Download four high-resolution JPG maps of Madison County, Illinois, in one ZIP from this page, then use the article views to compare the county’s river cities, central communities, waterways, and elevation. Alton and Godfrey occupy the northwestern Mississippi River edge, Granite City sits much farther south in the river lowlands, and Edwardsville and Glen Carbon form a separate central cluster. Troy and Highland extend the map eastward into a more open interior landscape.
The four maps answer different practical questions without repeating the same information. The county map is best for roads and the full spread of settlements, the ranked city view simplifies the six highlighted cities, the terrain and water map follows the Mississippi River, Wood River branches, Cahokia Creek, Silver Creek, and several lakes, and the elevation map shows an actual range of about 92 to 209 meters. Together they make the sharp transition from the western floodplain to the higher northern and eastern ground easy to recognize.
Table of Contents
A western chain of river cities and a separate central road network
The county map has two obvious geographic centers of attention. Along the west, Godfrey leads south into Alton, Wood River, Roxana, Granite City, and Madison near the Mississippi River. Farther inland, Edwardsville and Glen Carbon sit near the middle of the county and connect to Maryville, Collinsville, Troy, and Highland through a different set of roads. This contrast makes Madison County look less like one continuous urban block and more like several connected but distinct corridors.
Route 140 leaves the Alton-Bethalto area and crosses toward the center, while Route 255 connects the northwestern communities with the southern river-side network. Route 159 runs through the central part of the county. Around Edwardsville, Routes 270 and 70 create strong east-west links, Route 143 continues toward Highland, and Route 55 crosses the northeastern interior. Farther south, Route 40 passes the Collinsville-Maryville area before the map opens toward Troy and the eastern county line.
Highland stands apart on the eastern side of the map, while Troy is closer to the southern edge of the central road system. In the west, the river bends and the county boundary create a much more irregular shape around Alton and Granite City than the straighter eastern boundary. For general orientation, the map makes it easy to see which places belong to the river corridor and which lie deeper inland. It is not a live navigation map, so current travel times, closures, and turn-by-turn routing still require a dedicated road service.
Six highlighted cities show three different settlement zones
The ranked city map highlights six places and removes much of the extra road detail. Its index lists Granite City at 26,549, Edwardsville at 26,474, Alton at 25,279, Collinsville at 24,031, Godfrey at 17,712, and Glen Carbon at 13,977. The values are relatively close among the first four cities, but their positions are not. Granite City is deep in the southwest river lowlands, Alton and Godfrey are far to the northwest, and Edwardsville and Glen Carbon occupy the middle of the county.
Collinsville lies south of the Edwardsville-Glen Carbon pair and therefore serves as a bridge toward the southern edge of the county. Godfrey and Alton, by contrast, are grouped near the river bluffs, well away from the central pair. The city map makes those separations easier to see because it does not compete with Bethalto, Wood River, Roxana, Maryville, Troy, Highland, and other labels that appear on the general county map.
Use the two settlement maps together when more context is needed. Edwardsville and Glen Carbon appear close together on the ranked map, and the county map then adds Route 159, Route 270, and the nearby Maryville area. Alton and Godfrey are easy to locate in the northwest, after which the county map shows how Route 255 and Route 140 connect them with Bethalto and the rest of Madison County. The ranked map simplifies the comparison without erasing the broader road structure.
Wood River branches, Cahokia Creek, Silver Creek, and the Mississippi floodplain
The terrain and water map uses the Mississippi River as the dominant western reference. In the northwest, West Fork Wood River and East Fork Wood River cut through the higher terrain before the Wood River system reaches the river-side lowlands around Alton and Wood River. The river corridor widens farther south, where old channels, low ground, and large bends become more visible near Granite City and the southwestern edge of the county.
The interior contains a different network of named streams and lakes. Cahokia Creek is labeled through the north-central part of the county, with Holiday Lake nearby. Cougar Lake and Dunlap Lake appear farther south and west of the center. On the eastern side, Silver Creek follows a long drainage line, and Highland Silver Lake provides a clear landmark near Highland. Horseshoe Lake stands out in the southwest as a large curved water body inside the broad Mississippi River lowland.
