View source for Metropolis, Illinois

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{more citations needed|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Metropolis, Illinois
| settlement_type = [[List of cities in Illinois|City]]
| image_skyline = Metropolis city hall.jpg
| image_caption = City hall (2013)
| image_flag = 
| image_seal = 
| etymology = 
| nickname = 
| motto = 
| anthem = 
| image_map = File:Massac County Illinois Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Metropolis Highlighted.svg
| map_caption = Location in Massac County, Illinois
| image_map1 = 
| map_caption1 = 
| coordinates = {{coord|37|9|12|N|88|43|31|W|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_footnotes = 
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = United States
| subdivision_type1 = State
| subdivision_name1 = Illinois
| subdivision_type2 = County
| subdivision_name2 = [[Massac County, Illinois|Massac]]
| subdivision_type3 = Township
| subdivision_name3 = 
| established_title = Founded
| established_date = 
| established_title1 = 
| established_date1 = 
| founder = 
| named_for = 
| government_footnotes = 
| government_type = 
| governing_body = 
| leader_party = 
| leader_title = Mayor
| leader_name = 
| total_type = 
| unit_pref = Imperial
| area_footnotes = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2022">{{cite web |title=2022 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Illinois |url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2022_Gazetteer/2022_gaz_place_17.txt |publisher=United States Census Bureau |accessdate=March 2, 2023}}</ref>
| area_total_km2 = 15.96
| area_total_sq_mi = 6.16
| area_land_km2 = 15.59
| area_land_sq_mi = 6.02
| area_water_km2 = 0.37
| area_water_sq_mi = 0.14
| area_water_percent = 
| area_metro_footnotes = 
| area_metro_km2 = 
| area_metro_sq_mi = 
| area_rank = 
| elevation_footnotes = 
| elevation_ft = 360
| population_as_of = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes = <ref name="Census 2020">{{Cite web| url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=&g=1600000US1748645&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P1| title=P1. Race – Metropolis city, Illinois: 2020 DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau| access-date=March 2, 2023}}</ref>
| population_total = 5969
| pop_est_as_of = 
| pop_est_footnotes = 
| population_est = 
| population_rank = 
| population_density_km2 = 382.84
| population_density_sq_mi = 991.53
| population_metro_footnotes = 
| population_metro = 
| population_density_metro_km2 = 
| population_density_metro_sq_mi = 
| population_density = 
| population_density_rank = 
| timezone1 = [[Central Time Zone (Americas)|CST]]
| utc_offset1 = −6
| timezone1_DST = [[Central Time Zone (Americas)|CDT]]
| utc_offset1_DST = −5
| postal_code_type = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code = 62960
| area_code_type = 
| area_code = [[Area code 618|618]]
| blank_name = [[Federal Information Processing Standards|FIPS code]]
| blank_info = 17-48645
| blank1_name = 
| blank1_info = 
| website = {{URL|www.metropolisil.gov}}
}}

'''Metropolis''' is a city and the [[county seat]] in [[Massac County, Illinois]], United States. It is located by the [[Ohio River]]. As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], it had a population of 5,969,<ref name="Census 2020"/> down from 6,537 in [[2010 United States census|2010]].<ref>{{Cite web| url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=&g=1600000US1748645&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P1| title=P1. Race – Metropolis city, Illinois: 2010 DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau| access-date=March 2, 2023}}</ref> Metropolis is part of the [[Paducah, Kentucky|Paducah]], [[Kentucky|KY]]-IL [[Paducah metropolitan area|Metropolitan Statistical Area]] in [[Southern Illinois]].

==History==
[[File:Curtis House Metropolis IL.JPG|thumb|left|[[Elijah P. Curtis House]] (2010)]]
Located on the [[Ohio River]], the Metropolis area has been settled by many different peoples throughout history. For thousands of years, varying cultures of [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native Americans]] populated the area. The most complex society was the [[Mississippian culture]], which reached its peak around AD 1100 and built a large city at [[Cahokia]], near the Mississippi River and present-day [[Collinsville, Illinois]], to the north opposite [[St. Louis, Missouri]]. Its people built large [[earthworks (archaeology)|earthworks]] and related structures, many of which have been preserved and protected at the [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]]. Mississippian culture regional centers arose throughout the Ohio and lower Mississippian valleys, where the rivers were part of widespread trading routes used for exchange with other cultures.

