Columbia, IL is a small town located in Monroe County with a population of about 10,000 people. The town is known for its rural charm and friendly atmosphere. In recent years, the Columbia area has seen an influx of new businesses and housing developments, which has helped bring economic growth and development to the area. The local government in Columbia consists of the Mayor and City Council, who are elected to serve four-year terms. In addition, there are a few other elected officials such as the County Clerk and Sheriff that serve for four year terms as well. Recently, there have been a few initiatives to improve infrastructure and services within the city limits of Columbia. These initiatives have included road repairs, public safety measures, beautification projects around town, and improvements to public parks. There is also a strong sense of civic engagement throughout the city as many residents are active in local politics and volunteer their time for good causes within the community.
The political climate in Zip 62236 (Columbia, IL) is strongly conservative.
Monroe County, IL is very conservative. In Monroe County, IL 31.0% of the people voted Democrat in the last presidential election, 66.7% voted for the Republican Party, and the remaining 2.3% voted Independent.
In the last Presidential election, Monroe county remained overwhelmingly Republican, 66.7% to 31.0%.
Monroe county voted Republican in every Presidential election since 2000.
The BestPlaces liberal/conservative index
Zip 62236 (Columbia, IL) is strongly conservative.
Columbia, Illinois is strongly conservative.
Monroe County, Illinois is very conservative.
St. Louis Metro Area is leaning liberal.
Illinois is moderately liberal.
The BestPlaces liberal/conservative index is based on recent voting in national elections, federal campaign contributions by local residents, and consumer personality profiles.
VoteWord™
Displaying 20 years of Presidential voting, visualized in one word.
Columbia, Illinois: R R R R R R
How It Works:
Here at BestPlaces, we were looking at the voting patterns since the 2000 election and realized that we could express the results of each election as one letter. R if the Republican Party candidate won, D for the Democrat and I for the Independent. The six elections (2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020) would be expressed as six-letter word (R R D R R).
Then we went a little further and added the dimension of magnitude. If the difference of victory was greater than 10 percent, the letter is upper case, and lower case if the difference was less than 10 percent. This allows us to see interesting voting patterns at just a glance.
Here's the VoteWord for Iowa d r d d r. In the last six elections the state has been closely contested, voting narrowly for the Republican Party candidate in 2016 and 2020 after voting for the Democratic Party in 2008 and 2012. Virginia (r r d d d D) has voted for the Democratic Party in the last three elections.
Individual Campaign Contributions in zip 62236 (Columbia)
In the last 4 years (2018-2021), there were 258 contributions totaling $58,350 to the Democratic Party and liberal campaigns, averaging $226 per contribution.
In the last 4 years, there were 243 contributions totaling $142,430 to the Republican Party and conservative campaigns, averaging $586 per contribution.
(source: Federal Election Commission)