Town guide
Charleston
A city of 17,062 people in Illinois
From your neighbors
What’s happening
Weather
Forecast →Coming up
Upcoming events
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Around town
All news →Local news
Headlines via Google News · Articles belong to their publishers.
The Charleston album
0 of 12 shotsNeighbors document Charleston together
Outdoors in Charleston
Parks & trails →Conserved land16%981 of 6,222 acres
Trails3.3 mi0.3 mi per sq mi
Parks & preserves1257 conserved acres per 1,000 residents
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
About Charleston
City in Illinois, United States1831Established
17,286Population
9.3 sq miArea
696 ftElevation
Charleston is a city in and the county seat of Coles County, Illinois, United States. The population was 17,286, as of the 2020 census. The city is home to Eastern Illinois University and has close ties with its neighbor, Mattoon. Both are principal cities of the Charleston–Mattoon Micropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
How Charleston ranks
All →Town numbers
ZIP code61920
Area code217
Living in Charleston
Housing in Charleston
$157K Median sale price · Redfin, May 2026
The median sale price was $157,000 in May 2026.
A seller's market
Buyer’sBalancedSeller’s
Days on market30
Sale-to-list101.1%
Sold in May15
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data CenterHousing market →
Safety in Charleston
C
Safety Grade C
Charleston reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 67% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to policeCrime & safety →
Famous people from Charleston
See all 24 →
Where Charleston is
Explore map →
Location map
Illinois · ILTown boundary on OpenStreetMap →
Around town
Explore map →Bordering towns
How things work in Charleston
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