Edgar County, Illinois

Edgar County, Illinois

Location in the state of Illinois

Illinois's location in the U.S.
Founded January 3, 1823
Seat Paris
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water

624.00 sq mi (1,616 km²)
623.37 sq mi (1,615 km²)
0.62 sq mi (2 km²), 0.10%
Population
 - (2010)
 - Density

18,576
31/sq mi (12/km²)
Website www.co.edgar.il.us

Edgar County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 18,576, which is a decrease of 5.7% from 19,704 in 2000.[1] Its county seat is Paris.[2]

Contents

History

Edgar County was formed out of Clark County in 1823 and named for John Edgar,[3] an Irish-born officer in the Royal Navy who resigned rather than fight against the Americans in the Revolutionary War. Edgar moved to Kaskaskia, Illinois in 1784, becoming a miller and merchant in that town.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 624.00 square miles (1,616.2 km2), of which 623.37 square miles (1,614.5 km2) (or 99.90%) is land and 0.62 square miles (1.6 km2) (or 0.10%) is water.[5]

Adjacent counties

Political subdivisions


Cities

Villages

Townships

Edgar County is divided into fifteen townships:

Transportation

Major highways

Rail

Three railroad lines run through the county. Two are operated by CSX Transportation and the third by the Eastern Illinois Railroad Company.[6]

Airport

The county contains one public-use airport: Edgar County Airport (PRG), located approximately six miles north of Paris.[7]

Political districts

Demographics

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1830 4,071
1840 8,225 102.0%
1850 10,692 30.0%
1860 16,925 58.3%
1870 21,450 26.7%
1880 25,499 18.9%
1890 26,787 5.1%
1900 28,273 5.5%
1910 27,336 −3.3%
1920 25,769 −5.7%
1930 24,966 −3.1%
1940 24,430 −2.1%
1950 23,407 −4.2%
1960 22,550 −3.7%
1970 21,591 −4.3%
1980 21,725 0.6%
1990 19,595 −9.8%
2000 19,704 0.6%
UVa Census Browser 1830-1890[8]
Illinois Counties 1900-1990[9]

As of the U.S. Census of 2000,[10] there were 19,704 people, 7,874 households, and 5,322 families residing in the county. The population density was 32 people per square mile (12/km²). There were 8,611 housing units at an average density of 14 per square mile (5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.12% White, 1.84% Black or African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.25% from other races, and 0.40% from two or more races. 0.78% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 32.2% were of American, 20.0% German, 12.6% English and 11.2% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000. 98.7% spoke English and 1.1% Spanish as their first language.

There were 7,874 households out of which 29.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.00% were married couples living together, 9.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.40% were non-families. 28.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the county the population was spread out with 23.90% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 27.00% from 25 to 44, 23.20% from 45 to 64, and 17.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 95.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $35,203, and the median income for a family was $41,245. Males had a median income of $30,214 versus $21,097 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,857. About 7.60% of families and 10.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.20% of those under age 18 and 9.90% of those age 65 or over.

Climate and weather

Paris, Illinois
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D
 
 
2.2
 
34
16
 
 
2.2
 
40
21
 
 
3.3
 
51
31
 
 
4
 
63
41
 
 
4.3
 
74
51
 
 
4.2
 
83
61
 
 
4.4
 
86
65
 
 
4.4
 
84
62
 
 
2.9
 
78
55
 
 
2.8
 
66
43
 
 
3.7
 
51
33
 
 
3.1
 
39
22
Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
Precipitation totals in inches
Source: The Weather Channel[11]

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Paris have ranged from a low of 16 °F (−9 °C) in January to a high of 86 °F (30 °C) in July, although a record low of −23 °F (−31 °C) was recorded in January 1930 and a record high of 109 °F (43 °C) was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.23 inches (57 mm) in January to 4.43 inches (113 mm) in July.[11]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Edgar County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/17/17045.html. Retrieved 2011-11-05. 
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
  3. ^ Adams, James N. (compiler) (1989), Keller, William E., ed., Illinois Place Names, Springfield: Illinois State Historical Society, pp. 580, ISBN 0912226242 
  4. ^ White, Jesse. Origin and Evolution of Illinois Counties. State of Illinois, March 2010. [1]
  5. ^ "Census 2010 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_counties_national.txt. Retrieved 2011-11-05. 
  6. ^ Illinois Railroad Map, http://www.dot.il.gov/officialrailmap.pdf, retrieved 2007-10-11 
  7. ^ Public and Private Airports, Edgar County, Illinois
  8. ^ Historical Census Browser, University of Virginia, Geospatial and Statistical Data Center, 2004, http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu/ 
  9. ^ Illinois Counties 1900-1990, U.S. Census Bureau, http://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/il190090.txt 
  10. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  11. ^ a b "Monthly Averages for Paris, Illinois". The Weather Channel. http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USIL0920. Retrieved 2011-01-27. 

External links