Across the river, O'Fallon's population is quietly exploding.
By Traci Angel
Unlike many of its rural counterparts, O'Fallon is not dying a small-town death as residents leave to find better work. Instead, it is the fastest-growing town in Southern Illinois, its community resurgence made possible by St. Louis' sprawl.
Town officials are feeling the growing pains as they confront flooding problems, because the infrastructure can't keep up with all the development. But growth means mostly positive changes. The city closed this spring on 200 acres for a new family sports park and hopes to have finished ball fields next year, and two new hotels and two new furniture stores are being considered to bring sales-tax revenue.
What you notice first when you exit I-64 are the railroad tracks slicing across O'Fallon, essentially dividing the historic Main Street section of town from the newer neighborhoods and subdivisions. These tracks played a key role in the town's past. The Ohio and Mississippi Railroad built a depot named after John O'Fallon, a St. Louis resident who was an executive with the railroad. O'Fallon Station opened in 1854, about the same time the German immigrant farmers and businessmen settled the community. This heritage is preserved at the O'Fallon Historical Society Museum (101 W. State, 618-624-8409), located in the historic First National Bank building and open 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Exhibits there feature two famed local sons, artist Bernie Fuchs and Academy Award-winning actor William Holden.
One of the community's biggest employers is nearby Scott Air Force Base. Two months ago, residents held their collective breath, waiting to learn whether Scott was on the Department of Defense base-closure list. But good news came and the base will remain open, continuing to employ 13,000 people on a $100 million annual payroll.
Jo Zollner has lived in O'Fallon for four decades. She describes it as an ever-changing community with a mix of military families and old-timers from East St. Louis. "It's just a nice town ... that's why we stayed," she says. Her five kids walked to school and came home for lunch. "They could get on their bikes and I didn't have to worry about them," she recalls.
Others move to O'Fallon to find refuge in a smaller community farther from city bustle. Don and Pat Thomas lived in a home in Fairview Heights but downsized to a duplex in O'Fallon. "Most of our neighborhood is older," says Don. "We wanted everything on one floor."
Main Street, the town's historic district, is clearly O'Fallon's heart. Main Street O'Fallon is a volunteer effort to restore and maintain the architecture of bygone days. The group sponsors fundraisers throughout the year, such as the Great Main Street Ball, to raise money and awareness for the preservation. Main Street Nights, a street festival held on the fourth Friday of the month from June through September, and the O'Fallon Station Market, at which fresh produce is sold every Saturday morning from July until October, add to the community feel.
O'Fallon authorities are cheerfully realistic about the fact that tourists aren't flocking there. O'Fallon has hotels, chain restaurants and just about every car dealership imaginable, but only one local eatery comes to mind: the Opera House Restaurant (220 E. State, 618-624-6952). "We're not a destination," says Pam Funk, assistant city administrator. "Our marketing strategy is, 'Stay with us on your way to the big city.'"
Those who do stay find a quiet, livable charm. First United Methodist Church offers pet blessings. Rock Springs Park offers 109 acres of wooded land with prairie grasses, trees and a new nature center. Zollner worries that the town's growth means shrinking green space but appreciates the bedroom community's generosity as the population grows. "The people are all very giving," she says, noting the all-volunteer fire department and the Scott Air Force Base appreciation day that brings crowds of citizens to O'Fallon's Community Park to feast on donated food from local businesses.
