George Blair named the city of Belleville in 1814. Blair was born in 1760. Blair's family was of Scottish ancestry; his father was born in Scotland. Blair donated an acre of his land for the Town Square and an additional 25 acres that adjoined the Square for the new County Seat, thereby replacing the old county seat in Cahokia, Illinois. Belleville was incorporated as a village in 1819, and became a city in 1850. Although the name "Belleville" is French for "Beautiful City", most of the population is of a German heritage. After the failure of the German Revolution in the 1840s, many of the educated fled their homeland. Belleville was the center of the first important German settlement in the State of Illinois. At this time, an estimated 90% of the city's population was either German born or of German descent.

Culture and contemporary life

Jay Farrar(now of Son Volt), Mike Heidorn, and Jeff Tweedy (now of Wilco) of the now-defunct alt country group Uncle Tupelo are from Belleville along with Neal Doughty, keyboardist for 70's classic rock band REO Speedwagon. The City's Downtown is also home to blues, punk, jazz, and rock clubs. Belleville Philharmonic Society was formed in 1866, making it the second oldest philharmonic orchestra in the country.^[3]

 National Register of Historic Places

• Belleville Historic District
• Gustave Koerner House
• Knobeloch-Seibert Farm

Annual Events

Belleville holds several celebrations throughout the year. One of the newest, but most successful, is Art on the Square (the annual art fair).

• St Patrick's Day Parade (March 17th)
• Art on the Square (5/16/08 - 5/18/08) - Art on the Square was recently named the #1 Art Fair in the Nation by Art Fair Source Book.
• Ainad Shriner's Circus Parade (1st Friday in June)
• Oktoberfest (September)
• Labor Day Parade (September)
• Chili Cookoff (October)
• Santa Claus Parade (November)
• Gingerbread Walk (December)

Attractions

• Eckert’s Country Store and Farms
• Labor & Industry Museum - from the museum website: The Labor & Industry Museum is devoted to the history of the labor and industry of Belleville and southwestern Illinois. Belleville was one of the most significant centers for the growth of Illinois industry, which ranked third in the nation in the late 19th century. The Museum's mission is to chronicle and interpret the area's rich cultural heritage of labor and industry.
• Our Lady of the Snows, National Shrine
• Ravissant Winery
• Sky-View Drive-In - One of the few remaining drive-in's in the St Louis metro area.