This map is meant for geographic reference rather than flood determination, legal water boundaries, navigation, or drainage engineering. Its strength is comparison. When the water map is placed beside the elevation map, the Wood River branches, Cahokia Creek, Silver Creek, and the Mississippi floodplain line up with lower corridors, while the intervening uplands become much easier to distinguish.
From 92 m river lowlands to 209 m uplands and bluffs
The elevation map reports an actual county range of roughly 92 to 209 meters, with a mean near 157 meters. The lowest greens dominate the Mississippi River edge and the broad southwestern floodplain around Granite City and Madison. Near Alton and Godfrey, the terrain rises much more abruptly just inland from the river, producing a visible bluff-and-valley contrast rather than the broad flat surface seen farther south.
Moving east from the river, the county becomes generally higher but remains deeply cut by drainage lines. Wood River tributaries carve narrow green valleys through the northwestern uplands. Cahokia Creek creates another lower corridor in the north-central area, and Silver Creek is easy to follow across the eastern half. Between those valleys, tan and brown ridges form higher ground, especially toward the northern and eastern county edges.
The elevation surface is generalized for county-scale comparison, not for surveying, parcel elevation, construction, or engineering design. For ordinary map reading, however, it adds useful context to the settlement and water maps. Alton and Godfrey sit near the transition from river lowland to higher bluff terrain, Granite City occupies much flatter low ground, and the Edwardsville-Highland side of the county lies within a broader pattern of rolling interior uplands and creek valleys.
Use the maps together to compare river communities with the interior
Choose the county map when roads, full settlement labels, and the county boundary matter most. Use the ranked city map to compare Granite City, Edwardsville, Alton, Collinsville, Godfrey, and Glen Carbon without the extra detail. The terrain and water map is the clearest source for the Mississippi River, Wood River, Cahokia Creek, Silver Creek, and the named lakes, while the elevation map explains the large difference between the western lowlands and the higher interior.
Following one place across several views works especially well in Madison County. Start with Alton on the county map, move to the water map to see the Mississippi River and Wood River system, then use the elevation map to recognize the steep rise inland from the river. Edwardsville offers a different sequence: the city map locates it in the center, the county map shows the surrounding highways, and the elevation map places it within a rolling interior landscape cut by smaller creek valleys.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which map is best for comparing Alton, Edwardsville, and Granite City?
The ranked city map is the quickest comparison. Alton is in the northwest near the Mississippi River, Granite City is much farther south in the river lowlands, and Edwardsville is in the central interior. Godfrey sits north of Alton, Glen Carbon is close to Edwardsville, and Collinsville lies farther south. Switch to the county map when you also want the roads and smaller communities between them.
Why is western Madison County so much lower on the elevation map?
The Mississippi River floodplain creates broad low terrain along the western and southwestern edge of the county. Around Alton and Godfrey, the ground rises quickly inland into bluffs and higher hills, while farther south around Granite City the lowland is much broader and flatter. Wood River, Cahokia Creek, and Silver Creek also follow lower valleys through the higher interior.
What files are included in the downloadable ZIP?
The ZIP contains four high-resolution JPG files: the county and road map, ranked city map, terrain and water map, and elevation map. Each image is 3638 × 2572 pixels. The article uses smaller WebP versions for faster viewing, while the JPG files are better for close inspection or print. The water and elevation maps are general geographic references rather than flood, legal-boundary, survey, or engineering products.
Map File Information
Download the Madison County county map, ranked city map, terrain and water map, and elevation map together as high-resolution JPG files.
- Included Files: Use only the versions confirmed in the article and supplied images
- File Type: Use the confirmed download contents
- Intended Use: Printing, education, presentations, and map-based projects
Related Maps
Sources and references
- U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line Shapefiles – county boundaries, roads, and place reference
- USGS National Hydrography – rivers, creeks, lakes, and other hydrography reference
- USGS 3D Elevation Program – elevation and terrain reference
- Great Rivers & Routes – Madison County – regional information for Alton, Glen Carbon, Highland, Troy, and other Madison County communities
- Great Rivers & Routes – Great River Road – information about the Mississippi River corridor around Alton and the regional river road
Green Map creates custom-edited map images using open geographic data sources such as geoBoundaries, Natural Earth, OpenStreetMap, and government open data.
These maps are edited visual materials, not raw data files, and are provided for education, documents, presentations, and graphic reference.
