Bethalto, like the rest of Madison County, is part of the Illinois Metro East portion of the Greater St. Louis metropolitan area.

Early in its history, the village was a railway town along the Terre Haute and Alton Railroad.

[6] In the 19th century, industry in the town included milling of grain from local farms[6] and coal mining.

[6] The company was bought, sold and expanded various times over the years, eventually coming into the ownership of John W. Kaufman in 1881.

[7] On June 19, 1996, a McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet crashed into a home, shortly after taking off from St. Louis Regional Airport.

[13] A spokesperson for McDonnell Douglass said the pilot had been practicing for an air show the next week in the Czech Republic.

[15] Fosterburg, Bethalto and Brighton volunteer fire departments responded to the blaze, but it was too late to save the structure.

[26] The airport is home to various services, including West Star Aviation, a fixed-base operator.

[31] Bethalto is home to a number of religious organizations, consisting of both small and large congregations.

Churches that serve Bethalto are listed here in alphabetical order:[32] Central Park is in the center of the village, behind the current village hall, and sits on 10+1⁄3 acres of land purchased from New York Central Railroad when the rail line closed in Bethalto.

[35] A directory of trees and bushes contained in the arboretum may be viewed in the mayor's and clerk's offices.

A set of rail wheels on top of a short slab of railroad track lie in the center of the park.

[36] A time capsule was buried at the dedication ceremony, and a commemorative plaque sits at the entrance.

Features include a fishing lake, a children's play area, walking paths, pavilions, a playground, and stretches of attractive landscaping.

[37] The Bethalto Sports Complex is located on the north side of town just off Culp Lane.

Southside Park (sometimes referred to as the "Field of Dreams") is located on the south side of town in the Chateaux residential area.

The fields are primarily set up to handle all of the local Boys & Girls Clubs of America youth baseball and softball games.

The fields are also home to a number of private and select league baseball teams that play there every summer.