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Edgar County, Illinois facts for kids

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Edgar County
Edgar County Courthouse
Map of Illinois highlighting Edgar County
Location within the U.S. state of Illinois
Map of the United States highlighting Illinois
Illinois's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Illinois
Founded January 3, 1823
Named for John Edgar
Seat Paris
Largest city Paris
Area
 • Total 624 sq mi (1,620 km2)
 • Land 623 sq mi (1,610 km2)
 • Water 0.6 sq mi (2 km2)  0.1%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 16,866
 • Density 27.029/sq mi (10.436/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 15th

Edgar County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 16,866. Its county seat is Paris.

History

Edgar County was formed out of Clark County in 1823 and named for John Edgar, 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 U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 624 square miles (1,620 km2), of which 623 square miles (1,610 km2) is land and 0.6 square miles (1.6 km2) (0.1%) is water.

Climate and weather

Weather chart for Paris, Illinois
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
temperatures in °F
precipitation totals in inches
source: The Weather Channel

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.

Adjacent counties

Transportation

Major highways

  • US 36.svg US Route 36
  • US 150.svg US Route 150
  • Illinois 1.svg Illinois Route 1
  • Illinois 16.svg Illinois Route 16
  • Illinois 49.svg Illinois Route 49
  • Illinois 133.svg Illinois Route 133

Rail

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

Airport

The county contains one public-use airport: Edgar County Airport (PRG), six miles (10 km) north of Paris.

Demographics

Historical population
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%
2010 18,576 −5.7%
2020 16,866 −9.2%
US Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2013
USA Edgar County, Illinois age pyramid
2000 census age pyramid for Edgar County

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 18,576 people, 7,839 households, and 5,148 families residing in the county. The population density was 29.8 inhabitants per square mile (11.5/km2). There were 8,803 housing units at an average density of 14.1 per square mile (5.4/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 98.3% white, 0.3% black or African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% American Indian, 0.3% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 23.6% were German, 15.3% were Irish, 13.0% were English, and 12.3% were American.

Of the 7,839 households, 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.3% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.3% were non-families, and 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.84. The median age was 43.2 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $39,904 and the median income for a family was $51,588. Males had a median income of $38,945 versus $29,951 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,175. About 9.7% of families and 13.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.2% of those under age 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Map of Edgar County, Illinois.

Cities

Villages

Townships

Edgar County is divided into fifteen townships:

  • Brouilletts Creek
  • Buck
  • Edgar
  • Elbridge
  • Embarrass
  • Grandview
  • Hunter
  • Kansas
  • Paris
  • Prairie
  • Ross
  • Shiloh
  • Stratton
  • Symmes
  • Young America

Notable people

  • Basil Bennett, Bronze Medalist in the Hammer Throw at the 1920 Olympics
  • Offa Neal, professional baseball player with the New York Giants
  • Edward Adelbert Doisy, biochemist and Nobel Prize winner

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Edgar para niños

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