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More then 150 years of growth and there's no slowing down now. Effingham has a proud history made up of hard-working people with a sense of pride in community.

Folks first started making their way to Effingham – first called Broughton – in the early 1800s when settlers moving west along the Old Cumberland Trail stopped to work in the rich soil along the Little Wabash River. The trail became The National Road which is now recognized as a Scenic Byway. In the mid-1800s, the new railroad brought with it a “boom” of not only new people and homes, but also new business.

During the 1900s, Effingham continued to grow at a modest pace, until the 1960s when the area’s second population explosion occurred. It was then that the Interstate Highway System was initiated, placing Effingham in the center of the juncture of Interstates 57 and 70. I-57 links Chicago to the Gulf of Mexico, while I-70 connects the east and west coasts. Effingham’s prime location prompted the construction of travel centers, restaurants, hotels and a variety of manufacturing businesses and distribution centers.

A third growth spurt is now underway. The world of communication breakthroughs has opened up doors never before thought possible, and you can be sure that Effingham keeps pace with the latest in technology. A complete fiber optic infrastructure connects the city to a worldwide communications network. Effingham is literally at the crossroads of the interstate system and the information superhighway.

Effingham has a deep sense of pride in its history. Many families here come from a long line of descendants who have called this area home. They have been joined by many new residents who are pursuing the positive opportunities available here. Today’s citizens are building their legacies as pioneers in their own right and making history right here in Effingham.