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Altamont, Illinois

15 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1950 and the latest in 1998. It stands in Mound Township. It lies in ZIP code area 62411. The Survey maps it on the Altamont East quadrangle. 2,216 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 617 feet above sea level.

Altamont within Effingham County

On record in Altamont

Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.

On the National Register 1 record

Population over time

2 figures

Altamont fell from 2,319 to 2,216 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
20102,319
20202,216-103 (-4%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

7 surveys from 15 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

Fires near this place

8 since 2004

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 8 fires within 5 miles of Altamont in 2004, burning about 6 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Recreation and ceremony6
Missing data/not specified/undetermined2

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
6 June 2004Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreIllinois State Fire Marshal's Officenot named
7 March 2004Recreation and ceremony1.5 acresIllinois State Fire Marshal's Officenot named
14 March 2004Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreIllinois State Fire Marshal's Officenot named
28 February 2004Recreation and ceremony1.0 acresIllinois State Fire Marshal's Officenot named
28 February 2004Recreation and ceremony1.5 acresIllinois State Fire Marshal's Officenot named
7 October 2004Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreIllinois State Fire Marshal's Officenot named
1 October 2004Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreIllinois State Fire Marshal's Officenot named
1 October 2004Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreIllinois State Fire Marshal's Officenot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Effingham County

Storms near this place

60 of 69 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Altamont in 69 storm reports between 1995 and 2026: 38 thunderstorm wind, 15 hail, 9 flash flood, 5 tornado. The reports record 1 injury. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
June 2002Thunderstorm WindAltamont1 hurtNumerous trees, tree limbs, and power lines were blown down in Altamont, Effingham, and Teutopolis. Some homes in Effingham sustained siding damage and a small shed was destroyed by a fallen tree. The roof of the junior high school in Teutopolis sustained minor damage. Also, a semi was blown over on southbound I-57 in Effingham. The driver sustained minor injuries.
November 2013Tornado (EF1)Altamont$400,000This tornado continued from Fayette County in National Weather Service St. Louis' County Warning Area (CWA). The tornado crossed into Effingham County 3.2 miles WNW of Altamont at 12:28 PM CST before tracking northeastward and dissipating 2.9 miles NNW of Altamont at 12:32 PM CST. About a dozen outbuildings were damaged and minor damage occurred to the roofs of 3 homes. Several power poles were blown down as well. The tornado dissipated near North 200th Street and East 1300th Avenue in rural Effingham County.
July 2018Thunderstorm WindAltamont$90,000Numerous trees and power lines were blown down in Altamont. A few houses were damaged by falling trees.
July 2016Thunderstorm WindAltamont$60,000Numerous large tree branches were blown down in Altamont. Some of the branches fell onto homes, causing minor damage.
February 2008Thunderstorm WindAltamont$45,000A mobile home was destroyed 7 miles south of Altamont. In addition, numerous trees and power lines were blown down.
February 2011Thunderstorm WindAltamont$30,000Power poles were bent over and a pole barn suffered minor damage.
February 2011Thunderstorm WindAltamont$30,000A lean-to shed was destroyed and minor roof damage occurred to a house.
February 2011Thunderstorm WindAltamont$25,000Power poles were bent over and numerous tree limbs were blown down.
January 2013Thunderstorm WindAltamont$20,000A large overhead door was blown out at the ADM plant. A tree was blown down onto a house, doing damage to its roof. In addition, numerous tree branches were knocked down around town.
May 2011Thunderstorm WindAltamont$20,000Several powerlines were blown down.
June 2008Thunderstorm WindAltamont$20,000Several trees and tree limbs were blown down.
