Welcome to Effingham ...
The city of Effingham is located in Effingham County<1> and is the County Seat for Effingham County.
The pronunciation of Effingham: EF-ing-ham<2>
While we don't have a date for the founding of Effingham, you might consider that their post office opened in 1855.
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Effingham has a population of 12,552 people<3> (see below for details).
Effingham is 590 feet [180 m] above sea level.<4>.
Time Zone: Effingham lies in the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT) and observes daylight saving time
Note: If you travel east from Effingham (for example, toward Merom (IN)), you will leave Central Time and cross into the Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT).
Effingham is within the (217) area code.
The ZIP code for Effingham: 62401<5>
Websites for Effingham ...
Official Website: www.effinghamil.com/
Chamber of Commerce: www.effinghamchamber.org/
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Effingham had an population of 12,552 people. This is an increase of 1.82% since the 2010 Census (or an increase of 1.36% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Effingham had a population of 12,328 people (which is 36% of the total population of Effingham County). This makes Effingham the county's most populous community.
The population of Effingham represents 0.1% of the total population of Illinois (which has 12,830,632 people), making it the state's 197th most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 12,328 people, the population of Effingham has remained roughly the same as the 2000 Census (which had a count of 12,384 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Effingham.
Communities Also Named Effingham ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 5 communities that are also named Effingham - they are located in Kansas, Missouri, New Hampshire, Ontario and South Carolina.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Effingham.
Communities near Effingham ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Effingham.
- Altamont
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Altamont have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altamont
- Altamont is located in Effingham County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,350 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Altamont <7>
- Neoga
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Neoga have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neoga
- Neoga is located in Cumberland County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,585 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Neoga <7>
- Saint Elmo
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Elmo have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Elmo
- Saint Elmo is located in Fayette County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,367 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saint Elmo <7>
- Toledo
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Toledo have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toledo
- Toledo is located in Cumberland County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,185 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Toledo <7>
- Watson
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Watson have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watson
- Watson is located in Effingham County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 732 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Watson <7>
- Stewardson
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stewardson have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stewardson
- Stewardson is located in Shelby County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 718 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stewardson <7>
- Dieterich
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dieterich have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dieterich
- Dieterich is located in Effingham County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 593 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dieterich <7>
- Cowden
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cowden have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cowden
- Cowden is located in Shelby County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 573 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cowden <7>
- Beecher City
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beecher City
- Beecher City is located in Effingham County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 451 people
- Strasburg
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Strasburg have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strasburg
- Strasburg is located in Shelby County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 435 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Strasburg <7>
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Effingham. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Effingham.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Effingham. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Effingham.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Effingham. Our list includes 22 papers. See our Newspapers Page for Effingham.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Effingham ...
Looking for more information about Effingham? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
In addition to the Tourism page for Effingham, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Effingham.
Adding Effingham to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Effingham in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Effingham was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<8>
From that list, the Effingham post office opened in 1855.
We also found Effingham on a map (with an unknown title) dated 1870.
For more details, see References and Mentions for Effingham.
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Effingham: www.effinghamil.com/
The official website for Effingham County: www.co.effingham.il.us/
The official website for State of Illinois: https://illinois.gov
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of Illinois' counties, including Effingham, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | The pronunciation we've provided is our attempt to give a phonetic pronunciation for Effingham. While it might not be exactly right, hopefully it will be close. If we have it wrong or there's a better way to pronounce the name, please contact us through our Feedback Page. |
| <3> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Effingham. |
| <4> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Effingham - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <5> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a city (such as Effingham). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Effingham or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <6> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <7> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <8> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |