Caledonia, IL

Caledonia is a small town located in southern Illinois. The population of Caledonia was just over 2,000 people as of the 2010 census. The town is located in Livingston County and is bordered by the towns of Livingston to the north, Carbondale to the east, and Edwardsville to the south.

The history of Caledonia can be traced back to 1825 when John Ransom settled on what is now known as Ransom Hill. In 1827, James Caldwell purchased land from Ransom and began farming. In 1841, Caldwell sold his land to David Waddell who built a mill on the stream that ran through his property. Waddell named his mill after Caledonia, Scotland where he had been born. By 1850, there were twenty-five families living in Caledonia.

In 1853, James Mather founded a sawmill on Mill Creek which was later renamed Mathers Mill after him. The town grew rapidly due to its location on major transportation routes such as U.S Route 66 and Illinois Route 14 which made it an ideal place for businesses such as mills and hotels catering to travelers passing through. By 1880 there were seventy-six businesses in Caledonia including two banks, three churches, four newspapers (the Livingston County Democrat and Republican), two grain elevators, two cotton gins, a shoe factory, a wagon shop, five blacksmiths/forges and several other small businesses such as grocery stores and saloons/taverns

During World War II , Caledonia was home to one of America's largest military bases - Camp Livingston - which served as headquarters for General George Patton's Third Army during World War II . After the war ended , Camp Livingston was turned over to the United States Army Reserve . Today , Camp Livingston remains an active military base with approximately 3200 soldiers stationed there .

Today , Caledonia continues to be an important community with many businesses still operating including a bank (the First National Bank of Caledonia), three churches (First Baptist Church of Caledonia; Christ United Methodist Church; St John Lutheran Church), four newspapers (the Livingston County Democrat; The Carbondale Enterprise; The Edwardsville Intelligencer; The Southern Illinoisan), two grain elevators ( Caledonian Grain Elevator Co.; Valley View Grain Elevator Co.), two cotton gins ( Caledonian Cotton Gin Co.; Southern Cotton Gin Co.), a shoe factory (Shoe Factory & Supply Company), a wagon shop (Wagon Shop & Equipment Company), five blacksmiths/forges (Blacksmith Shop & Forge Company; Blacksmith Shop & Forge Company No 1 ; Blacksmith Shop & Forge Company No 2 ; Iron Works Forge & Manufacturing Company ; Union Foundry)

Despite its small size ,Caledonica has managed to maintain its character while also adapting to changes in the economy . For example , when U S Route 66 was decommissioned in 1985 , local business owners band together formed what is now known as "The 66 Association" which helped promote economic development within the town by helping bring new businesses into town

Today , real estate inCalidonais dominated by residential properties although commercial properties are also available . There are several neighborhoods withinCalidonaincluding Ransom Hillwhichhasa high concentrationofresidencesalongwithseveralcommercialproperties includingsupermarketsandrestaurants Oneofthemostpopularresidentialpropertiesin CaledoniatheHilltop Manorwhichwaslistedintheseasonofthedesignatedbuildingsbymagazine architecture critic Christopher Gray .GraydescribedHilltopManoras "anarchitecturalextraordinaire"and praisedits "strikingly original design" which features large windows that allow residentsto enjoy viewsofboth Carbondaleand Edwardsvillefromtheir homes Other popular residentialpropertiesincludeTheVillage at River Ridgewhichoffersluxurioushomesalongwithamenitiessuchasapoolandspaontoaccommodateresidents'lifestyleswhileTheVillages at Old Mill Creek offerscustombuilthomesnearmillstreamsthatofferpeacefulvistasandeasyaccesstolocal amenities