Cobden, Illinois

Cobden is a village in Union County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,157 at the 2010 census, an increase from 1,116 in 2000.HistoryThe village is named after British politician and free-trade advocate Richard Cobden, who visited the town in 1859. Cobden originated as a farming community (South Pass) known for its apples and peaches. The Illinois Central Railroad (now the Canadian National Railroad) still runs through the center of downtown, but once was Cobden's focal point. Cobden's innovative and industrious growers developed packing crates and techniques that kept fruit fresh and undamaged on its freightways to eastern and northern markets. A packaging industry thrived here for decades, and local orchards still thrive. Cobden is host to an annual fall Peach Festival to this day. Today's Cobden is diverse with growers, vineyards, artists, musicians, and shopkeepers leading the old town into a rebirth. A significant number of formerly Mexican citizens, who came here to work the orchards, have become an integral part of the social fabric of the community.GeographyCobden is located at .According to the 2010 census, Cobden has a total area of 1.229sqmi, of which 1.22sqmi is land and 0.009sqmi is water.Cobden is located near the crest of the Shawnee Hills. It is in "Cobden Col", a valley cut into rock by water near the summit of this ancient mountain range. How could water cut a canyon at the top of a mountain range? About 100,000 years ago, the Illinoian ice sheet covered almost all of Illinois. As it pushed south, the ice sheet climbed the Shawnee Mountains. The height of the ice sheet was much greater than that of the mountains. It stopped before it reached their summits. As it melted, a lake formed between the mountains and the glacier. Cobden Col was the outlet of this lake.