April 2016Thunderstorm WindAltamont$18,000A power pole was blown down and a semi truck was knocked over on I-70.
April 2015Thunderstorm WindAltamont$12,000Several large tree branches were blown down across County Road 1200 N about 2 miles northwest of Altamont.
September 2012Thunderstorm WindAltamont$12,000Railroad crossing gates were torn off at 10th and Division Streets in Altamont. In addition, several trees and tree branches were blown down.
October 2007Thunderstorm WindAltamont$12,000Numerous trees were blown down.|
June 2018Thunderstorm WindAltamont$6,000Several tree limbs were blown down along Highway 128 west of Altamont.
June 2010Thunderstorm WindAltamont$4,000A large tree was blown down onto power lines along US Route 40 near Altamont.
August 1995Thunderstorm WindAltamont$200The Illinois State Police reported large trees down.
March 2026Thunderstorm WindAltamont-Power lines were blown down.
May 2025Thunderstorm WindAltamont-Tree branches were blown down across Route 40 southwest of Altamont.
April 2025Thunderstorm WindAltamont-The roofs of two apartment buildings were torn off.
April 2025Thunderstorm WindAltamont-An outbuilding was blown onto a road.
April 2025Tornado (EF1)Altamont-A tornado touched down in a field just northwest of the intersection of North 500th Street and East 700th Avenue at 6:08 PM CDT. The tornado tracked northeastward, stripping part of the roof off a home and damaging several trees along its path before dissipating near Second Creek north of the intersection of North 675th Street and County Road 825 at 6:11 PM CDT.
June 2025Thunderstorm WindAltamont-Large branches, trees, and power lines were blown down in the town of Altamont.
June 2025Thunderstorm WindAltamont-A 12 inch diameter tree branch was snapped in Altamont. A photo of the damage was shared via social media.
July 2025Flash FloodAltamont-Water was flowing across Main Street between Division Street and Oak Street.
February 2023Thunderstorm WindAltamont-Powerlines were blown down.
April 2023Thunderstorm WindAltamont-Trees were blown down onto power lines and the roadways. A few power outages occurred.
June 2022Thunderstorm WindAltamont-Numerous large trees and tree branches were blown down around Altamont. Some vehicle damage was reported due to falling branches. A garage door buckled in and the siding of a house was damaged. The most significant wind damage occurred along West Jefferson Avenue between 7th Street and 10th Street.
May 2021Tornado (EFU)Altamont-A tornado touched down in a field 1.9 miles south of Altamont at 3:10 PM CDT. The tornado quickly dissipated by 3:11 PM CDT. No damage occurred.
May 2018Thunderstorm WindAltamont-An 8-inch diameter limb was ripped off a tree.
May 2018Thunderstorm WindAltamont-A two-inch diameter tree branch approximately 10 to 12 inches long was blown down.
May 2017Flash FloodAltamont-The third heavy rain event to occur in less than two weeks resulted in rapid flash flooding in southern Effingham County. Rainfall amounts ranged from 2.00 to 2.50 inches during the late evening of May 10th in areas where ditches were already full of water and soils were saturated. Numerous rural roads were closed near Mason and Edgewood, and water covered parts of U.S. Highway 45 south of Watson to the Clay County line.
May 2017FloodAltamont-The third heavy rain event to occur in less than two weeks resulted in rapid flash flooding in southern Effingham County. Rainfall amounts ranged from 2.00 to 2.50 inches during the late evening of May 10th in areas where ditches were already full of water and soils were saturated. Numerous rural roads were closed near Mason and Edgewood, and water covered parts of U.S. Highway 45 south of Watson to the Clay County line. An additional 0.50 to 0.75 inch of rain during the early morning hours of May 11th kept flood waters from receding until daybreak.
April 2016Tornado (EF0)Altamont-A tornado briefly touched down in an open field about 3.2 miles south-southwest of Altamont at 6:58 PM CDT. No damage occurred.
July 2015Flash FloodAltamont-Slow moving thunderstorms produced 2.00 to 3.00 inches of rain in 90 minutes during the evening of July 1st in west central Effingham County. The ground was already saturated from periods of heavy rainfall in late June, so flash flooding developed quickly. Most rural roads from Altamont to Gilmore were impassable through the late evening.