In 1757, Massac County was settled by a French expedition, which built Fort de L'Ascension for use during the [[French and Indian War]] against the British (the war is also known as the [[Seven Years' War]], which took place largely in Europe). The garrison at the fort was able to resist a [[Cherokee]] attack during the war. Afterward the defeated French abandoned the fort, and many moved west of the Mississippi River to escape British rule. When the victorious British colonists arrived to take control of territory ceded by the French, the [[Chickasaw]] had already destroyed the fort.

During the [[American Revolutionary War]], the mostly ethnic French residents of the town were sympathetic to the rebels. Afterward in 1794, President [[George Washington]] ordered [[Fort Massac]] reconstructed, at a strategic site high above the Ohio River. The fort was severely damaged by the [[1811–12 New Madrid earthquakes]]. Rather than rebuild, the US military abandoned the facility in 1814, as its forces were needed further west. Local settlers scavenged the timbers and left little behind of the original construction materials.

This section of the state was largely settled by migrants from the [[Upper South]], and many brought [[slavery in the United States|slaves]] with them. It was years after Illinois was admitted as a free state that all such slaves gained their freedom.

The city of Metropolis was founded in 1839 near the site of Fort Massac by a merchant from [[Pittsburgh]] and a local land owner; the two envisioned that the location on the Ohio River would become a transport hub and chose a befittingly grand name.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J8lGik7MfFgC&pg=PA7 |title=Metropolis |first1=Michael E. |last1=Bragg |first2=Jon M. |last2=Bragg |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |page=7 |year=2012 |isbn=9780738593593}}</ref> In 1843, the Illinois Legislature formed Massac County. The McCartney family became leaders in building the town of Metropolis.

During the early years of the [[American Civil War]], soldiers were encamped in the vicinity. Although Illinois was established as a free state, this section had many southern sympathizers. Despite this background, the state stayed with the [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] during the war.

[[Image:1850 IC.jpg|thumb|300px|1850 map showing the proposed "Western District of Columbia" spanning the Ohio River at Metropolis. Modern maps do not show a "Capitol City" on the Kentucky side.]]

Prior to the [[American Civil War]], some groups worked to establish a Western [[District of Columbia]], to include present-day Metropolis and the nearby area of Kentucky. An 1850 map illustrates this proposal.

During the twentieth century, agriculture has continued to be the economic driver of the region. The state's authorization of riverboat gambling led to Metropolis's becoming the site of the [[Harrah's Metropolis]] [[casino]]/hotel, a [[riverboat casino]] frequented by visitors from around the region. Tourism is one of the city's largest industries.{{citation needed|date=April 2019}}

Metropolis is also the site of the [[Honeywell Uranium Hexafluoride Processing Facility]], which converts milled [[uranium]] into [[uranium hexafluoride]] for [[nuclear reactor]]s.<ref>Dan Frosch, [https://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/09/us/09metropolis.html "In Superman's Hometown, a Labor Dispute Over Health"], ''[[New York Times]]'', August 8, 2010.</ref>

==Geography==
Metropolis is located in southern Massac County at {{coord|37|9|12|N|88|43|31|W|type:city}} (37.153332, -88.725374),<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2011-04-23|date=2011-02-12|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref> on the north shore of the [[Ohio River]]. It is bordered to the south, across the river, by [[McCracken County, Kentucky]]. [[Paducah, Kentucky]], is {{convert|13|mi}} to the southeast.

According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], Metropolis has a total area of {{convert|6.16|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which {{convert|6.02|sqmi|sqkm|2}} are land and {{convert|0.14|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, or 2.30%, are water.<ref name="CenPopGazetteer2022"/>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1860= 1098
|1870= 2490
|1880= 2668
|1890= 3573
|1900= 4009
|1910= 4655
|1920= 5055
|1930= 5573
|1940= 6287
|1950= 6093
|1960= 7339
|1970= 6940
|1980= 7171
|1990= 6734
|2000= 6482
|2010= 6537
|2020= 5969
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, there were 6,482 people, 2,896 households, and 1,708 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|1,295.1|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 3,265 housing units at an average density of {{convert|652.3|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the city was 90.53% [[Race (U.S. Census)|White]], 7.61% [[Race (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.20% [[Race (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.20% [[Race (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.45% from [[Race and ethnicity in the United States Census#Race|other races]], and 1.02% from two or more races. [[Race (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Race (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.74% of the population.

There were 2,896 households, out of which 24.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.6% were [[marriage|married couples]] living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.0% were non-families. 36.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.77.

In the city the population was spread out, with 20.0% under 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 24.8% ages 65 or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 79.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $25,371, and the median income for a family was $33,979. Males had a median income of $27,630 versus $17,561 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $15,967. About 12.5% of families and 17.2% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 21.8% of those under age 18 and 16.7% of those age 65 or over.

