24/7 Trauma and Biohazard Cleanup in Centralia, IL

Centralia is a city in south-central Illinois, about 60 miles east of St. Louis, founded in 1853 by the Illinois Central Railroad and named after it; the city grew up where the railroad's two original branches converged and was first chartered as a city in 1859.

Centralia lies mostly in Marion County but extends into Clinton, Jefferson, and Washington counties, making it one of only three Illinois cities with portions in four counties, alongside Barrington Hills and Aurora.

Centralia is the largest city in Clinton, Marion, and Washington counties, yet it is not the county seat of any of them.

The 2020 census counted 12,182 people in Centralia, down from 14,136 in 2000, and Census QuickFacts puts the city at about 5,094 households.

On March 25, 1947, a coal dust explosion at Centralia's No. 5 mine killed 111 miners just minutes before a shift change, one of the worst mining disasters in American history.

The initial point where the Third Principal Meridian meets its baseline, established in 1815, sits within Centralia's southern city limits, and land surveys for about 60 percent of Illinois, including Chicago, are measured from that point.

Centralia's skyline landmark is the Centralia Carillon, a roughly 160-foot tower built in 1982 whose 65 bells ring daily.

Centralia High School's sports teams carry the famous nickname the Orphans, one of the most distinctive mascots in Illinois.

Fairview Park in Centralia displays one of only two remaining Illinois Central Railroad 2500-class steam locomotives on static display.

Centralia's early economy rested on railroad shops and fruit growing, oil was discovered in the area in the 1930s, and the town was settled largely by German immigrants whose influence is still evident.