Christopher, Illinois
18 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1910 and the latest in 1987. It stands in Tyrone Township. It lies in ZIP code area 62822. The Survey maps it on the Christopher quadrangle. 2,697 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 436 feet above sea level.
Population over time
2 figuresChristopher grew from 2,382 to 2,697 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 | 2,382 | |
| 2020 | 2,697 | +315 (+13%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
11 surveys from 18 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.
- 1910 USGS Herrin quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1936 USGS Herrin quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1949 USGS Paducah quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1950 USGS Paducah quadrangle1:250000
- 1954 USGS Paducah quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1961 USGS Paducah quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1964 USGS Paducah quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1968 USGS Christopher quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1984 USGS Carbondale quadrangle1:100000
- 1986 USGS Carbondale quadrangle1:100000
- 1987 USGS Paducah quadrangle1:250000
Fires near this place
9 since 2001Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 9 fires within 5 miles of Christopher between 2001 and 2011, burning about 17 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 | 7 |
| Debris and open burning | 2 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 April 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | MARHET |
| 19 April 2001 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Illinois State Fire Marshal's Office | not named |
| 3 March 2011 | Debris and open burning | 12 acres | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | MILLS |
| 18 March 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | STEFFINS |
| 16 March 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | SOHM |
| 9 February 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2.0 acres | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | not named |
| 30 December 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | HOOPER |
| 13 November 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | SUGIN |
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 Christopher: 1 past producer. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buchner Sand Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
31 since 1998Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Christopher in 31 storm reports between 1998 and 2025: 12 thunderstorm wind, 11 hail, 3 heavy rain, 2 flash flood. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Christopher | $200,000 | In Christopher, a large portion of the roof was torn off an elementary school. About 2200 square feet was lifted off. Ten classrooms were flooded by rainwater. The water brought down ceiling tiles in four classrooms. There were about 16 inches of water in some parts of the school. In Benton, wind took down three sections of vinyl fencing. It also tore the facing off the front of a house. |
| August 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Christopher | $60,000 | From Zeigler to Christopher, a trained spotter reported lots of trees were down, and power was out. |
| January 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Christopher | $50,000 | A pole barn was heavily damaged at the intersection of Route 14 and Old Route 14. A day care center lost part of a wall. A few outbuildings were damaged. |
| May 2016 | Hail | Christopher | $40,000 | These ping-pong ball size hailstones were photographed. |
| October 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Christopher | $35,000 | A large tree limb was snapped and fell onto the roof of a house in Christopher. |
| March 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Christopher | $25,000 | Portions of a pole barn were blown over 100 yards northeast from the original location. |
| August 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Christopher | $25,000 | Large trees were blown down. Some tree limbs landed on power lines and roads. A portion of a fence was blown out. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Christopher | $20,000 | Trees were down countywide, primarily in central and northwest areas of the county. |
| June 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Christopher | $15,000 | Several large tree limbs were blown down, and one tree was uprooted along Highway 148 through town. A few shingles were blown off houses. |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Christopher | $10,000 | Trees were blown down in Christopher and Zeigler as thunderstorms moved southeastward through Franklin County. |
| October 2010 | Lightning | Christopher | $10,000 | A house was struck by lightning. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Christopher | $7,000 | A large tree limb was down on a home in Christopher. Large tree limbs were down near Zeigler. |
| July 2013 | Heavy Rain | Christopher | $5,000 | Two feet of water was over Illinois Route 14 on the east side of Christopher. Several vehicles stalled out. In the city of Christopher, 6 to 12 inches of water covered many roads. West of Christopher, several inches of water was flowing across Illinois Route 14. |
| February 2024 | Hail | Christopher | - | Emergency management reported pea to quarter size hail covering the ground in Christopher. Media reported similar hail sizes in Buckner as well from the same storm. |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Christopher | - | A corn field on the west side of Christopher was blown down by microburst winds. |
| August 2022 | Flash Flood | Christopher | - | Significant flash flooding was reported across the western side of Franklin County. Water was over Route 14 in multiple locations west of Christopher. Water was over Route 184 in multiple locations north and south of Mulkeytown. Many rural roads were completely impassable. A Cocorahs observer at Christopher measured 5.11 inches of rain over 48 hours. |
| August 2020 | Flash Flood | Christopher | - | Multiple roadways were flooded and impassable, including Route 148 in Christopher. Water was over Route 14 in Christopher. Water was encroaching on several residences. |
| October 2013 | Heavy Rain | Christopher | - | A trained spotter measured 2.50 inches of rain in four hours. |
| March 2012 | Hail | Christopher | - | Quarter size hail was reported in Christopher. |
| September 2009 | Hail | Christopher | - | Quarter-size hail was reported just north of Christopher. |
| April 2008 | Flood | Christopher | - | Localized flooding was reported along Highway 14. |
| July 2006 | Heavy Rain | Christopher | - | One to two feet of water was over portions of Highway 148. |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Christopher | - | Three trees about 35 feet tall were blown over, snapped at the base. |
| April 2021 | Hail | Christopher | - | no account filed |
| May 2016 | Hail | Christopher | - | no account filed |
| November 2013 | Funnel Cloud | Christopher | - | no account filed |
| July 2012 | Hail | Christopher | - | no account filed |
| July 2012 | Hail | Christopher | - | no account filed |
| May 2007 | Hail | Christopher | - | no account filed |
| April 2007 | Hail | Christopher | - | no account filed |
| April 1998 | Hail | Christopher | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urbain | 0.7 miles | 18 | |
| Coello | 1.7 miles | 18 | |
| Buckner | 2.1 miles | 18 | |
| Cleburne | 2.5 miles | 18 | |
| Valier | 3.0 miles | 11 | |
| Mulkeytown | 3.1 miles | 18 | |
| Hickory Corners | 3.1 miles | 18 | |
| Mitchell | 3.7 miles | 18 |
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 Christopher | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q578542 | 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 406104. 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.










