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," is a city in Southern Illinois in the midwest United States. It is located on Illinois Route 13 and US Highway 51, miles southeast of St. Louis, Missouri. Nesteled on the northern end of the Shawnee National Forest, Carbondale is the home of Southern Illinois University. The two have developed a dynamic economy and diverse population that totals over 45,000. The city is located in Jackson County, Illinois. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 26,367. The city's current mayor is Brad Cole.
In 1971 Carbondale won the All American City achievement award, and is a finalist in the 2009 contest.
In August 1852, Daniel Harmon Brush, John Asgill Conner, and Dr. William Richart bought a 360-acre parcel of land between two proposed railroad sites (Makanda and DeSoto) and two county seats (Murphysboro and Marion). Brush named Carbondale for the large deposit of coal in the area. The first Train through Carbondale was on the main line north from Cairo (IL) on Independance Day 1854.
On April 29, 1866 one of the first formal Memorial Day observations was held at the city's Woodlawn Cemetery.. Local resident General John A. Logan gave the principal address.
By the time of the American Civil War, Carbondale had become not only a regional center for business and transportation, but also an educational center with the founding of Carbondale College (which became Southern Illinois College in 1869). Carbondale won the bid for the new teacher training school for the region and Southern Illinois Normal University opened here in 1874. This gave the town new industry, new citizens, and a model school to supplement public schools. By 1974, the college had obtained full university status and the name was changed to Southern Illinois University. SIU is a world-class research university with international impact in numerous fields of higher education, including schools of law, medicine, and dentistry. In 2008, there were almost 21,000 students enrolled in the university.
The Carbondale area is referred to as Little Egypt. Theories about the nickname's origins range from the region's supplying grain to northern and central Illinois during the 1800's famine, to comparing Illinois's southern tip to Egypt's Nile delta region, a fertile agricultural area. SIUC's nickname, the Salukis, references this association, as the saluki was the royal dog of Egypt.