September 2014Flash FloodAltamont-Heavy downpours which produced 2 to 3 inches of rain per hour between 2200-0000 local time resulted in flash flooding across the southern half of Effingham County. Numerous rural roads were impassable, streets in the towns of Mason and Edgewood were flooded, and parts of U.S. Highway 45 near the Clay County line were closed. Several motorists had to be rescued after they drove into flooded ditches. The flooding subsided within three hours.
June 2013Flash FloodAltamont-Slow moving thunderstorms, which produced 3.00 to 4.00 inches of rain on already saturated ground from the late evening of May 31st through the night across much of Effingham County, resulted in flash flooding which continued into the early afternoon of June 1st. The flash flooding made many rural roads impassable, and flooded numerous streets in the city of Effingham.
May 2013Flash FloodAltamont-Slow moving thunderstorms produced 3.00 to 4.00 inches of rain on already saturated ground from late evening through the night across much of Effingham County. This rapidly produced flash flooding which made many rural roads impassable, and flooded numerous streets in the city of Effingham. The flash flooding continued through the night, and into June 1st.
June 2011Flash FloodAltamont-Thunderstorms during the late evening hours produced 3.00 to 4.00 of rain on extremely saturated ground. This resulted in rapid flash flooding of creeks and roads in southern Effingham County. Parts of I-57 and U.S. Highway 45 had several areas of standing water. Illinois Route 37 and nearly all rural roads were water covered and impassable.
February 2009FloodAltamont-Numerous low-lying county roads across Effingham County had water flowing across them.
May 2009Flash FloodAltamont-Heavy rain of 2.00 to 3.00 inches within two hours, on top of already saturated ground, produced significant flash flooding of most roads across southern Effingham County. Many roads were closed to traffic due to high water.
April 2006Thunderstorm WindAltamont-Two small homes destroyed by trees falling on them.
May 2006Thunderstorm WindAltamont-Numerous trees and power lines were blown down.
May 2005Thunderstorm WindAltamont-Trees and power lines blown down.
June 2005Thunderstorm WindAltamont-Empty silo blown down.
July 2004Thunderstorm WindAltamont-A tree was blown down onto a power line.
April 2001HailAltamont-Hail ranged from dime to quarter size.
July 2001Flash FloodAltamont-At 525 am CST, a street was reported flooded in the town of Altamont. By 650 am CST, numerous streets were reported flooded in the town.
August 2000Thunderstorm WindAltamont-Several power lines were blown down in Altamont and Effingham, mainly due to fallen tree limbs.
June 2000Thunderstorm WindAltamont-Several trees, tree limbs and power lines were blown down. A care center in Altamont sustained minor damage with a couple of windows broken, an air conditioning unit blown off concrete blocks, a TV antenna wrapped around the mast and numerous shingles blown off. A suspended ceiling in a large assembly room fell and several garage doors were damaged.
July 2000Thunderstorm WindAltamont-Several power lines were blown down in Altamont.
June 1999Tornado (F0)Altamont-A tornado briefly touched down near the intersection of IL Route 128 and US 40. It uprooted a few trees and knocked down some power lines. No injuries were reported.
June 1998Thunderstorm WindAltamont-Thunderstorm winds blew down several trees, numerous tree limbs, and power lines in Altamont. No injuries were reported. Some minor structural damage was reported though no damage estimate was available.
July 1997Thunderstorm WindAltamont-Thunderstorm winds blew down several large trees in Altamont.
March 2025HailAltamont-no account filed
October 2025HailAltamont-no account filed
September 2025HailAltamont-no account filed
August 2023HailAltamont-no account filed
August 2023HailAltamont-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Effingham County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
East Meadows0.5 miles15
Southmore Heights1.0 miles15
Dexter3.7 miles15
Freenanton (historical)3.7 miles15
Keptown4.3 miles15
Blue Point4.5 miles15
Gilmore5.4 miles9
Moccasin5.9 miles12

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on AltamontAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q575636The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 403462. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.