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Staunton, Illinois

11 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1912 and the latest in 1982. It stands in Staunton Township. It lies in ZIP code area 62088. The Survey maps it on the Gillespie South quadrangle. 5,054 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 620 feet above sea level.

Staunton within Macoupin County

Population over time

2 figures

Staunton fell from 5,139 to 5,054 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
20105,139
20205,054-85 (-2%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

6 surveys from 11 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.

In the county-history sources

3,215 words on this township

History of Macoupin County, Illinois : Biographical and Pictorial, published 1911 names this settlement in its chapter on Staunton Township. These are the passages that mention it, exactly as the scans read.

Staunton Times was established in August, 1878, by Showman and Lamb, who sold after two months to W. F. Bently. It was published and edited by F. L. Blome from 1885 to 1898; T. H. Edwards, 1898 to 1904; T. H. and J. J. Edwards, 1904 to 1908; M. W. Meyers, 1909. Bound files dated from 1885 to 1908 in possession of T. H. Edwards. The Times was the first paper conducted in Staunton after the lapse of time between 1861 until 1878. In 1858 the Staunton Banner was established by Parsons Percy, a practical printer, who brought the office outfit from Monroe county. The existence of the Banner was a precarious one and in 1861 the plant was purchased and moved to Gillespie.

Passage source: History of Macoupin County, Illinois : Biographical and Pictorial, published 1911.

In 1905 John Camp came into possession of the Star and in November, 1910, bought the Times. He then hyphenated the name of the paper and it is now 'known as the Star-Times. It is an excellent sheet, well patronized, and the only paper published at Staunton.

Passage source: History of Macoupin County, Illinois : Biographical and Pictorial, published 1911.

Staunton township is situated in the extreme southeast corner of Macoupin county, and is bounded on the north by Cahokia township, on the west by Dorchester township, on the south by Madison county and on the east by Montgomery county. The township is mostly rolling prairie, well adapted for all kinds of agriculture. Several creeks run through the township, the principal one of which is Cahokia, which enters in the north part of section 5 and flowing in a southwesterly direction, passes out on the west of section 19. The streams are bordered by belts of timber, which include various kinds of oak, ash, sugar maple, walnut and hickory.

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 Staunton Township - it names this place 10 more 10 times.

Fires near this place

12 since 2009

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 12 fires within 5 miles of Staunton between 2009 and 2016, 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/undetermined9
Debris and open burning2
Equipment and vehicle use1

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
4 September 2014Equipment and vehicle useunder an acreIllinois Division of Forestry ResourcesOLIVE1
9 August 2012Debris and open burningunder an acreIllinois Division of Forestry ResourcesBACKYARD
8 July 2012Missing data/not specified/undetermined2.0 acresIllinois Division of Forestry ResourcesMADISON
22 July 2012Debris and open burningunder an acreIllinois Division of Forestry ResourcesGOODMAN
11 July 2012Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreIllinois Division of Forestry ResourcesLIVINGSTON
22 March 2011Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreIllinois Division of Forestry ResourcesHENRY
18 March 2009Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreIllinois Division of Forestry ResourcesILL
17 February 2009Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreIllinois Division of Forestry ResourcesRAMSEY RD

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Macoupin County

Mines and quarries near this place

3 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 3 workings within 5 miles of Staunton: 2 occurrences, 1 prospect. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken, Clay. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Honey Creek Clay Shale ExposureClayProspect
Limestone ProspectStone, Crushed/BrokenOccurrence
Limestone ProspectStone, Crushed/BrokenOccurrence

