| Edwards County, Illinois | |
Location in the state of Illinois |
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Illinois's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | 1814 |
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| Seat | Albion |
| Largest city | Albion |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
222.72 sq mi (577 km²) 222.42 sq mi (576 km²) 0.30 sq mi (1 km²), 0.13% |
| Population - (2010) - Density |
6,721 31/sq mi (12/km²) |
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
Edwards County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 6,721, which is a decrease of 3.6% from 6,971 in 2000.[1] Its county seat is Albion.[2]
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According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 222.72 square miles (576.8 km2), of which 222.42 square miles (576.1 km2) (or 99.87%) is land and 0.30 square miles (0.78 km2) (or 0.13%) is water.[3]
When Edwards County was formed in 1814, it comprised nearly half of the State of Illinois. New counties were formed from it until, in 1824, it assumed its present form from the creation of Wabash County. The two are the fourth and fifth smallest counties in Illinois.
Edwards County was named for Ninian Edwards, the governor of the Illinois Territory, and, later, governor of Illinois.
Unlike most of the counties in Illinois, Edwards County is subdivided into "Road Districts", as opposed to "Townships". Most of Illinois was surveyed according to the Land Ordinance of 1785, which required the establishment of townships that are six miles square. Most of the counties in the State are made up of such townships. Edwards County, on the other hand, consists of Road Districts that do not generally correspond with the surveyed townships. This is a reflection of the fact that Edwards County was settled prior to the survey that established the townships.
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1900 | 10,345 |
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| 1910 | 10,049 | −2.9% | |
| 1920 | 9,431 | −6.1% | |
| 1930 | 8,303 | −12.0% | |
| 1940 | 8,974 | 8.1% | |
| 1950 | 9,056 | 0.9% | |
| 1960 | 7,940 | −12.3% | |
| 1970 | 7,090 | −10.7% | |
| 1980 | 7,961 | 12.3% | |
| 1990 | 7,440 | −6.5% | |
| 2000 | 6,971 | −6.3% | |
| 2010 | 6,721 | −3.6% | |
| IL Counties 1900-1990 | |||
At the 2000 census[4], there were 6,971 people, 2,905 households and 2,027 families residing in the county. The population density was 31 per square mile (12/km²). There were 3,199 housing units at an average density of 14 per square mile (6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.87% White, 0.14% Black or African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.09% from other races, and 0.37% from two or more races. 0.46% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 29.3% were of English, 26.6% American, 22.2% German and 6.3% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000. 99.1% spoke English as their first language.
There were 2,905 households of which 29.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.00% were married couples living together, 8.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.20% were non-families. 27.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.88.
23.10% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 26.10% from 25 to 44, 24.30% from 45 to 64, and 18.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 93.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.50 males.
The median household income was $31,816 and the median family income was $38,750. Males had a median income of $27,165 versus $19,579 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,187. About 6.30% of families and 9.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.80% of those under age 18 and 8.70% of those age 65 or over.
Edwards County is one of the most consistently Republican counties in the state. It has voted for the Republican candidate in all Presidential elections from 1960 to present.[5] In the last five Presidential elections no Democratic candidate has received more than 37% of the county's vote.[6]
In other positions the county has been not been consistently Republican for as long, but nevertheless has been so for many years. The last Democratic Senatorial candidate it backed was Alan J. Dixon in 1986[7] and the last Democratic gubernatorial candidate it supported was Glenn Poshard, who carried all of Southern Illinois in his failed 1998 bid.[8] Most of the county is in Illinois's 19th congressional district, which has a Cook Partisan Voting Index of R+9 and has been represented by John Shimkus since 2003. The rest of the county is in Illinois's 15th congressional district, which has Cook Partisan Voting Index of R+6 and has been represented by Republican Tim Johnson since 2001. In more local positions the county is in the 108th district of the Illinois House of Representatives so is represented by Republican David Reis and is in the Illinois Senate it lies in the 54th district and is represented by Republican John O. Jones.[9]
| Albion, Illinois | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Albion have ranged from a low of 21 °F (−6 °C) in January to a high of 89 °F (32 °C) in July, although a record low of −20 °F (−29 °C) was recorded in January 1982 and a record high of 109 °F (43 °C) was recorded in July 1954. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.57 inches (65 mm) in January to 5.13 inches (130 mm) in April.[10]
| Richland County | ||||
| Wayne County | Wabash County | |||
| Edwards County, Illinois | ||||
| White County | Gibson County, Indiana |
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