Altamont, IL

Altamont is an Effingham County city laid out on prairie and farm ground near Big Creek, Coon Creek, and Second Creek. The town began as a post office community in 1871, adopted village government in 1872, and became a city in 1901. Local history connects the name to the area's rise above the surrounding plain. The Effingham County Fairgrounds have hosted the county fair every August since 1945, with country music, rodeo, tractor pulls, races, and a demolition derby on the calendar. The Altamont Living Museum and Dr. Charles Wright House keep older local stories in town, while Gilbert Park is the largest of the city's three parks. Interstate 70 and U.S. 40 put Altamont on the cross-state route between St. Louis and Terre Haute. Altamont is a prairie city where fairground traditions and farm roads still organize the map.