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Geography 101: | ||||||||||||||||||||
But opposite the major part St. Louis city is a large old flood plain of the Mississippi called "The Great American Bottoms". Now don't panic yet....because the last time it was flooded was in the Great Flood of 1903, long before levees protected it. It wasn't anything but damp during the great flood of 1993, although flood plains along the mississippi near Alton and near Columbia were flooded in 1993. (But we won't take you anywhere there's the chance of flooding, and the Corps of Engineers probably won't let you anyway because of new regulations.) That old, flat flood plain, The American Bottoms, is not a hospitable residential venue. Although there are some towns and cities located on it, near the river, they're not considered top relocation sites, are generally shrinking in population, and we don't work there.
But in the 10,000 years since the glacier retreated, erosion and vegetation have shaped the tops of these "bluffs" into a beautiful rolling topography fringed with woods. It was a great haven for all kinds of Indians as they found wood, water, and opportunity for some open fields for early agriculture. (It was also near the confluence of the Missouri, Illinois and Mississippi rivers....the canoe superhighways of their era.) Artifacts are still in abundance. Farmers, coming with the immigration of the early 1800's, farmed the open, more level areas, but left the ditches and their abundance of trees for us. Wise developers use the topography well....confining roads to the crests, with opportunity for many walkout basements into the woods behind.
And this final word about the American Bottoms...for it's important to also note that they form a rather natural green belt separator from the inner cities. So we go across it....and it's a pleasant drive. Go for the bluffs...they're prettier, their drainage is near-perfect, they're breezier...and they have some of the nicest communities of people and homes you'll find anywhere! The Land of Goshen:
In 1799, a traveling Baptist minister, David Bradley, stunned by the beautiful view from the bluffs overlooking the plain below, labeled the area "The Land of Goshen". He was comparing it to the Biblical land of milk and honey.... For a long time the "Goshen Road" brought immigrants from Shawneetown across Illinois and into the "Gateway" to the West....that terminus can still be found at the Lewis and Clark Library in Edwardsville. Many still refer to that label today. You'll see businesses and communities using the name. The "Best" locations for relocating families, (on the Illinois side)
They are school districts actually, because they all qualify with top schools (although somewhat different), and then have slightly different flavors to life. All three include considerable peripheral geography therefore, as the school districts include quite a bit of rural area, in every case. They are, in our minds: Edwardsville/Glen Carbon, ("Edwardsville District 7"), Troy ("Triad District 2"), and O'Fallon/Shiloh ("O'Fallon District 90") (Collinsville, Columbia, some smaller towns are close, too.) These are the places most promising for those relocating to the St. Louis area, living in Illinois, and working either in Illinois industry or in Missouri: 1. They have great schools 2. They are especially close to downtown St. Louis, with Edwardsville/Glen Carbon and Troy also having great north county access via IS 270. 3. They are "dynamic"...have plain vitality and good citizenship. 4. They have great housing options available, extremely active new home builders. 5. They have top resaleability. 6. They have shopping and service support in abundance 7. They are safe and secure. 8. They offer incredible citizenry participation, all kinds of activities. 9. They're pretty...they have interesting histories...and just great livability 10. Chances are, you'll find friends there, perhaps from the same company you're going to work with. We consider these the "bullseye" in targeting...they must be looked at first because of the compelling characteristics. There are many other good towns....more "country" than not. And there are larger and even closer cities that are more than OK....we're just talking creme de la creme. Of course, there will be a lot of counseling with clients on this issue. |
Understanding and enjoying
SW Illinois is enhanced with just a little geography: The whole St.
Louis area is built on a strata of bedrock that generally slopes to
the east. This means that Missouri has a lot more outcroppings than
Illinois, but there are gorgeous limestone cliffs (outcroppings) above
Alton on the north, and in below Columbia on the south. (These should
be on your "things to do" list as they make great day-tours. The "Great
River Road", from Alton North, is on the American Heritage list.) 
However, the the American Bottoms are bordered on the east with
"bluffs"....abruptly rising 400-500 feet above the old flood plain,
and this is the great topography! The bluffs were formed at the end
of the Wisconsin Glacial period by prevailing westerly winds blowing
clay parties from the barren flood plain below the terminus of the glacier....which
came about this far south. So the bluffs are entirely composed of wind-blown
clay particles that geologists call "loess.
They are cities, starting on the north....Godfrey,
parts of Alton, Bethalto, Edwardsville, Glen Carbon, Collinsville, Troy,
St. Jacob, Highland, Fairview Heights, O'Fallon, Shiloh, Swansea, parts
of Belleville, Freeburg, Millstadt, Columbia and Waterloo. They occupy
a band about ten miles wide, a big arc from north to south, bulging
in the middle, 7 to 8 miles from the river. (On maps, the edge is pretty
will defined by Illinois 157, with Interstate 255 a mile or two farther
into the old flood plain...both north south roads, paralleling the bluffs.)
The midsection of the bluffs
is generally labeled "The Land of Goshen".
This is a dangerous exercise...for
we're offering some conclusions here that you should make yourself....so
let's say we would like to direct your attention to three special areas...