== Transportation ==
[[File:Metropolis IL 2022c.jpg|left|thumb|View up Market Street in 2022]]
[[File:Metropolis Bridge 2022b.jpg|left|thumb|The [[Metropolis Bridge]] in 2022]]
Metropolis is served by [[Interstate 24]], which runs from [[Chattanooga, Tennessee]], northwest to [[Williamson County, Illinois]], where it connects with [[Interstate 57]]. [[U.S. Route 45]] passes through the center of Metropolis as East 5th Street, Ferry Street, and West 10th Street. US 45 runs geographically east–west through the area but runs north to [[Chicago]] and south to Paducah and is signed north–south.

[[Illinois Route 145]] lies east of the city and serves remote areas of nearby [[Shawnee National Forest]].

Metropolis is served by the Paducah & Illinois Railroad, jointly owned by [[Canadian National Railway]], [[BNSF Railway]], and the [[Paducah & Louisville Railway]], crossing the [[Ohio River]] on the [[Metropolis Bridge]].

== Healthcare ==
Metropolis is home to [[Massac Memorial Hospital]], a 25-bed critical access hospital that opened in 1956. Originally shaped like a cross, the hospital is located on the northwest side of town. The hospital has undergone several renovations and additions to make updates to the original facility. Current services offered include ambulance, cardiac rehabilitation, cardiopulmonary, emergency department, imaging, laboratory, Massac Memorial Medical Clinic, rehabilitation services, sleep disorders center, specialty clinic, surgery, and transitional care.<ref name="US News">{{cite news|url = http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/massac-memorial-hospital-6432230| title = Massac Memorial Hospital |publisher=[[U.S. News & World Report]]’|access-date=March 5, 2012}}</ref>  A [[Fresenius Medical Care]] dialysis center was constructed on the campus and opened in 2009.<ref name="city">{{cite news|url=http://www.cityofmetropolis.com/mmh.htm |title=Massac Memorial Hospital |publisher=City of Massac |access-date=March 5, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120211124713/http://www.cityofmetropolis.com/mmh.htm |archive-date=February 11, 2012 }}</ref>

==Superman's "hometown"==
In his various portrayals, [[Superman]] resides in a [[Fictional city|fictional American city]] named [[Metropolis (comics)|Metropolis]], and on April 25, 1972, the Illinois State Legislature passed Resolution 572, commending Metropolis for its "Project Superman" community program.<ref>{{cite web |title=HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES SEVENTY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY ' ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-THIRD LEGISLATIVE DAY |website=https://www.ilga.gov/house/transcripts/htrans77/HT042572.pdf |access-date=5 December 2024}}</ref>

The city has a {{convert|15|ft|m|adj=mid|-tall}} painted bronze statue of Superman which sits in front of the county courthouse, and a statue of [[Noel Neill]]'s [[Lois Lane]] from ''The Adventures of Superman'' stands just a few blocks away.[[File:Metropolis IL 2022b.jpg|thumb|217x217px|The [[Massac County, Illinois|Massac County]] Courthouse with Superman statue ''(left)'' and Superman Museum ''(right)'']]

Each year on the second weekend of June, Superman fans from all over the world gather in Metropolis<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.supermancelebration.net/about-us/|title=Superman Celebration - About Us}}</ref> for their annual [http://supermancelebration.net/ Superman Celebration], which features celebrity guests from movies, television, and the comic book industry.

Since June 1979, the Metropolis Chamber of Commerce had organized 44 editions of the [[Superman Celebration]].

The four-day annual celebration also boasts vendors selling food, comics, homemade crafts, and other merchandise, as well as discussion panels, auctions, a costume contest, and a variety of other events throughout the weekend. The first such celebration was organized by local civic clubs and took place in June 1979.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Van Hyning|first=Thomas E.|title=Southern Illinois entices vacationers|journal=Illinois Parks and Recreation|volume=17|issue=3|publisher=Illinois Park and Recreation Society|year=1986|url=https://www.lib.niu.edu/1986/ip860509.html}}</ref>

The local newspaper is named ''[http://www.MetropolisPlanet.com The Metropolis Planet]'', inspired by ''The [[Daily Planet]]'', the fictional paper in the Superman comics and other Superman media.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=i4JTAAAAIBAJ&sjid=sYYDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4002%2C1570556 | title=Unusual names bestowed on a few U.S. newspapers | work=The Bulletin | date=Apr 19, 1984 | access-date=22 May 2015 | author=Weintraub, Boris | pages=16}}</ref>

