Meet Our Town

Welcome to Carbondale, Illinois! A city of more than 26,300 residents, Carbondale is home to a thriving business community strongly boosted by Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, recognized nationally for outstanding education, research, and athletics. Located in the heart of beautiful Southern Illinois, Carbondale and the surrounding region offer scenic lakes, a national forest, and abundant recreational opportunities, including two stops along the Southern Illinois Golf Trail. Carbondale is also the front door of the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail, the home of fabulous restaurants serving international cuisine, the retail center for multiple counties, and the region's cultural center, with many stages filled with music, dance, and live theater.

Carbondale is a bustling community of unusual shops, diverse commerce, cultural activities, and many other luxuries that would be expected in a large city — yet it maintains the comforts and charm of a small town. Although the title is unofficial, many residents consider Carbondale to be the “Capital of Southern Illinois.”

Website Links for Carbondale Area

Local Media
Entertainment and Recreation
Transportation
Schools and Libraries
Hospitals and Primary Healthcare Providers
City Magazine

Carbondale An All-America City Award Finalist 

The city of Carbondale has been announced as a finalist in the All-America City Award competition. Carbondale joins 32 other communities in being named a finalist for one of the 10 awards, which are bestowed by the National Civic League for outstanding civic accomplishments. Mayor Brad Cole said Carbondale has not applied for the award since 1971, when the city was named an All-America City. The All-America City Award is like a civic “Oscar” for communities of all sizes. The program is unique because it recognizes the efforts of entire communities. The award program demonstrates inclusiveness, collaboration, civic engagement and innovation. An All-America City must demonstrate a proven capacity for community-based problem solving, grassroots civic engagement and cooperation between sectors (public, private and nonprofit). To become a finalist each participant completed an application  ocumenting three community projects that address local challenges such as job creation/economic development, environmental  ustainability, neighborhood revitalization and disaster recovery.

Cole said the City's 5,000-word application focused on local  eighborhood revitalization efforts, the renovation of the Varsity Theater and the city's Futures Program, a program which places local high school students in jobs with local employers. "We are very excited about the fact that we are a finalist for the All-America City Award," Cole said. “Being a finalist is an honor for the City and all of the volunteers and businesses that strive to improve the quality of life for citizens in the community. This designation is a true  ecognition of the efforts put forth by private citizens and businesses on a daily basis to benefit Carbondale.”

       ******************************************************

The City of Carbondale is proud to announce it has been selected as the winner of a 2009 Illinois Governor’s Home Town Award. The award is presented annually in recognition of a community’s improvement efforts which are the results of a voluntary commitment of community residents and organizations.

The City’s application focused on the revitalization of the Varsity Theatre and the creation of the Varsity Center for the Arts.

“The Varsity Center for the Arts has made a truly positive impact on the community. The physical transformation of the vacant movie theater into a vibrant performance theater is truly inspiring,” concluded Mayor Brad Cole.

The Governor’s Home Town Awards Program is administered by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.