Why visit Mitchell
Townapedia lists 3 museums and landmarks, 7 places to eat and 6 places to stay in and around town.
Highlights include Emmert-Zippel House and Lewis and Clark State Historic Site.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 87°F; January lows average 22°F.
Weather in Mitchell
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Mitchell
Mitchell is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Madison County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,217. It is part of the Metro East region of greater St. Louis.
From the Wikipedia article Mitchell, Illinois (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Museums and landmarks3
Emmert-Zippel House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.1 mi
Historic house in Illinois, United States
Lewis and Clark State Historic Site
Museum · 2.9 mi
Historic site in Illinois
Restaurants and cafes7
Hen House
Diner · American · 0.8 mi
1250 East Chain of Rocks Road, Mitchell
Mo-Su 06:00-14:00; PH closed
Burger King
Fast food · Burger · 0.9 mi
1301 East Chain of Rocks Road, Pontoon Beach
Mo-Sa 06:00-22:00; Su 07:00-22:00
Rosati's
Fast food · Pizza · 1.0 mi
5147 Pagano Court, Pontoon Beach
Fr-Sa 11:00-22:00; Su-Th 11:00-21:00
Where to stay6
Super 8 by Wyndham Pontoon Beach IL/St. Louis MO Area
Motel and hotel · 1.2 mi
4141 Timberlake Drive, Pontoon Beach
Churches and places of worship1
History
Two brothers from Chicago, John Jay and William H. Mitchell, settled in the area in 1870 and bought about 4,000 acres (1,600 ha) of Mississippi River bottomland, which they drained to operate a cattle ranch. When the Chicago and Alton Railroad built its line from Alton toward East St. Louis, John Mitchell promoted the railroad and established a stop he named for himself, Mitchell Station. The Wabash and other lines soon laid tracks through the area, and Mitchell grew as a rail junction.
When U.S. Route 66 was commissioned in 1926, it ran through Mitchell along the corridor now followed by Illinois Route 203. The Luna Cafe, built in 1924, became a well-known stop on the highway and remains in business; its neon sign, later restored with help from the Friends of the Mother Road, is a local landmark. According to local legend the cafe also housed a Prohibition-era gambling room and an upstairs brothel and drew visits from the gangster Al Capone, although these stories are undocumented.
From the History section of Mitchell, Illinois on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Gas and EV charging2
Schools, colleges and libraries14
Map of Mitchell
33 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39°F | 22°F | 2.5 in |
| Feb | 44°F | 25°F | 2.5 in |
| Mar | 54°F | 35°F | 3.5 in |
| Apr | 66°F | 45°F | 4.9 in |
| May | 75°F | 56°F | 5.5 in |
| Jun | 84°F | 66°F | 3.4 in |
| Jul | 87°F | 69°F | 4.0 in |
| Aug | 86°F | 67°F | 3.3 in |
| Sep | 80°F | 60°F | 3.4 in |
| Oct | 68°F | 48°F | 2.9 in |
| Nov | 54°F | 36°F | 3.4 in |
| Dec | 44°F | 27°F | 2.6 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Alton - Melvin Price L&D (8 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Madison County has had 8 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for tornados.
- 2021-12-13: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornadoes (Tornado)
- 2020-03-26: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
- 2019-09-19: Severe Storms And Flooding (Flood)
- 2008-06-24: Severe Storms And Flooding (Severe Storm)
- 2007-02-09: Severe Winter Storm (Severe Ice Storm)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Saint Louis Regional Airport (ALN) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 9 miles away.
- Granite City 3 mi southwest, about 5 min by car
- Hartford 4 mi north, about 6 min by car
- Edwardsville 5 mi east, about 9 min by car
- Glen Carbon 5 mi east, about 9 min by car
- Madison 5 mi south, about 9 min by car
- Collinsville 7 mi southeast, about 11 min by car
- Spanish Lake 7 mi west, about 11 min by car
- Maryville 7 mi east, about 11 min by car
- Wood River 7 mi north, about 11 min by car
- Bellefontaine Neighbors 8 mi west, about 13 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Mitchell Archaeological Site, Nyttend, Public domain
- Emmert-Zippel House, Nyttend, Public domain
- Camp Dubois reconstruction 034, Kbh3rd, CC BY-SA 3.0
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