Ford County, Illinois
| Ford County, Illinois | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Illinois |
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 Illinois's location in the U.S. |
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| Statistics | |
| Founded | 1859 |
|---|---|
| Seat | Paxton |
| Largest city | Paxton |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
486 sq mi (1,260 km²) 486 sq mi (1,258 km²) <1 sq mi (1 km²), 0.11% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
14,241 29/sq mi (11/km²) |
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
Ford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of 2000, the population was 14,241. Its county seat is Paxton, Illinois[1].
Ford County is part of the Champaign–Urbana Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Contents |
History
Ford County was formed February 17,1859. It was the last of Illinois' 102 counties to be formed, and was created at the behest of some residents of Iroquois County, who complained to the General Assembly that they were located too far from the Iroquois County county seat. Ford County was named in honor of Thomas Ford, who served as Governor of Illinois from 1842 to 1846.[1]
The Libertarian Party has performed well enough in recent elections to gain "established party" status, making it easier for Libertarian candidates to appear on the ballot. This is the only county in Illinois where this is the case.[2]
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 486 square miles (1,260 km²), of which, 486 square miles (1,258 km²) of it is land and 1 square miles (1 km²) of it (0.11%) is water.
Adjacent counties
- Kankakee County (north)
- Iroquois County (east)
- Vermilion County (southeast)
- Champaign County (south)
- McLean County (southwest)
- Livingston County (west)
Major highways
Interstate 57
US Route 24
US Route 45
Illinois Route 9
Illinois Route 47
Illinois Route 54
Illinois Route 115
Illinois Route 116
Settlements
Cities
- Gibson City
- Paxton (the county seat)
Villages
- Cabery (south half)
- Elliott
- Kempton
- Melvin
- Piper City
- Roberts
- Sibley
Unincorporated
- Stelle
Townships
Ford County is divided into twelve townships:
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Political districts
- Illinois' 15th congressional district
- State House District 105
- State Senate District 53
Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1900 | 18,359 |
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| 1910 | 17,096 | −6.9% | |
| 1920 | 16,466 | −3.7% | |
| 1930 | 15,489 | −5.9% | |
| 1940 | 15,007 | −3.1% | |
| 1950 | 15,901 | 6% | |
| 1960 | 16,606 | 4.4% | |
| 1970 | 16,382 | −1.3% | |
| 1980 | 15,265 | −6.8% | |
| 1990 | 14,275 | −6.5% | |
| 2000 | 14,241 | −0.2% | |
| IL Counties 1900-1990 | |||
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 14,241 people, 5,639 households, and 3,902 families residing in the county. The population density was 29 people per square mile (11/km²). There were 6,060 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile (5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.18% White, 0.25% Black or African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.40% from other races, and 0.75% from two or more races. 1.24% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 41.0% were of German, 11.2% English, 10.5% Irish and 10.4% American ancestry according to Census 2000. 98.4% spoke English as their first language.
There were 5,639 households out of which 31.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.80% were married couples living together, 8.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.80% were non-families. 28.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the county the population was spread out with 25.80% under the age of 18, 6.90% from 18 to 24, 26.40% from 25 to 44, 21.50% from 45 to 64, and 19.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 91.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $38,073, and the median income for a family was $44,947. Males had a median income of $32,085 versus $22,320 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,860. About 5.70% of families and 7.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.60% of those under age 18 and 5.90% of those age 65 or over.
References
- United States Census Bureau 2007 TIGER/Line Shapefiles
- United States Board on Geographic Names (GNIS)
- United States National Atlas
- ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
External links
- History of Ford County - Information from Centurama Celebrating The First 100 Years of Ford County, Illinois 1859-1959
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