An Illinois Town Hated The Weather So Much It Was Physically Relocated

From time to time you might hear someone say, "if you don't like where you live then move." This is exactly what a small town in Illinois did in the 1990s. This isn't about residents moving from a town they didn't like, this is about homes and buildings physically relocating out of necessity.

It had nothing to do with crime or the related, weather was the culprit.

WHAT HAPPENED?

You may have heard about the great flood in 1993 involving the Mississippi River.

The above photo is a home in Missouri but it is the result of the aforementioned flood. It was devastating. When you learn the history of flooding in this little town it is easy to understand why something had to be done.

SMALL IL TOWNS DESTROYED

In 1993, a small Illinois town took most of the punishment after the Mississippi River exceeded the height of its levee system and damaged almost 100% of the structures, including homes and businesses. In true Illinois fashion, residents waited for the water to recede, went back to their properties, and began the cleaned to rebuild.

As you see in the photo above, this was is similar to what Valmeyer, Illinois looked like after not one but two flooding instances in the same month. Yes, TWICE in one month. As you can imagine a change needed to be made.

GET UP AND GO

After the homes, businesses, and farmland was destroyed after two consecutive floods, the decision had to be made on what to do next. Residents were not ready to give up on their town and neither were those in charge.

Through the guidance of FEMA and government grants, nearby land on top of a bluff became the next destination for Valmeyer. The city was about to use the funds to buy residents' flooded properties and businesses and folks used their own money to purchase new land.

There is a lot to this story and it's definitely worth a read.