The real town of Metropolis is portrayed in one Superman comic-book story, "Superman #92", in a story titled "Massacre in Metropolis!" (which is continued into "Adventures of Superman #515"), as a town whose citizens idolize what is to them the real-life Man of Steel. A villain named [[Massacre (DC Comics)|Massacre]] arrives in the town, having gotten lost and thinking he was in the "other" Metropolis, the large city where Superman actually lives. He attacks a security guard and threatens many citizens in order to get proper directions to Superman's Metropolis.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}}
{{Clear}}

==In popular culture==
[[File:WaterTowerMetropolisIL.jpg|thumb|right|Metropolis water tower with "Home of Superman" on the side]]
* The 2005 album ''[[Illinois (Sufjan Stevens album)|Illinois]]'' from indie musician [[Sufjan Stevens]] features a track entitled "The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts".
* In [[Harry Turtledove]]'s [[alternate history]] novel series [[Southern Victory]], the second volume ''American Front'' has Metropolis as the scene of a Civil War battle between Union and Confederate forces in 1914.

== Notable people ==
<!-- Note:
· Only people who already have a Wikipedia article may appear here. This establishes notability.
· The article must mention how they are associated with Metropolis, whether born, raised, or residing.
· The fact of their association should have a reliable source cited.
· Alphabetical by last name please.
· All others will be deleted.
Do not add Superman, there is already a section below about this town's connection with the fictional Superman character
-->
{{div col}}
* [[Dale Anderson (politician)|Dale Anderson]], [[Maryland]] politician; born in Metropolis.
* [[Buddy Hall]], member of pocket billiards [[Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame|Hall of Fame]]; born in Metropolis.
* [[Christopher Jackson (actor)|Christopher Jackson]], actor and musician, known for playing [[George Washington]] in the original Broadway cast of ''[[Hamilton (musical)|Hamilton]]''; born in Metropolis
* Curt Jones, creator in 1987 of [[Dippin' Dots]] ice cream<ref name=Sauer>[http://www.inc.com/magazine/20081001/behind-the-scenescompanies-at-the-heart-of-everyday-life.html Patrick J. Sauer, "Behind the Scenes Companies: At the Heart of Everyday Life"], ''Inc. Magazine'', 1 Oct 2008, accessed 14 Dec 2010</ref>
* [[Annie Turnbo Malone]], businesswoman and [[philanthropist]], founder of the black beauty culture and Poro College
* [[Moxie Manuel]], pitcher for the [[Washington Senators (1901–60)|Washington Senators]] and [[Chicago White Sox]]
* [[Oscar Micheaux]], pioneering African-American filmmaker and author
* [[John Riegger]], [[Champions Tour]] golfer
* [[Jack Smith (American racing driver, born 1924)|Jack Smith]], driver with [[NASCAR]]
* [[John Steele (paratrooper)|John Steele]], [[WWII]] paratrooper made famous in the movie [[The Longest Day (film)|''The Longest Day'']] (1962)
* [[Robert Franklin Stroud]], convicted murderer known as the [[Birdman of Alcatraz]]; buried in Metropolis
* [[Ben Taylor (first baseman, born 1927)|Ben Taylor]], first baseman for the [[St. Louis Browns]], [[Detroit Tigers]], and [[Milwaukee Braves (1953–69)|Milwaukee Braves]]; born in Metropolis
* [[Hawk Taylor]], catcher for the [[Milwaukee Braves (1953–69)|Milwaukee Braves]], [[New York Mets]], [[Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim|California Angels]], and [[Kansas City Royals]]; born in Metropolis
* [[Betty Foss|Betty]], [[Jean Weaver|Jean]] and [[Joanne Weaver]], sisters who played in the [[All-American Girls Professional Baseball League]] in the early 1950s
* [[Patrick Windhorst]], Illinois state representative and attorney
* [[Zayde Wolf]], musician, singer-songwriter
{{div col end}}

==See also==
* [[List of cities and towns along the Ohio River]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Official website|www.metropolisil.gov}}
* [https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5512347 Story that was broadcast on National Public Radio's "Morning Edition" profiling the town's links to "Superman"]
* [https://dansalerno.com/metropolis Metropolis: Tales from a Small Town]

{{Massac County, Illinois}}
{{Southern-Illinois}}
{{Superman}}
{{Illinois county seats}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:1757 establishments in the French colonial empire]]
[[Category:Cities in Illinois]]
[[Category:Cities in Massac County, Illinois]]
[[Category:County seats in Illinois]]
[[Category:Illinois populated places on the Ohio River]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1757]]
[[Category:Superman]]