Bunker Hill, Illinois
12 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1912 and the latest in 1998. It stands in Bunker Hill Township. It lies in ZIP code area 62014. The Survey maps it on the Bunker Hill quadrangle. 1,630 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 659 feet above sea level.
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Population over time
2 figuresBunker Hill fell from 1,774 to 1,630 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 | 1,774 | |
| 2020 | 1,630 | -144 (-8%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
7 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.
- 1912 USGS Gillespie quadrangle1:62500
- 1915 USGS Gillespie quadrangle1:62500, 3 printings
- 1958 USGS Decatur quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1961 USGS Decatur quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1974 USGS Bunker Hill quadrangle1:24000
- 1982 USGS Litchfield quadrangle1:100000
- 1998 USGS Bunker Hill quadrangle1:24000
In the county-history sources
1,023 words on this townshipHistory of Macoupin County, Illinois : Biographical and Pictorial, published 1911 names this settlement in its chapter on Bunker Hill Township. These are the passages that mention it, exactly as the scans read.
The site on which the present town of Bunker Hill is located was once a prairie, known as Wolf ridge, from the fact that it was frequented by wolves. The earliest inhabitants of this section were the Peoria, Kickapoo and Winnebago Indians, who had a camping ground northeast of the present town of Bunker Hill. In 1826 the last of these tribes left here and moved farther west.
Passage source: History of Macoupin County, Illinois : Biographical and Pictorial, published 1911.
The year 1827 witnessed the arrival of James Breden, who was the first justice of the peace in the township, holding the office for more than twenty years. Simeon Jones may also be classed among the first settlers in this township. He was born and reared in Madison county, this state, and after coming to Bunker Hill township, served for many years as school treasurer.
Passage source: History of Macoupin County, Illinois : Biographical and Pictorial, published 1911.
In 1833 Messrs. Tuttle and Lincoln laid out a town two miles south of the present site of Bunker Hill and named the place Lincoln. However, a log cabin and a frame house marked the farthest progress to which the town ever attained. This was later converted into a farm by J. V. Hopper.
Passage source: History of Macoupin County, Illinois : Biographical and Pictorial, published 1911.
Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.
Read the whole chapter on Bunker Hill Township - it names this place 4 more 4 times.
Fires near this place
3 since 2008Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 3 fires within 5 miles of Bunker Hill between 2008 and 2009, burning about 40 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 |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 March 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | 90334 |
| 24 January 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | BROWN |
| 15 January 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 40 acres | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | 90117 |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
1 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 1 working within 5 miles of Bunker Hill: 1 occurrence. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Limestone Prospect | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Occurrence |
Storms near this place
60 since 1998Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Bunker Hill in 60 storm reports between 1998 and 2026: 37 hail, 19 thunderstorm wind, 4 tornado. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2000 | Hail | Bunker Hill | $160,000 | no account filed |
| March 2026 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bunker Hill | - | Thunderstorm winds downed power lines near Dorsey. |
| May 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bunker Hill | - | Thunderstorm winds knocked down tree limbs that were 12 inches in diameter. The caller reported estimated winds of 70 mph. |
| December 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bunker Hill | - | Thunderstorm winds blew down a large tree onto Illinois Route 159 about a mile south of Bunker Hill. Several power lines were blown down onto School House Road east of intersection with Dorchester Road. |
| May 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bunker Hill | - | Several power lines were blown down in Bunker Hill. |
| July 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bunker Hill | - | Thunderstorm winds blew down numerous trees and power lines between Bunker Hill and Gillespie. One tree was blown down onto Illinois Route 16 in Gillespie. |
| March 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bunker Hill | - | Thunderstorm winds took some shingles off of roofs, knocked over fences and snapped a few small trees around town. Also, some sheet metal was torn off of a couple of barns in the area. |
| May 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bunker Hill | - | Thunderstorm winds blew down 15 power poles onto Illinois Route 159 just north of Mansholt Road. Route 159 was closed for about 12 hours while the poles were being replaced. Additional power poles were blown down just north of Illinois Route 138 on Whitefield Road. |
| July 2006 | Hail | Bunker Hill | - | A swath of large hail to the size of quarters fell from Bunker Hill southward towards the county line. Several hundred acres of corn were damaged along and west of Illinois Route 159. |
| July 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bunker Hill | - | Full size pickup truck blown into ditch. |
