Piatt County, Illinois
| Piatt 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 | 1841 |
|---|---|
| Seat | Monticello |
| Largest city | Monticello |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
440 sq mi (1,140 km²) 440 sq mi (1,140 km²) 0 sq mi (<1 km²), 0.07% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
16,365 37/sq mi (14/km²) |
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
| Website: www.piattcounty.org | |
Piatt County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of 2000, the population was 16,365. Its county seat is Monticello, Illinois[1].
Piatt County is part of the Champaign–Urbana Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Contents |
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 440 square miles (1,140 km²), of which, 440 square miles (1,140 km²) of it is land and 0 square miles (1 km²) of it (0.07%) is water.
Townships
Bement, Blue Ridge, Cerro Gordo, Goose Creek, Monticello, Sangamon, Unity, Willow Branch
Adjacent counties
- McLean County - north
- Champaign County - east
- Douglas County - southeast
- Moultrie County - south
- Macon County - southwest
- De Witt County - west
History
The first settler was a Quaker named George Haworth, followed by James Martin, Abraham Hanline, Solomon Carter, and William Cordell.
Piatt County was formed in 1841 from Macon and Dewitt Counties. It was named after James A. Piatt, a local resident instrumental in formation of the county.
Abraham Lincoln practiced law in Piatt County as a circuit lawyer. Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas planned their presidential debates in Piatt County in 1858. One of which is ornamented by a marker just north of Monticello.
The first courthouse was built in 1843 but replaced by the current courthouse which was finished in 1904.
Illinois Power Company was a major electric utility in Central Illinois, centered in Decatur, Illinois, to the west of Piatt County. At one time, Illinois had a "personal property tax", an ad valorem tax levied by the counties on property that was not real estate. The personal property tax was a major expense for the electric utilities, since their generators and transmission lines were "personal property". Under Illinois law, a corporation, such as Illinois Power, paid personal property tax to the county in which the corporate headquarters was located. Because Piatt County offered a low tax rate, Illinois Power moved its corporate headquarters to that county. This allowed Piatt County to tax utility assets over half of the State, providing a rich source of revenue which was responsible for much of the wealth of this tiny county.
Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1900 | 17,706 |
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| 1910 | 16,376 | −7.5% | |
| 1920 | 15,714 | −4% | |
| 1930 | 15,588 | −0.8% | |
| 1940 | 14,659 | −6% | |
| 1950 | 13,970 | −4.7% | |
| 1960 | 14,960 | 7.1% | |
| 1970 | 15,509 | 3.7% | |
| 1980 | 16,581 | 6.9% | |
| 1990 | 15,548 | −6.2% | |
| 2000 | 16,365 | 5.3% | |
| IL Counties 1900-1990 | |||
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 16,365 people, 6,475 households, and 4,726 families residing in the county. The population density was 37 people per square mile (14/km²). There were 6,798 housing units at an average density of 15 per square mile (6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.83% White, 0.24% Black or African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.14% from other races, and 0.57% from two or more races. 0.62% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 29.9% were of German, 16.1% American, 14.5% English and 13.0% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 6,475 households out of which 32.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.30% were married couples living together, 6.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.00% were non-families. 23.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the county the population was spread out with 25.10% under the age of 18, 6.80% from 18 to 24, 27.60% from 25 to 44, 25.00% from 45 to 64, and 15.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 95.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $45,752, and the median income for a family was $52,218. Males had a median income of $36,762 versus $23,606 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,075. About 3.60% of families and 5.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.80% of those under age 18 and 6.20% of those age 65 or over.
Cities, towns and villages
Cities
- Monticello
Villages
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Unincorporated towns
- Galesville
- La Place
- Lodge
- Milmine
- Pierson Station
- White Heath
Extinct towns
- Blue Ridge
- Centerville
- Combs
- Harris
- Unity
- Voorhies
- Willow Branch
Townships
Piatt County is divided into eight townships:
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