Wood River

A few years ago when you passed under the black and gold sign that announces you’re entering downtown Wood River, you’d be met with many empty shopfronts. The downtown area that boomed in the mid-20th century floundered at keeping businesses in the 21st century – but Dream Home Realty Centre Broker Associate Denise Bextermueller says that’s changing. As evidence she points to three businesses that have debuted in downtown Wood River since 2022: 1929 Pizza & Wine, Burger Bar and C&B Boiled Bagels. The city in 2023 adopted a new Comprehensive Plan that, among other initiatives, promotes mixed-use development and pedestrian-friendly streets in downtown. These improvements, paired with the commercial rents that generally are lower than in other nearby towns, are among the factors that draw businesses to once-depleted streets. These additions to downtown are examples of the growing pool of amenities that the city of Wood River’s 10,000 residents can enjoy.

For example one brick building in the heart of downtown, damaged by fire, previously was a vacant husk of a storefront. Today that structure is 1929 Pizza & Wine, where residents enjoy wood-fired pies and Tuscan wine. This new dining spot sits on the same block as Riverbend Resale, a thrift shop in the city center since ‘94 and an example of a business that weathered downtown’s downturn. “They’re doing a lot of revitalization in the downtown Wood River area,” Bextermueller says. “There are some new restaurants and shops in downtown, and a lot of the businesses in downtown Wood River have been there for a long time.” Of course residents will need to take care of other shopping outside of the downtown district, such as grocery trips to Farm Fresh on the south end of town.

Most of the city’s houses are early and mid-20th century construction, such as Arts and Crafts homes and minimal traditional designs, laid out in rectangular blocks north and southeast of downtown. Though these homes have stood for decades – the median year of construction is 1944 - Bextermueller says it’s clear from the sidewalk that residents take pride in their homes; layers of blue and white paint appear fresh, and yards are neatly clipped. It’s no surprise Bextermueller says property values in Wood River have been steadily on the rise. One-bedroom houses built in the ’40s start in the $50,000s, while century-old brick three-bedroom houses are on the market in the low $100,000s. Occasional examples of new construction that arise on Wood River’s outskirts are priced in the low $400,000s for a three-bedroom home.

Students don’t need to leave Wood River for school, as the town hosts the full pipeline of campuses for kindergarten through 12th grade. Rated a C-plus by Niche, Lewis & Clark Elementary School offers children more interaction with their teachers, as Niche reports the school has a 10-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio, lower than the national average of 17-to-1. After fifth grade students stay in the same building to take classes at Lewis & Clark Junior High School, where the quality of the teachers earns a B-plus from Niche, and the athletics program includes a coed flag football league. Next students attend East Alton-Wood River High School; the educational aspects of the high school are more than serviceable, as evidenced by the B-minus grad Niche assigns to the school’s teachers. However East Alton-Wood River High also advocates for students to be good stewards in Wood River by connecting interested students with community service opportunities like volunteering at a Wood River Police Department-sponsored 5K.

Near the middle of town, the aptly named Central Park is home to one of Wood River’s latest inclusions: a playground with a built-in clock that lets kids time themselves as they race through a course of nets, platforms and monkey bars. Plus the playground’s rubber surface makes it wheelchair-friendly. Wood River’s recreation scene is set to get another addition by the end of 2023. The city is building a 35,000-square-foot recreation center where residents can work out in the gym or smash pickleballs on one of six courts. The complex also will house basketball and volleyball courts as well as an indoor track.

Wood River is a 115-year-old small town not afraid of major upgrades.

Written By

Hannah Rainey

Photography Contributed By

Ryan Nelson

Video By

Jessica Johnson