| July 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bunker Hill | - | Numerous trees and tree limbs blown down. |
| July 2006 | Tornado (F0) | Bunker Hill | - | A tornado briefly touched down in an open field north of Bunker Hill near the intersection of Illinois Routes 159 and 138. No damage or injuries were reported. |
| June 2005 | Tornado (F0) | Bunker Hill | - | The first in a series of weak tornadoes occurred around 6:00 pm over the far west sections of Bunker Hill. Several large trees were topped and some minor structural damage occurred to some buildings. A few vehicles were also damaged by fallen trees. |
| June 2005 | Tornado (F0) | Bunker Hill | - | The second tornado occurred 2.5 miles north of Bunker Hill near Highway 159 . A large machine shed was damaged with debris tossed up to 300 yards northeast of Highway 159 over an open farm field. |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bunker Hill | - | Thunderstorm winds downed trees, power lines, and blew off roof shingles. |
| June 2005 | Tornado (F1) | Bunker Hill | - | The third tornado firmed approximately 2 miles northeast of Bunker Hill near Mansholt Road. One large machine shed was completely destroyed. The debris was tossed over 450 yards to the northeast. The tornado caused minor damage to several grain silos and a machine shed on a farm on South Dorchester Road. This tornado continued northeast across the northern part of Wilsonville and caused roof damage to a church as well as tree and power pole damage. |
| May 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bunker Hill | - | Some trees and large tree limbs were down in Bunker Hill. A pickup truck on West Warren Street was damaged by a large tree limb. |
| October 2004 | Hail | Bunker Hill | - | A storm spotter reported 3/4 inch hail west of Bunker Hill. |
| April 2003 | Hail | Bunker Hill | - | Amateur radio spotters reported golfball size hail. |
| April 2003 | Hail | Bunker Hill | - | Storm spotters reported golfball size hail west of Bunker Hill. |
| May 2003 | Hail | Bunker Hill | - | Storm spotters reported 3/4 inch hail just east of Bunker Hill. |
| May 2002 | Hail | Bunker Hill | - | The local fire department reported nickel size hail. |
| September 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bunker Hill | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts downed some trees in Bunker Hill. There was also some minor roof damage. |
| June 2000 | Hail | Bunker Hill | - | Amateur radio spotters reported 3/4 inch hail. |
| August 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bunker Hill | - | Amateur radio spotters reported large trees down in town. |
| July 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bunker Hill | - | Storm spotters reported 60 mph wind gusts in the Bunker Hill area. |
| April 2026 | Hail | Bunker Hill | - | no account filed |
| April 2026 | Hail | Bunker Hill | - | no account filed |
| March 2017 | Hail | Bunker Hill | - | no account filed |
| September 2017 | Hail | Bunker Hill | - | no account filed |
| April 2015 | Hail | Bunker Hill | - | no account filed |
| April 2015 | Hail | Bunker Hill | - | no account filed |
| May 2013 | Hail | Bunker Hill | - | no account filed |
| April 2012 | Hail | Bunker Hill | - | no account filed |
| May 2012 | Hail | Bunker Hill | - | no account filed |
| May 2011 | Hail | Bunker Hill | - | no account filed |
| June 2009 | Hail | Bunker Hill | - | no account filed |
| January 2008 | Hail | Bunker Hill | - | no account filed |
| May 2005 | Hail | Bunker Hill | - | no account filed |
| August 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bunker Hill | - | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bunker Hill | - | no account filed |
| July 2004 | Hail | Bunker Hill | - | no account filed |
| July 2004 | Hail | Bunker Hill | - | no account filed |
| March 2003 | Hail | Bunker Hill | - | no account filed |
| March 2003 | Hail | Bunker Hill | - | no account filed |
| May 2002 | Hail | Bunker Hill | - | no account filed |
| April 2002 | Hail | Bunker Hill | - | no account filed |
| October 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bunker Hill | - | no account filed |
| June 1999 | Hail | Bunker Hill | - | no account filed |
| June 1999 | Hail | Bunker Hill | - | no account filed |
| June 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bunker Hill | - | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bunker Hill | - | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Hail | Bunker Hill | - | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Hail | Bunker Hill | - | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Hail | Bunker Hill | - | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Hail | Bunker Hill | - | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Hail | Bunker Hill | - | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Hail | Bunker Hill | - | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Hail | Bunker Hill | - | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Hail | Bunker Hill | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Millville | 1.3 miles | 12 | |
| Woodburn | 3.2 miles | 12 | |
| Centerville | 4.2 miles | 12 | |
| Dorchester | 4.5 miles | 12 | |
| Royal Lakes | 4.7 miles | 12 | |
| Baylestown | 5.1 miles | 12 | |
| Wilsonville | 5.4 miles | 11 | |
| Shipman | 7.1 miles | 12 |
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 Bunker Hill | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q575935 | 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 405195. 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.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
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.






