BlockBeecher City, Illinois
12 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1941 and the latest in 1986. It stands in Liberty Township. It lies in ZIP code area 62414. It stands on Corwin Branch. The Survey maps it on the Beecher City quadrangle. 428 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 614 feet above sea level.
Population over time
2 figuresBeecher City fell from 463 to 428 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.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 463 | |
| 2020 | 428 | -35 (-8%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
6 surveys from 12 printed sheetsMatched 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.
- 1941 USGS St. Elmo quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1945 USGS St. Elmo quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1958 USGS Decatur quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1961 USGS Decatur quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1983 USGS Beecher City quadrangle1:24000
- 1986 USGS Effingham quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
2 since 2004Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 2 fires within 5 miles of Beecher City between 2004 and 2013, burning about 10 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 ceremony | 1 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 April 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 9.0 acres | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | 1300MA |
| 28 February 2004 | Recreation and ceremony | 1.5 acres | Illinois State Fire Marshal's Office | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Storms near this place
28 since 2000Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Beecher City in 28 storm reports between 2000 and 2025: 10 flash flood, 8 flood, 7 thunderstorm wind, 3 hail. 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.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Beecher City | 1 hurt, $250,000 | Numerous trees, tree branches, and power lines were blown down across Beecher City. One falling tree damaged a trailer. |
| June 2015 | Flash Flood | Beecher City | $75,000 | Thunderstorms produced 4.00 to 7.00 of rainfall in a large part of Effingham County, mainly between 2300 and 0200 local standard time. Flash flooding rapidly developed, which made many streets impassable in Effingham. Rural roads in the southwest corner and southeast parts of the county were impassable. Illinois State Highway 37 southwest of Watson was closed. A county bridge 4 miles southwest of Shumway was washed out when the Blue Creek flooded out of its banks. |
| August 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Beecher City | $30,000 | Several trees were blown down in various locations across Effingham County. |
| April 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Beecher City | - | A power pole was snapped. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Beecher City | - | A six inch diameter tree was blown down. A photo of the damage was shared via social media. |
| July 2025 | Flash Flood | Beecher City | - | Water was flowing across Poplar Street in Beecher City. |
| December 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Beecher City | - | Several power lines were blown down. |
| January 2020 | Flood | Beecher City | - | Weather observers measured 3 to 6 inches of rain across Effingham County...including 4.69 3 miles southwest of Effingham, 4.95 near Watson, and 5.53 3.8 miles south-southwest of Altamont. Numerous creeks and streams flowed out of their banks, flooding low-lying spots across the county. |
| June 2018 | Flash Flood | Beecher City | - | Heavy rainfall amounts of 5.00 to 8.00 inches in northern Effingham County resulted in flash flooding from late in the evening June 11th through the early morning of June 12th. The flooding impacted Illinois Routes 32 and 33 from Beecher City to Effingham. There was also street flooding in Effingham, and numerous rural roads were flooded in the northern part of the county. |
| June 2018 | Flood | Beecher City | - | Heavy rainfall amounts of 5.00 to 8.00 inches in northern Effingham County resulted in flash flooding from late in the evening June 11th through the early morning of June 12th. The flooding impacted Illinois Routes 32 and 33 from Beecher City to Effingham. There was also street flooding in Effingham, and numerous rural roads were flooded in the northern part of the county. The rain began to taper off by the late morning of June 12th, however, the flooding did not subside until the afternoon hours. |
| May 2017 | Flood | Beecher City | - | Heavy rainfall of 2.00 to 3.00 inches during the early morning hours of May 4th, on already saturated ground, resulted in flash flooding across much of Effingham County. Officials reported that most roads were impassable and numerous creeks rapidly flooded. Additional rainfall around 1.00 inch later in the day May 4th into May 5th caused creeks and roads to stay flooded for nearly 24 hours. Flood waters subsided by the afternoon on May 5th. |
| May 2017 | Flash Flood | Beecher City | - | Heavy rainfall of 2.00 to 3.00 inches during the early morning hours of May 4th, on already saturated ground, resulted in flash flooding across much of Effingham County. Officials reported that most roads were impassable and numerous creeks rapidly flooded. |
