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City of Galesburg
55 W. Tompkins Street
P.O. Box 1387
Galesburg, IL 61402-1387
309/343-4181
About Galesburg, Illinois
The City of Galesburg is located on Interstate 74 in Northwest Illinois. The City is approximately 50 miles east of the Mississippi River (see map below). The Illinois General Assembly organized the City under the provisions of “an Act to Incorporate the City of Galesburg” on February 14, 1857. The City is a home rule municipality and has operated under the Council-Manager form of government since 1956. The City Council is comprised of seven Councilmembers and a Mayor. The Councilmembers are elected, for four-year terms, from defined City wards. Residents of each ward vote for their ward’s Councilmember only. The terms of the Councilmembers are staggered with various seats expiring every two years. All city residents elect the Mayor for a four-year term.
The City of Galesburg is a unique town in that it was a planned city whose purpose was fostering religious education. Knox College was the main reason for its existence. The college was granted a charter by the Illinois State Legislature in 1837, but it was not until 1841 that it opened its doors to the first freshman class. Old Main was completed in 1857 and has the distinction of being the only building still standing where a Lincoln-Douglas debate was held, the fifth and most famous of the debates held in 1858.
The town also became the shipping center of the territory. In 1854 the first train rolled into town on the Central Military Tract (now Burlington Northern Railroad). Later, the Santa Fe railroad was persuaded to extend its line from the Mississippi to Chicago to run through Galesburg. In celebration of our railroad heritage, every June “Railroad Days” is held, included in the event are tours of the $83 million Burlington Northern rail yards.
The City of Galesburg is the county seat of Knox County. It was moved to Galesburg from Knoxville, Illinois in 1873.
The City of Galesburg is the birthplace of Carl Sandburg. His home has been maintained as a museum for visitors to tour. A community college located in Galesburg, Carl Sandburg Community College, was named in his honor.
The City of Galesburg is home to “Stearman Fly-In Days” the only event like this in the world. The event was expanded in 1998 to include a radio controlled air show, World War II re-enactors and the new Stearman Museum located at the airport.
A Center for Manufacturing Excellence (CME) is located at Carl Sandburg Junior College. This Center is a private/public-funded center, which was created to train students to use sophisticated machinery for employment in the manufacturing sector. Included within the CME is the Business and Technology Center, which is a business incubator.
MUNICIPAL SERVICES
The City of Galesburg was chartered for the purpose of providing its residents
with the following services: police
protection, fire protection, water
service, garbage collection, recycling
collection, landscape waste collection, parks,
campground,
airport, golf course,
indoor swimming pool, water-park,
recreational programs, Public
Library, community center, cemeteries
and the care of streets and sidewalks.
DEMOGRAPHICS
The population of the City of Galesburg is 32,809. Per capita income is
approximately $25,442. In 1997 the unemployment rate was 5.0%. In 2006 the
rate had risen to 5.7%. In ten years, school enrollment decreased by 613 students to 4,572 students in 2006.
MAJOR EMPLOYERS
The major employers in the City of Galesburg are as follows:
