Metro Lakeland

Metro Lakeland is a name that was coined in the 1960s for an area of southern Illinois that is centered on the intersections of Interstate 57, Interstate 24, and Illinois Route 13 — a four-lane east-west highway connecting the communities of Murphysboro, Carbondale, Carterville, Herrin, Marion, and Harrisburg. Metro Lakeland was defined as Jackson, Williamson, Franklin, Saline, and Perry counties, with a combined population of approximately 210,000. Carbondale, Herrin, and Marion are the key urban areas, with a combined city-proper population of over 65,000 (2007 Census estimate) Carbondale, the site of Southern Illinois University, is the region's largest city. Metro Lakeland is about 88 miles (142 km) southeast of St. Louis, Missouri, or 120 miles (190 km) by Interstate highway.

Origin of name

The name "Metro Lakeland" refers to the abundance of lakes in the area, most of them engineered. The name appeared to have been coined to promote economic development and tourism in the region, but it is not widely used by residents, nor by local news media, such as The Southern Illinoisan newspaper (Carbondale) or WSIL-TV (Harrisburg). It does not appear in official listings of the U.S. Census Bureau or of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (the agency charged with defining metropolitan and "micropolitan" statistical areas in the United States). (These agencies refer only to Lakeland, Florida.)