South Roxana, IL

South Roxana is a Madison County village just south of Roxana, with Illinois 111 on the west and Wood River close by. Its roots are tied to the Wood River refinery: land was divided into home lots around 1920, houses and sidewalks went in during the 1920s, and refinery workers became part of the local map. The village did not incorporate until 1967, after earlier attempts to form its own government. That gives South Roxana a distinct story—planned around industry, then shaped into a separate community by the people who lived there.

ATTRMurve33 / CC0

Today the village sits in the wider Wood River industrial corridor, where roads, rail, and refinery country still define the horizon. The American Bottom’s flat farmland is never far from the built-up streets, and Route 111 puts Wood River and Pontoon Beach within reach. Roxana wraps around much of the north and east side, while Edwardsville’s edge comes up from the south. South Roxana is a working Illinois river-valley place whose identity grew from refinery housing, local schools, and the decision to become its own village.