Bureau County, Illinois

Bureau County, Illinois
Map of Illinois highlighting Bureau County
Location in the state of Illinois
Map of the United States highlighting Illinois
Illinois's location in the U.S.
Founded 1837
Seat Princeton
Largest city Princeton
Area
 • Total 874 sq mi (2,264 km2)
 • Land 869 sq mi (2,251 km2)
 • Water 4.5 sq mi (12 km2), 0.5%
Population
 • (2010) 34,978
 • Density 40/sq mi (15/km²)
Congressional district 16th
Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5
Website bureaucounty-il.us

Bureau County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the population was 34,978.[1] Its county seat is Princeton.[2]

Bureau County is part of the Ottawa-Peru, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Chicago-Naperville, IL-IN-WI Combined Statistical Area. Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park is located partly in this county.

History

Bureau County was organized out of Putnam County in 1837. It is named for Michel or Pierre Bureau. Their original surname was probably Belleau, but local aboriginals may have had difficulty pronouncing the "l" sound. One or both of the brothers ran a trading post near where Big Bureau Creek empties into the Illinois River from 1776 until 1780 or 1790.[3][4]

Bureau County was a New England settlement. The original founders of Princeton consisted entirely of settlers from New England. These people were "Yankee's", that is to say they were descended from the English Puritans who settled New England in the 1600s. They were part of a wave of New England farmers who headed west into what was then the wilds of the Northwest Territory during the early 1800s. Most of them arrived as a result of the completion of the Erie Canal.[5] When they arrived in what is now Bureau County there was nothing but a virgin forest and wild prairie, the New Englanders laid out farms, constructed roads, erected government buildings and established post routes. They brought with them many of their Yankee New England values, such as a passion for education, establishing many schools as well as staunch support for abolitionism. They were mostly members of the Congregationalist Church though some were Episcopalian. Culturally Bureau County, like much of northern Illinois would be culturally very continuous with early New England culture, for most of its history.[6][7][8]

Like so many other areas in the Midwest, this county was on a "line" of the Underground Railroad. There was a "station" at the home of Owen Lovejoy in Princeton, as well as several other locations throughout the county.


Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 874 square miles (2,260 km2), of which 869 square miles (2,250 km2) is land and 4.5 square miles (12 km2) (0.5%) is water.[9] Big Bureau Creek is the main body of water.

Adjacent counties

Major highways

Climate and weather

Princeton, Illinois
Climate chart (explanation)
JFMAMJJASOND
 
 
1.7
 
 
29
14
 
 
1.5
 
 
35
20
 
 
2.5
 
 
47
30
 
 
3.8
 
 
61
40
 
 
4.1
 
 
73
51
 
 
4.4
 
 
82
61
 
 
3.3
 
 
85
65
 
 
4.8
 
 
82
63
 
 
3.7
 
 
75
55
 
 
2.9
 
 
63
43
 
 
2.9
 
 
47
31
 
 
2.5
 
 
33
19
Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
Precipitation totals in inches
Source: The Weather Channel[10]

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Princeton have ranged from a low of 14 °F (−10 °C) in January to a high of 85 °F (29 °C) in July, although a record low of −22 °F (−30 °C) was recorded in February 1996 and a record high of 102 °F (39 °C) was recorded in June 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.48 inches (38 mm) in February to 4.76 inches (121 mm) in August.[10]

Demographics

2000 census age pyramid for Bureau County.
Historical population
Census Pop. %±
18403,067—
18508,841188.3%
186026,426198.9%
187032,41522.7%
188033,1722.3%
189035,0145.6%
190041,11217.4%
191043,9757.0%
192042,648−3.0%
193038,845−8.9%
194037,600−3.2%
195037,7110.3%
196037,594−0.3%
197038,5412.5%
198039,1141.5%
199035,688−8.8%
200035,503−0.5%
201034,978−1.5%
Est. 201334,056−2.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[11]
1790-1960[12] 1900-1990[13]
1990-2000[14] 2010-2013[1]

As of the census[15] of 2000, there were 35,503 people, 14,182 households, and 9,884 families residing in the county. The population density was 41 people per square mile (16/km²). There were 15,331 housing units at an average density of 18 per square mile (7/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.79% White, 0.33% Black or African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.28% from other races, and 0.88% from two or more races. 4.88% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 27.7% were of German, 10.5% Irish, 10.1% English, 10.1% Italian, 6.6% American and 6.2% Swedish ancestry according to Census 2000. 95.2% spoke English and 3.4% Spanish as their first language.

By 2005, the county's population was 92.2% non-Hispanic white. African-Americans had almost doubled their share of the population to 0.6%. Asians were also at 0.6% of the population. The Latino population was now 6.1% of the county total.[16]

In 2000, there were 14,182 households out of which 30.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.10% were married couples living together, 8.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.30% were non-families. 27.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the county, the population was spread out with 24.70% under the age of 18, 7.40% from 18 to 24, 26.20% from 25 to 44, 23.80% from 45 to 64, and 17.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 94.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $40,233, and the median income for a family was $48,488. Males had a median income of $35,690 versus $21,315 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,542. About 5.40% of families and 7.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.90% of those under age 18 and 6.00% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Villages

Unincorporated community

Townships

Bureau County is divided into these twenty-five townships:

Notable residents

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  3. ↑ Pierre de Beuro, an Indian trader Pioneers of Illinois by Nehemiah Matson, 1882, p. 229
  4. ↑ Jean Baptiste Point de Sable : the founder of modern Chicago by John F. Swenson, 1999- . Retrieved 11 November 2010.
  5. ↑ http://books.google.com/books?id=6k80AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA246&dq=Bureau+County,+Illinois+%22New+England%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=ooZWVNK-Hoy1oQSDxYKQAQ&ved=0CB8Q6AEwAA#v=snippet&q=%22Erie%20Canal%22&f=false
  6. ↑ http://books.google.com/books?id=STkVAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA265&dq=Bureau+County,+Illinois+%22New+England%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=ooZWVNK-Hoy1oQSDxYKQAQ&ved=0CCoQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=%22New%20England%22&f=false
  7. ↑ http://books.google.com/books?id=U2VBAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA223&dq=Bureau+County,+Illinois+%22New+England%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=ooZWVNK-Hoy1oQSDxYKQAQ&ved=0CCQQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=%22New%20England%22&f=false
  8. ↑ http://books.google.com/books?id=6k80AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA246&dq=Bureau+County,+Illinois+%22New+England%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=ooZWVNK-Hoy1oQSDxYKQAQ&ved=0CB8Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Bureau%20County%2C%20Illinois%20%22New%20England%22&f=false
  9. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Monthly Averages for Princeton, Illinois". The Weather Channel. Retrieved 2011-01-27.
  11. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
  13. ↑ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
  14. ↑ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
  15. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  16. ↑ Bureau County QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bureau County, Illinois.
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Coordinates: 41°25′N 89°32′W / 41.41°N 89.53°W