Ursa, IL

Ursa is an Adams County village in the Quincy, Illinois–Missouri micropolitan area. The first settlers arrived in 1823, the village was established in 1828, and it incorporated in 1964. The 2020 census counted 609 residents. Ursa’s long continuity is visible in the village’s own office and board, which still handle water, streets, the park, and town-hall matters from the center of the community.

ATTRGerry Dincher / CC BY-SA 4.0

Ursa Park gives the village a concrete place for current gatherings, with shelter houses, a ball field, concession stand, tennis courts, sand volleyball court, and restrooms. The park’s facilities are available for village recreation and private gatherings. The annual Ursa Park Festival adds a summer calendar of tournaments, a car show, food vendors, children’s activities, and music. Village meetings take place monthly at the office, keeping local decisions close to the same facilities used for recreation and community events. Ursa is a small western Illinois village where a 1828 settlement, a 1964 incorporation, and a shared park still fit the same local scale.