Information Sources for Urban History

Linda ZellmerGovernment Information & Data Services

LibrarianWestern Illinois University

LR-Zellmer@wiu.edu

Introduction What is an urban area? Sources of information about urban areas.

• State & Local information – government records, .

• Census Data.• Historic Structures Inventories.• Maps & map-like objects.

Topographic Maps. Aerial Photographs. Historic maps on the Internet.

Environmental Information.

What is an Urban Area?

Area with a high population density. Census Bureau Definitions (several

categories). Urbanized Area – densely settled area with ≥

50,000 people. Urban Clusters – population from 2,500 – 49,999. Metropolitan Statistical Area – a core population

area and the adjacent communities which are integrated with the core economically and socially (can cross state lines).

Definition has changed over time.

Census & Economic Data American FactFinder (U.S. Census Bureau) - single

site for accessing population, housing & economic data.

Decennial Census –collected for all residents every 10 years.

Economic Census – data collected every 5 years. Annual Economic Surveys – County Business

Patterns. American Community Survey (ACS) – annual

survey of a sample of the population (data released when the sample size is adequate).

Some ACS data may not be available at the community level (privacy issues).

Census &Economic DataHistorical censuses have been scanned and

are available from the U.S. Census Bureau (see Library Guide).

Historical Census Atlases have been scanned and are available from the Library of Congress (see Library Guide).

Urban Atlases – produced by the Census Bureau in the 1970s for major metropolitan areas. Contain maps on population, labor force and other issues.

Historical Resources Historic Structures Inventory – available for

most Illinois counties and some communities. Search I-Share Catalog.

Illinois Historic Aerial Photographs. Historic Maps.

David Rumsey Collection – http://www.davidrumsey.com.

University of Illinois Digital Maps - http://images.library.uiuc.edu/projects/maps/.

Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps. Warner & Beers Atlas of the State of Illinois,

1876.

Historic Structures Inventory Contains information about the built

environment. Provides the data on whether properties

should be preserved (landmark designation).

Provides information about community growth and development for planning purposes.

Permanent archive of the community’s resources.

Historic Structures Inventory

Historic Aerial Photographs Show extent of an urban area at a known

date. Phase I Site Assessment (environmental

hazards). How was this property used in the past? What type of business has been located on

this property? Good for identifying potential

environmental problems (leaking underground storage tanks, waste oil disposal).

Havana, 1938

Historic Maps Show extent of urban area at a known

date. What type of business has been located on

this property? Several sources:

• David Rumsey Collection – scanned historic maps of many types of areas.

• American Memory (Library of Congress) - Birds-eye views.

• State historic map collections.• Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps.• Plat books.

David Rumsey Collection

David Rumsey Collection

University of Illinois Digital Maps

Carthage, Illinois Topographic Map.

Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps

Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps

Historic Newspapers Record of local history and events. Many available on microfilm. Some online indexes (Chicago

Tribune listed in Library Guide).

Environmental Information U.S. Environmental Protection

Agency. Illinois Site Selection Tool. Aerial Photographs. Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps. Illinois Environmental Protection

Agency (general guides).

EPA Enviromapper

Illinois Site Selection Tool

Geographic Information System Computer system that can be used

to map all types of data. Able to combine many types of data

(boundary, Census, environmental). Able to view change over time.

Questions?