St. Louis Metro East
North America > United States of America > Midwest > Illinois > St. Louis Metro East
St. Louis Metro East is a region of southwestern Illinois that includes the Illinois part of the St. Louis metropolitan area, plus surrounding counties. It consists of the counties of Bond, Calhoun, Clinton, Fayette, Jersey, Madison, Marion, Monroe, Randolph, St. Clair, and Washington. The most populous city is Belleville, which is not far southeast of East St. Louis, which was once the most populous.
Cities[edit]
- Alton - Historic Homes, 50 Antique Shops, 9 Golf Courses, Bed and Breakfasts, Meeting of the Great Rivers National Scenic Byway, and Argosy Alton Casino among other things.
- Collinsville
- East St. Louis - Historically the biggest city in the southern third of Illinois, East St. Louis has experienced grave population loss since the middle of the 20th century and while vast is now less populated than many of the area's smaller cities.
- Edwardsville
- Fairmont City
- Granite City
- Lebanon
- O'Fallon - North of Belleville and was home to the U.S. Air Force's blimp squadron
Other destinations[edit]
- Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site in Collinsville was the center of the largest prehistoric Native American city in the U.S. and one of only 20 UNESCO World Heritage sites in the nation.
Understand[edit]
Get in[edit]
Get around[edit]
Car[edit]
The easiest way to get around, since this is a quite suburban area.
MetroLink[edit]
The St Louis area's light rail system, it runs deep into Illinois. Many of the Illinois stations have free parking.
Bus[edit]
The Metro East is divided into Madison County (north) and St. Clair County (South).
- St Clair County buses are operated by Metro St. Louis which is the main transit provider for the St Louis metro region. These buses tend to begin/end at MetroLink stops, providing local service.
- Madison County buses are separately operated by Madison County Transit.
See[edit]
- Victorian House Museum, 701 East Washington Street, Belleville, ☎ +1 618 234-0600, fax: +1 618 234-3060. Mon-Fri, 10AM-2PM; closed Saturday, Sunday, and major holidays. An 1866 Victorian Home recreating a family dwelling of the period. The Museum also features frequently changing exhibits of artifacts and collections pertaining to local history, Society office, research library, gift shop, and the Society's collections of artifacts and clothing. Group tours by appointment. $2 adult, $1 child, free to Society members..
- Old Cahokia Courthouse (Cahokia Courthouse State Historic Site).
- Lewis and Clark State Historic Site, One Lewis and Clark Trail, Hartford, ☎ +1 618 251-5811. Lewis and Clark spent the winter of 1803-04 gathering men and supplies and planning their trip west. At 3PM on May 14, 1804 they set out from this spot to explore the west. The museum includes a 55 ft long full-size replica of their keelboat and an outdoor reconstruction of Camp River Dubois.
Do[edit]
- visit Collinsville for the World's Largest Catsup Bottle Birthday Party held in July
- 1 Raging Rivers. - located in Grafton
Eat[edit]
- Wings Over Belleville, W. Main Street, Belleville (in the old Burger King Building). Great chicken wings.
Drink[edit]
Sleep[edit]
- Timmermann House Bed & Breakfast located outside of Aviston, with stargazing, sound of distant train whistles. Decorated with antiques and collectables with a gourmet breakfast.
Stay safe[edit]
East St.Louis has the reputation locally of being one of the most dangerous towns in the United States.
