Edwardsville: They've Got Spirit—How 'Bout You?

By Jennifer Roberts

Packed with schools, teams, and child-friendly activities, Edwardsville just keeps growing.

Edwardsville is dedicated to its cats. Red-and-black Southern Illinois University Cougars banners decorate the downtown streets; orange paw prints mark the entrance to the high school. On a Friday night in early November, cars edge into the turn lane, following the paw prints on the road. Their faces painted orange and black, Edwardsville High School fans pack the bleachers in anticipation of the 7 o’clock kickoff. The rival team: East St. Louis. Several hours of cheering by the energetic Edwardsville fans, led by the school’s inordinately peppy cheerleaders, helps carry the team to a 24–8 victory that earns the Tigers a spot in the state quarterfinals.

Home to Southern Illinois University–Edwardsville and a top-notch public-school system, the area is rapidly growing. As recent college graduates and young families pour into the area, subdivisions are replacing woodlands and farm fields in nearly every direction.

Weekly puppet shows at the library and extensive programming at the children’s museum have helped convince Michele Ziolkowski, a mother of two young children and the director of a La Petite daycare center, that Edwardsville is the perfect place to raise a family. From behind her desk, Ziolkowski talks about moving from Granite City to Edwardsville. As she shares her experience, her eyes twinkle, and when she describes the Children’s Museum, her voice rises in a lilt. You wonder whether perhaps she’s having as much fun as her kids are.

Recent SIUE graduate Mandy Webb decided to stay in the area after earning her degree. Although she’s now a fourth grade teacher, Webb still looks like the student she recently was. “It’s weird living and working in your college town,” she admits. “I drive by the old hangouts ...” She laughs: “There are lots of memories.”

Webb says that she’s enjoying the way in which the town is redefining itself—but some longtime residents, including Mike and Linda Kavorick, are less enthusiastic about the onslaught of new neighbors. “We like trees and space, but slowly that’s all disappearing,” Linda says. The couple lives in a house built by Linda’s father on what was once a secluded property—the house now faces a new school and a YMCA. But despite all the changes, Linda says, Edwardsville “will always be home.”

Home is just getting more crowded. The population surge has resulted in rush-hour traffic jams; depending on the time of day, exiting I-270 to get to SIUE may take as long as 15 minutes. The town is making changes to better accommodate the increased population; for instance, construction to expand Highway 157 into a four-lane highway is under way.

But beyond the bustling traffic lies a historic town. Dating back to the early 1800s, Edwardsville is the third-oldest city in Illinois, and efforts are being made to preserve some of the town’s oldest buildings. The Col. Benjamin Stephenson House, for example, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the oldest brick home in the country, and it’s being restored to its original 1820 condition.

Edwardsville’s downtown still feels like a small town, its quaint, eclectic string of shops including the Book Nook, the Sunrise Diner, Mojo’s Music, Knit One Weave Too, Bigelo’s Bistro and Bead It.

The city’s historic district is home to large, colorful Victorian houses, framed by tree-filled yards, on St. Louis Street. And running through the historic district is Route 66, celebrated each year with a Route 66 Festival and much-anticipated car show.

In June, Edwardsville City Park welcomes the 13-week Arts in the Park festival, with Thursday evening municipal-band concerts, headliner acts on Fridays and children’s art classes on Saturday mornings.

With the town’s social life booming and real estate up 16 percent from last year, Webb’s house hunt is becoming more urgent. “Let’s find it now, while we can afford it,” she urges her fiancé, Brian Curry.

Flipping through the papers, Curry suddenly straightens in his chair, smiling. “Three bedrooms, one-and-a-half baths,” he announces.

Webb hurries to his side and peers over his shoulder. “I’m sold,” she shouts.