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The Commemorative
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The Commemorative Quarter for Illinois





Welcome to Elba Center ...

Elba Center is located in Knox County<1>.

While we don't have a date for the founding of Elba Center, you might consider that their post office opened  in 1877.

A typical abbreviation for Elba Center: Elba Ctr. (or less commonly used: Elba Cen., Elba Cent. or Elba Cntr.)

Elba Center is 700 feet [213 m] above sea level.<2>.

Time Zone: Elba Center lies in the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT) and observes daylight saving time

Area Codes for Elba Center: 309 & 861<3>

Communities near Elba Center ...

We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Elba Center.

  • Galesburg
    (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
  • Canton
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
  • Abingdon
    (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
  • Knoxville
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Knoxville have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knoxville
    • Knoxville is located in Knox County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,692 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Knoxville <4>
  • Farmington
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Elmwood
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Princeville
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Princeville have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Princeville
    • Princeville is located in Peoria County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,663 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Princeville <4>
  • Dunlap
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
  • Hanna City
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Toulon
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Toulon have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toulon
    • Toulon is located in Stark County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,144 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Toulon <4>

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 Elba Center. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Elba Center.

Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Elba Center. 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 Elba Center.

We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Elba Center. See our Newspapers Page for Elba Center.

TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Elba Center ...

Looking for more information about Elba Center? 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.

While we are unaware of a Tourism page that is specific to Elba Center, there are neighboring communities that do have Tourism pages. A map of those communities can be found with our TripAdvisor Page for Elba Center.

Adding Elba Center to Our Gazetteer ...

We originally found mention of Elba Center 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 Elba Center was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<6>

X2X - From that list, the Elba Center post office opened in 1877.

For more details, see References and Mentions for Elba Center.

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Elba Center. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of Illinois: https://illinois.gov

Footnotes ...

<1>If you're interested in how the shape of Illinois' counties, including Knox, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
<2>The elevation is an estimate for the area around Elba Center - it will be higher in some places and lower in others.
<3>When there's a risk of an area code running out of phone numbers, an 'Overlay Area Code' is created that has the same geographic boundaries as the existing area code. In this case, the 309 code has been Overlayed with the 861 area code. New phone numbers in the Elba Center area will be assigned with one of these codes: 309 or 861. As a result, placing a call in the Elba Center area will require 10-digit dialing (where you enter both the area code and then the phone number).
<4>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<5>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.
<6>A copy of their list with background information can be found at:

      https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025