Wood River, Illinois
Wood River is a city of 10,279 people in Madison County, Illinois, founded in 1908.
Why visit Wood River
Townapedia lists 4 museums and landmarks, 18 parks and trails, 42 places to eat, 3 places to stay and 1 attraction in and around town.
Highlights include AMC CLASSIC Eastgate 6, Bethalto Village Hall, Camp DuBois - Wood River and Belk Park Golf Course.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 87°F; January lows average 22°F.
Weather in Wood River
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Wood River
Wood River is a city in Madison County, Illinois. The population was 10,464 as of the 2020 census.
From the Wikipedia article Wood River, Illinois (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do1
Museums and landmarks4
Bethalto Village Hall
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.7 mi
Wood River Museum and Visitor Center
Museum · 1.2 mi
40 West Ferguson Avenue, Wood River
Parks, trails and playgrounds18
6 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes42
Blue Ice Creamery
Ice cream · 2.4 mi
127 Eastgate Plaza, East Alton
Mo-Th 11:00-21:00; Fr-Sa 11:00-22:00, Su closed
Riverbend Axe Throwing
Bar and pub · 2.4 mi
205 Eastgate Plaza, East Alton
Mo-We "By Reservation Only"; Th 17:00 - 22:00; Fr 17:00 - 24:00;...
J.J. Thermo's Bar and Grill
Bar and pub · 2.5 mi
17 Eastgate Plaza, East Alton
Su-Fr 10:30-11:00; Fr-Sa 10:30-12:00
30 more on the map.
History
Wood River developed as a company town around an oil refinery. The Standard Oil Company broke ground on a refinery near the site in April 1907, and the plant began operating at the start of 1908. The community was founded in 1907; it merged with the neighboring settlement of East Wood River in 1910 and with Benbow City in 1917, and was chartered as a city in 1923.
Standard Oil shaped the early town beyond employment. The company purchased about two dozen Sears, Roebuck and Company mail-order houses to shelter workers, and it helped establish the community's first school and a volunteer fire department in 1909. The refinery later operated as an Amoco facility and closed in the mid-1990s; Amoco merged with British Petroleum in 1998, and a long-term environmental remediation of the site followed.
From the History section of Wood River, Illinois on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay3
Lewis & Clark Motor Lodge
Motel and hotel · 2.2 mi
530 Lewis and Clark Boulevard, East Alton
Churches and places of worship13
Saint John United Church of Christ
Church · United Church Of Christ · 0.5 mi
228 North 6th Street, Wood River
Wood River United Pentecostal Church
Church · Pentecostal · 0.7 mi
349 East Lorena Avenue, Wood River
Shopping5
Gas and EV charging8
Midwest Petroleum 1082
Gas station · 0.9 mi
1906 East Edwardsville Road, Wood River
Schools, colleges and libraries36
Healthcare4
Madison County Health Department
Clinic and pharmacy · 1.2 mi
101 East Edwardsville Road, Wood River
Madison county Wood River facility
Clinic and pharmacy · 1.2 mi
101 East Edwardsville Road, Wood River
Map of Wood River
134 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 (4 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, 2 miles away.
- Alton 5 mi northwest, about 8 min by car
- Edwardsville 7 mi southeast, about 11 min by car
- Glen Carbon 9 mi southeast, about 14 min by car
- Granite City 10 mi south, about 16 min by car
- Godfrey 10 mi northwest, about 16 min by car
- Collinsville 13 mi south, about 22 min by car
- Troy 14 mi southeast, about 22 min by car
- East St. Louis 17 mi south, about 28 min by car
- St. Louis 18 mi southwest, about 29 min by car
- Fairview Heights 19 mi south, about 31 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): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Wood River, Illinois, Paul Sableman, CC BY 2.0
- Lewis and Clark Elementary School - Wood River, Illinois, pasa47, CC BY 2.0
- Wood River, Illinois - 47955106566, pasa47, CC BY 2.0
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- Wood River, Illinois - 47955462572, pasa47, CC BY 2.0
- Wood River, Illinois - 47954762462, pasa47, CC BY 2.0
- Wood River, Illinois - 47954762347, pasa47, CC BY 2.0
- Wood River, Illinois - 47955475948, pasa47, CC BY 2.0
- Wood River, Illinois - 47955498516, pasa47, CC BY 2.0
- Wood River, Illinois - 47955461017, pasa47, CC BY 2.0
- Wood River, Illinois - 47954801881, pasa47, CC BY 2.0
- Wood River, Illinois IMG 4056, pasa47, CC BY 2.0
- Wood River, Illinois - 47954796986, pasa47, CC BY 2.0
- Wood River, Illinois - 47956220411, pasa47, CC BY 2.0
- Wood River, Illinois - 47954775923, pasa47, CC BY 2.0
- Wood River, Illinois - 47956220466, pasa47, CC BY 2.0
- Wood River, Illinois - 47120941104, pasa47, CC BY 2.0
- Wood River, Illinois - 47910264821, pasa47, CC BY 2.0
- Wood River, Illinois - 47858253282, pasa47, CC BY 2.0
- Wood River, Illinois - 47954797181, pasa47, CC BY 2.0
- Wood River, Illinois - 47954797246, pasa47, CC BY 2.0
- Wood River, Illinois - 47910931721, pasa47, CC BY 2.0
- Wood River, Illinois - 47910266391, pasa47, CC BY 2.0
- Wood River, Illinois - 47910930841, pasa47, CC BY 2.0
- Wood River, Illinois - 47910930391, pasa47, CC BY 2.0
- Wood River, Illinois - 47910931291, pasa47, CC BY 2.0
- Wood River, Illinois - 47947881907, pasa47, CC BY 2.0
- Wood River, Illinois - 47859583732, pasa47, CC BY 2.0
- Wood River, Illinois - 47947881992, pasa47, CC BY 2.0
- Wood River, Illinois - 47946547618, pasa47, CC BY 2.0
- K of C (Wood River, Illinois), pasa47, CC BY 2.0
- Wood River, Illinois - 47947002176, pasa47, CC BY 2.0
- Wood River, Illinois - 47946569926, pasa47, CC BY 2.0
- Wood River, Illinois - 47946569361, pasa47, CC BY 2.0
- Bethalto Village Hall, Nyttend, Public domain
- Midtown Riverbend Bounce, pasa47, CC BY 2.0
- Midtown Riverbend Bounce - 47956220261, pasa47, CC BY 2.0
- Chevrolet Belair, pasa47, CC BY 2.0
- Do Not Disturb Tenants, pasa47, CC BY 2.0
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