have also turned the town into a bedroom community for the state capital of Springfield, Illinois, which is some twenty miles to the southeast. Notable people William Taylor Davidson, newspaper editor; born in Petersburg Bill Krieg, utility player for the Chicago Browns/Pittsburgh Stogies, Chicago White Stockings, Brooklyn Grays and Washington Nationals; born in Petersburg Harris Laning, Admiral, United States Navy; born in Petersburg Edgar Lee Masters, lawyer and author (Spoon River Anthology); buried in Petersburg's Oakland Cemetery; boyhood home is still preserved and open for visits William B. McKinley, United States Senator from Illinois Ann Rutledge, allegedly Abraham Lincoln's first love; buried in Petersburg's Oakland Cemetery Geography Petersburg is located at (40.011503, -89.851505). According to the 2010 census, Petersburg has a total area of , all land. The bulk of Petersburg lies on the bluffs overlooking the Sangamon River, though a portion of it, including the downtown/courthouse square area is technically on the floodplain of the river. The town itself is moderately forested, a stark contrast to the flat plains around it. The trees are mostly deciduous maples and oaks, and New Salem State Park is home to sizable stand of old growth forest. Natural disasters Petersburg was damaged by an earthquake originating in the New Madrid Fault, on July 18, 1909. The earthquake was felt over most of central Illinois, but Petersburg suffered the most widespread damage. The portions of Petersburg located below the bluffs suffered major flood damage during the intense flood season of 1993. The city and Menard County have since undertaken a campaign to buy and eliminate the low income housing located in the most flood-prone areas, creating a small series of parks near the Sangamon River. Shortly after 12:30pm on December 31, 2010, an estimated 40 homes were damaged by a tornado which 22 of them were listed as uninhabitable by local officials. The tornado was caused by springlike weather which the temperature was in the 60s across central Illinois. Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 2,299 people, 997 households, and 612 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,076 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.78% White, 1.09% African American, 0.39% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.35% from other races, and 0.17% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.78% of the population.