Virden sits atop a large seam of coal. After the 1850s, when the Chicago and Alton railroad was completed, it became possible to mine Virden coal and ship it long distances for a profit. Throughout the second half of the 1800s, Virden prospered and grew as a coal-mining town. As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 3,488 people, 1,455 households, and 934 families residing in the city. The population density... read more