| May 2017 | Flood | Beecher City | - | Rain amounts of 3.00 to 4.50 inches in about a two hour period during the evening hours, on already saturated ground, resulted in flash flooding across much of Effingham County. Several streets in the city of Effingham were impassable. Numerous rural roads, highways and creeks in the county were flooded, particularly from Beecher City to Shumway. An additional 0.50 to 1.00 inch of rain occurred on April 30th, keeping many roads and creeks flooded. As a result, areal flooding continued until the late morning hours of May 1st. |
| April 2017 | Flash Flood | Beecher City | - | Rain amounts of 3.00 to 4.50 inches in about a two hour period during the evening hours, on already saturated ground, resulted in flash flooding across much of Effingham County. Several streets in the city of Effingham were impassable. Numerous rural roads, highways and creeks in the county were flooded, particularly from Beecher City to Shumway. |
| April 2017 | Flood | Beecher City | - | Rain amounts of 3.00 to 4.50 inches in about a two hour period during the evening hours, on already saturated ground, resulted in flash flooding across much of Effingham County. Several streets in the city of Effingham were impassable. Numerous rural roads, highways and creeks in the county were flooded, particularly from Beecher City to Shumway. An additional 0.50 to 1.00 inch of rain occurred on April 30th, keeping many roads and creeks flooded. As a result, areal flooding continued until the late morning hours of May 1st. |
| May 2015 | Flash Flood | Beecher City | - | Rainfall rates of more than 1.00 inch per hour for at least two hours during the late afternoon, resulted in flash flooding across parts of western and northern Effingham County. Numerous rural roads were impassable. In addition, recreational roads around Lake Sara were inundated and the lake area was closed to traffic. Total rainfall was around 4.00 inches from just east of Altamont to the town of Shumway during the late afternoon and early evening. The flash flooding subsided by late evening. |
| June 2015 | Flash Flood | Beecher City | - | Several periods of rainfall occurred as a result of the remnants of Tropical Storm Bill. Rainfall totals ranged from 2.50 to 5.00 on already saturated ground. Numerous creeks flooded out of their banks and water overtopped a few bridges. Most rural roads in the county were impassable. |
| June 2015 | Flood | Beecher City | - | Thunderstorms produced 4.00 to 7.00 of rainfall in a large part of Effingham County, mainly between 2300 and 0200 local standard time. Flash flooding rapidly developed, which made many streets impassable in Effingham. Rural roads in the southwest corner and southeast parts of the county were impassable. Illinois State Highway 37 southwest of Watson was closed. A county bridge 4 miles southwest of Shumway was washed out when the Blue Creek flooded out of its banks. Additional rainfall during the early morning and the impacts of the overnight flooding caused roads to remain closed and creeks to stay in flood. The flooding subsided by the late evening of June 8th. |
| June 2015 | Flood | Beecher City | - | Several periods of rainfall occurred as a result of the remnants of Tropical Storm Bill. Rainfall totals ranged from 2.50 to 5.00 on already saturated ground. Numerous creeks flooded out of their banks and water overtopped a few bridges. Most rural roads in the county were impassable. The periods of rainfall persisted through the rest of June 19th and into June 20th. This caused roadways and creeks to remain flooded. The flooding subsided by the morning of June 20th. |
| June 2011 | Flash Flood | Beecher City | - | Early morning thunderstorms with very heavy rainfall produced flash flooding in much of Effingham County for the second time in less than 24 hours. Reports indicated that 2.00 to 3.00 of rain occurred in areas with very saturated ground and where flash flooding has just receded. Many streets in Effingham were flooded, and most rural roads in the county were impassable. |
| June 2011 | Flash Flood | Beecher City | - | Thunderstorms produced nearly 3.50 of rain in about 90 minutes during the early morning hours of June 18th. Total rainfall amounts ranged from 3.50 to 6.00 across much of the county. Almost all rural roads were impassable, and significant street flooding was reported in the city of Effingham. |
| August 2009 | Flash Flood | Beecher City | - | Around 2 to 3 inches of rain fell in a 2-hour period, causing flash flooding across Effingham County. Streets were flooded and ditches overflowed in the city of Effingham. |
| July 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Beecher City | - | Several trees and power lines were blown down in the Beecher City, Altamont, and Edgewood areas. |
| June 2000 | Flood | Beecher City | - | Several roads south of Beecher City were reported flooded for several hours. Over 3 inches of rain fell in Beecher City during that time. |
| June 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Beecher City | - | Several trees were blown down in the Beecher City area. |
| April 2015 | Hail | Beecher City | - | no account filed |
| May 2003 | Hail | Beecher City | - | no account filed |
| April 2002 | Hail | Beecher City | - | no account filed |
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 | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holland | 2.8 miles | 15 | |
| Moccasin | 3.2 miles | 12 | |
| Blue Point | 6.2 miles | 15 | |
| Shumway | 7.1 miles | 15 | |
| Altamont | 8.9 miles | 15 | |
| East Meadows | 9.1 miles | 15 | |
| Dexter | 9.2 miles | 15 | |
| Freenanton (historical) | 9.6 miles | 15 |
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 Beecher City | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q2180358 | The 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 404102. 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.