Pulaski, Illinois
24 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1931 and the latest in 1987. It stands in Pulaski precinct. It lies in ZIP code area 62976. It stands on Briar Creek. The Survey maps it on the Pulaski quadrangle. 154 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 344 feet above sea level.
Population over time
2 figuresPulaski fell from 206 to 154 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 | 206 | |
| 2020 | 154 | -52 (-25%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
14 surveys from 24 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.
- 1931 USGS Cairo quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1933 USGS Cairo quadrangle1:62500, 3 printings
- 1939 USGS Cairo quadrangle1:62500
- 1949 USGS Paducah quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1950 USGS Paducah quadrangle1:250000
- 1953 USGS Cairo quadrangle1:62500, 3 printings
- 1954 USGS Paducah quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1955 USGS Cairo quadrangle1:62500
- 1961 USGS Paducah quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1964 USGS Paducah quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1967 USGS Pulaski quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1984 USGS Cape Girardeau quadrangle1:100000
- 1986 USGS Cape Girardeau quadrangle1:100000
- 1987 USGS Paducah quadrangle1:250000
Fires near this place
4 since 2007Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 4 fires within 5 miles of Pulaski between 2007 and 2011, burning about 34 acres in total. None started naturally. 1 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 | 2 |
| Debris and open burning | 1 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 August 2007 | Arson/incendiarism | 8.6 acres | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | not named |
| 7 March 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge | RIVER |
| 20 February 2011 | Debris and open burning | 4.0 acres | Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge | RUN CREEK |
| 20 February 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 20 acres | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | MAGINEL |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
8 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 8 workings within 5 miles of Pulaski: 4 past producers, 2 occurrences, 2 producers. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Fire Clay (Refractory), Clay, Silica. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Absorbent Clay Products Pit | Clay | Producer | ||
| Burk Mine Tammsco Inc. | Stone | Past Producer | ||
| Limestone Prospect | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Occurrence | ||
| Shawnee Low Interest Refractory Clay Deposit | Fire Clay (Refractory) | Occurrence | Sedimentary | |
| Unimin Plant & Mill | Silica | Producer | ||
| Jordan Trucking Sand & Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Mise Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Pulaski County Highway Department | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
21 since 1996Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Pulaski in 21 storm reports between 1996 and 2025: 11 thunderstorm wind, 4 hail, 4 tornado, 2 flood. The reports record 1 death. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 2015 | Flood | Pulaski | 1 killed, $40,000 | One fatality occurred when a motorist drove around barricades into a flooded area along Sandusky Road. The area is fairly prone to flooding of the Cache River. The vehicle was found completely submerged in Cache River floodwaters. A volunteer fire and rescue squad located the vehicle and the body of the motorist. The body of the female motorist was found in a flooded field about 100 feet from the vehicle. It appeared she may have tried to turn around, and the vehicle ended up in a flooded ditch. The incident was reported by a tow-truck driver who towed a second vehicle out of the floodwater. The driver of the second vehicle got out safely, but the vehicle was almost completely submerged except for a small part of the top. |
| January 2005 | Tornado (F1) | Pulaski | $70,000 | A grain bin was blown over, and about a half dozen sheds and outbuildings were damaged or destroyed. Numerous trees and large limbs were blown down. An older mobile home was destroyed 3 to 4 miles west of Grand Chain. Peak winds were estimated near 75 MPH. Structural damage was minimal due to the very rural nature of the area. |
| March 2025 | Tornado (EF1) | Pulaski | $50,000 | An EF-1 tornado began near the Mississippi River just northwest of Fayville in Alexander County and moved east northeast into Pulaski County just northeast of Sandusky. The tornado uprooted and snapped the trunks of numerous trees along its path. A few buildings sustained roof damage. The estimated peak wind was 105 mph. The total path length of the tornado was around 18 miles. A large area of 70-90 mph straight line winds swept just south of the tornado and eventually overtook it as it moved east of Interstate 57. Damage indicative of the 70-90 mph straight line winds continued sporadically into western Massac County. |
| May 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pulaski | $50,000 | no account filed |
| May 2011 | Tornado (EF1) | Pulaski | $40,000 | Mainly tree damage was observed. Some trees were uprooted and snapped. One small shed was damaged. There was minor damage to business roofs in Pulaski. Some straight-line wind damage was observed on the southeast end of the path. Peak winds were estimated near 90 mph. The average path width was 100 yards. |
| May 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pulaski | $20,000 | Several trees were down between Pulaski and Mounds. A semi trailer was blown over. |
| November 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pulaski | $15,000 | A couple of trees were blown down on U.S. Highway 51, north of Pulaski and north of Ullin. Metal sheeting from a grain bin was blown onto railroad tracks at Pulaski. |
| March 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pulaski | $10,000 | Straight line winds tore roof panels off of a barn along Fairground Road at Chapel Hill Road just west of Pulaski. This damage was just south of a tornado track. |
| July 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pulaski | $7,000 | A large tree was down. Large limbs were blown down, including one that fell on a car. A trained spotter estimated wind gusts were near 70 mph. |
| March 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pulaski | $7,000 | Two barns were damaged, sheds were demolished, and the roof of a trailer addition was blown off. |
| May 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pulaski | $4,000 | A tree was blown down, blocking a street. A mailbox was blown off a pole. |
| July 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pulaski | $4,000 | Trees were down at scattered locations. |
| May 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pulaski | $2,000 | Power lines were blown down on Sandusky Road southwest of Pulaski. Trees were down between Pulaski and Villa Ridge along U.S. Highway 51. |
| April 2019 | Tornado (EF0) | Pulaski | $1,000 | A couple of large but decayed trees were blown down. Peak winds were estimated near 70 mph. |
| May 2025 | Hail | Pulaski | - | Hail estimated to half dollar size fell east of Pulaski on the north end of a supercell storm. The report was submitted via mPING. |
| February 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pulaski | - | A train struck a fallen tree over the railroad tracks. |
| March 2015 | Hail | Pulaski | - | The hail occurred on Interstate 57 at mile marker 14. |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pulaski | - | Numerous trees were blown down, including 12 that landed across roadways. |
| January 2008 | Flood | Pulaski | - | no account filed |
| May 2006 | Hail | Pulaski | - | no account filed |
| April 2003 | Hail | Pulaski | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pryortown | 3.4 miles | 24 | |
| Villa Ridge | 3.8 miles | 24 | |
| Ullin | 4.5 miles | 22 | |
| Spencer Heights | 6.0 miles | 24 | |
| North Mounds | 6.3 miles | 27 | |
| Olmsted | 6.6 miles | 25 | |
| America | 6.8 miles | 25 | |
| Mounds | 6.9 miles | 27 |
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 Pulaski | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q2671826 | 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 416278. 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.













