Brighton is a village located mostly in Macoupin County, Illinois and partly in Jersey County, Illinois. As of the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 2,196.

Interesting bits

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This small town only has one fast food restaurant, a Subway, and one grocery store, called Tom's. It has a two story school building which has been converted into a very unusual single family home, and a 5000 square foot funeral home converted the same way. It straddles two counties, so that part of the town is in Macoupin County, Illinois, part in Jersey County, Illinois. Some rural residents of Madison County, Illinois also have Brighton mailing addresses.

Though the town is quite small, fifteen minutes from the nearest suburbs of St. Louis, MO, it still has a suburban feel to it instead of a rural one, and is described by some local residents as being "a biker town", because of how common motorcycles (not stereotypical problems thereof) are there, perhaps in part to a bike shop which was on the main corner of town until 2005.

The Google satellite image for this town, ironically, drops of in resolution just two blocks south of the business district.

There the heart is: A history of Brighton, Illinois is, as the name implies, a history of Brighton, written by Martha A. Bentley and available on Amazon.com^*.

Brighton also is noted for its Burgoo soup, which is served at the Betsey Ann Picnic, the major homecoming event for the community.

Geography

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Brighton is located at 39°2'22" North, 90°8'23" West (39.039357, -90.139645).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 4.2 km² (1.6 mi²). 4.2 km² (1.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.83% water.

Demographics

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As of the census of 2000, there were 2,196 people, 816 households, and 608 families residing in the village. The population density is 526.6/km² (1,364.2/mi²). There are 855 housing units at an average density of 205.0/km² (531.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the village is 98.41% White, 0.05% African American, 0.05% Native American, 0.46% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.14% from other races, and 0.87% from two or more races. 1.09% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 816 households out of which 38.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.9% are married couples living together, 9.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 25.4% are non-families. 22.5% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.61 and the average family size is 3.06.

In the village the population is spread out with 26.6% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 87.0 males.

The median income for a household in the village is $38,750, and the median income for a family is $43,167. Males have a median income of $37,150 versus $23,616 for females. The per capita income for the village is $16,453. 6.5% of the population and 6.8% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 7.7% of those under the age of 18 and 8.2% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

External links

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Macoupin County, Illinois | Jersey County, Illinois | Villages in Illinois