Every working recorded in Macoupin County

Storms near this place

34 since 1994

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Staunton in 34 storm reports between 1994 and 2026: 16 thunderstorm wind, 10 hail, 4 tornado, 2 lightning. 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
May 2011Thunderstorm WindStaunton1 hurtThunderstorm winds blew over a semi on the north bound lanes of I-55 just south of the Staunton exit. The driver lost control when the truck was hit by the winds and ended up in a ditch about 50 feet from the road. The driver sustained minor injuries.
May 2008Thunderstorm WindStaunton$50,000Wind gusts estimated at 60 to 65 mph downed large tree limbs, a few power lines and blew roof shingles off homes. The garage at a new home under construction was blown apart. A few cars suffered minor damage from falling tree limbs.
March 2026Thunderstorm WindStaunton-National Weather Service survey concluded that snapped wooden power poles along Reservoir Road were the result of approximately 100 mph wind gusts.
March 2026Tornado (EF1)Staunton-The tornado continued into Macoupin County from Madison County where it uprooted trees along Double Arch Road before dissipating.
May 2025Thunderstorm WindStaunton-Thunderstorm winds downed one large tree.
July 2023Thunderstorm WindStaunton-Thunderstorm winds blew down several large tree limbs around town.
August 2023HailStaunton-Numerous severe hail reports came from Staunton at around 7PM CST with sizes ranging from 1.00 to 1.50.
December 2018Tornado (EF1)Staunton-A tornado touched down over the Country Classic Cars business northeast of Staunton, IL. Many videos surfaced showing a funnel develop and pass over Interstate 55. No damage could be seen west of the interstate, creating the initial damage to a carport at the business, and then cutting an approximately 50 yard path through the middle portion of the second storage shed on the property. The tornado proceeded east, depositing several pieces of sheet metal and wood onto Old Route 66 and fields to the east. Despite visible power flashed in videos, power lines looked untouched. Arching likely occurred when metal sheeting was thrown across the lines. A debris path could be seen strewn for several hundred feet to the northeast. A house, couple of farm buildings and trees were damaged on the south side of Tall Timber Road. Another structure to the north side of Tall Timber Road, at the end of Adden Road, was also damaged. Several pieces of debris could be seen in the field to the northeast of Adden Road and to the west of Two Mile Road. However, no damage was assessed past the field, where it is likely the tornado dissipated. Additional videos from Mt. Olive show a long rope funnel ascended above the town with no damage to the community. Overall the tornado was rated EF1 with a path length of 1.39 miles and a max path width of 50 yards. No injuries or deaths were reported with this tornado.
July 2018Thunderstorm WindStaunton-Thunderstorm winds blew down several large tree limbs down around town. One large tree limb fell onto a house causing minor damage.
March 2017Thunderstorm WindStaunton-Thunderstorm winds blew the awning off of a business in town.
June 2017Thunderstorm WindStaunton-Thunderstorm winds blew down several large trees around town as well as power lines.
December 2015Flash FloodStaunton-Between 3 and 4 inches of rain fell causing flash flooding. Numerous roads were flooded especially across the southern half of the county. Some of the flooded roads were Bayless Road/Three Mile Road near Gillespie, Sunset Street on west side of Mt. Olive, Spanish Needle Road near Gillespie Lake, Brushy Mound Road just south of Carlinville, and Moore Cemetery Road east of bridge that goes over Richardson Branch Creek.
May 2013Thunderstorm WindStaunton-Thunderstorm winds blew off the decorative steel portion of a grocery store roof in Staunton. The main roof remained intact with just minor leaks into the store below. Also, several trees and power lines were blown down around town.
September 2012Thunderstorm WindStaunton-Thunderstorm winds blew down several trees in Staunton.
September 2011Thunderstorm WindStaunton-Thunderstorm winds blew down several tree limbs and power lines. Also, part of the roof of a barn was blown off.
June 2007Flash FloodStaunton-Local law enforcement reported a couple of county roads became impassable due to heavy rain.
April 2006Tornado (F0)Staunton-The Madison County tornado that started near Dorsey crossed the Macoupin County line about 6 miles west southwest of Staunton. The tornado damaged trees, downed a few power lines, and blew off roof shingles near Staunton and Mt. Olive.
June 2006Thunderstorm WindStaunton-Thunderstorm winds damaged 50 to 100 trees in town. Four to six homes sustained some kind of structural damage due to the fallen trees and tree limbs. Several power lines were blown down as well, leaving 60 to 80 houses without power for a time. No injuries were reported.
September 2005LightningStaunton-Lightning struck a substation Monday evening causing substantial damage. Power was out for much of town through Tuesday until repairs could be finished.
May 2003Tornado (F0)Staunton-A local farmer reported that a brief tornado occurred in a field between Staunton and Bunker Hill.
June 2000Thunderstorm WindStaunton-The County Sheriff reported power lines down.
June 1994Thunderstorm WindStaunton-Thunderstorm winds blew down a large tree, as well as some tree limbs, in Staunton.
April 2026HailStaunton-no account filed
April 2026HailStaunton-no account filed
May 2018HailStaunton-no account filed
May 2010HailStaunton-no account filed
June 2009HailStaunton-no account filed
April 2008HailStaunton-no account filed
May 2005HailStaunton-no account filed
May 2004Thunderstorm WindStaunton-no account filed
May 2004LightningStaunton-no account filed
June 1998HailStaunton-no account filed
May 1998Thunderstorm WindStaunton-no account filed
March 1997HailStaunton-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Macoupin 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
White City3.9 miles11
Sawyerville4.6 miles11
Wilsonville5.3 miles11
Mount Olive5.3 miles12
Benld5.6 miles11
Carlsburg6.1 miles12
Mount Clare6.2 miles11
Lake Ka-Ho6.5 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 StauntonAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q575509The 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 419076. 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.