Madison

Formed September 14, 1812 (5^th county)

Madison County (265,858), Edwardsville (26,826), Granite City (27,566)

A Neo-Classical governmental 1915 courthouse serves Madison County.  It is on Main Street between Saint Louis and 2^nd streets.  Illinois State Highway 143 is Main Street in the city.  There was an 1857 courthouse also in Edwardsville the only county seat.  Robert G. Kirsch was the architect of this masonry structure.  The building features marble floors inside.  A County Administrative building was added in 1992.  The county was formed on September 14, 1812 out of Randolph and Saint Clair counties as the 5^th county.  President James Madison is the namesake for the county.  Governor Ninian Edwards in the county seat source name.  He is also the source of Edwards County.  Madison County was the birthplace of 1 Illinois Governor, Charles S. Deneen. 

Madison County government consists of a sheriff and 30 Commissioners.  Eighteen Circuit Court Judges serve Madison and Bond counties.  The county is located directly northeast of Saint Louis, Missouri in southwest Illinois.  The Mississippi River forms its western border with Missouri.  The county center is 8.6 miles North of Edwardsville nearer Holiday Shores.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Macoupin, Montgomery, Bond, Clinton, and Saint Clair counties and Missouri and Jersey County. 

The area of the county is 716 square miles.  It is 22 out of 102 in the state.  It ranks 8 out of 102 in population in the state.  It has a density of 371.3 persons per square mile making it 10 out of 102 in the state.  Madison County has 78.9% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 55 comes in from the north Macoupin County and goes south into St. Clair County.  Interstate Highway 70 goes east to west from Bond to Saint Clair counties.  United States Highway 40 parallels Interstate Highway 70 from Bond to Saint Clair counties.  The county is shaped like a hook.  Edwardsville is located near the center of the county.  The largest city is located on the Mississippi River in the western part of the county.  Edwardsville is the county seat and Granite City is the largest city.  Edwardsville is 10.1% of the county population while Granite City is 10.4% of the county population.  This county is in the Saint Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Madison