city, Madison county, southwestern Illinois, U.S., situated on the Mississippi River, within the St. Louis, Mo., metropolitan area. It was founded with the establishment (1891) of a graniteware (enamelled ironware) factory by St. Louis manufacturers Frederick G. and William F. Niedringhaus. Though no longer manufactured there, the product gave the city its name. Steel founding began in Granite City in 1893, and manufactures there now include a variety of steel products, railroad equipment, starch, chemicals, and food products. The city is a major shipping point and has a U.S. Army supply depot. Inc. 1896. Pop. (1990) 32,862.