and daughters of the town

  • Jimmy Haggett, country and rockabilly musicians
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