Fayette County, Illinois

Fayette County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the population was 22,140.[1] Its county seat is Vandalia.[2] Ramsey Lake State Recreation Area is located in the northwest part of this county.

Fayette County
U.S. county
Location within the U.S. state of Illinois
Illinois's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 39°00′N 89°01′W
Country United States
State Illinois
Founded1821
Named forMarquis de Lafayette
SeatVandalia
Largest cityVandalia
Area
 • Total725 sq mi (1,880 km2)
 • Land716 sq mi (1,850 km2)
 • Water8.9 sq mi (23 km2)  1.2%
Population
 (2010)
 • Total22,140
 • Estimate 
(2018)
21,416
 • Density31/sq mi (12/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district15th
Websitewww.fayettecountyillinois.org

History

Fayette County was formed in 1821 out of Bond, Clark, and Crawford counties. It was named in honor of the Marquis de LaFayette, French hero of the American Revolutionary War.[3][4]

  • Fayette County between the time of its creation and 1823
  • Fayette between 1823 and 1824
  • Fayette between 1824 and 1827
  • Fayette between 1827 and 1831
  • Fayette in 1831, when the creation of Effingham County reduced it to its current size

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 725 square miles (1,880 km2), of which 716 square miles (1,850 km2) is land and 8.9 square miles (23 km2) (1.2%) is water.[5]

Climate and weather
Vandalia, Illinois
Climate chart (explanation)
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
 
 
2.5
 
 
35
18
 
 
2.4
 
 
41
23
 
 
3.7
 
 
52
32
 
 
3.6
 
 
64
43
 
 
4.1
 
 
74
53
 
 
3.9
 
 
83
62
 
 
3.6
 
 
88
67
 
 
2.8
 
 
86
64
 
 
3
 
 
79
55
 
 
2.8
 
 
67
43
 
 
3.7
 
 
53
34
 
 
2.8
 
 
40
24
Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
Precipitation totals in inches
Source: The Weather Channel[6]

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Vandalia have ranged from a low of 18 °F (−8 °C) in January to a high of 88 °F (31 °C) in July, although a record low of −21 °F (−29 °C) was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of 104 °F (40 °C) was recorded in July 1980. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.41 inches (61 mm) in February to 4.11 inches (104 mm) in May.[6]

Adjacent counties

Major highways

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
18302,704—
18406,328134.0%
18508,07527.6%
186011,18938.6%
187019,63875.5%
188023,24118.3%
189023,3670.5%
190028,06520.1%
191028,0750.0%
192026,187−6.7%
193023,487−10.3%
194029,15924.1%
195024,582−15.7%
196021,946−10.7%
197020,752−5.4%
198022,1676.8%
199020,893−5.7%
200021,8024.4%
201022,1401.6%
2018 (est.)21,416[7]−3.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]
1790-1960[9] 1900-1990[10]
1990-2000[11] 2010-2013[1]

{{Stack|[[Image:USA Fayette County, Illinois age pyramid.svg|thumb|left|2000 census age pyramid for Fayette County, skewed toward the male side by the Vandalia Correctional Center, an Illinois State prison, located in the county.}}

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 22,140 people, 8,311 households, and 5,648 families living in the county.[12] The population density was 30.9 inhabitants per square mile (11.9/km2). There were 9,302 housing units at an average density of 13.0 per square mile (5.0/km2).[5] The racial makeup of the county was 93.7% white, 4.4% black or African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.4% of the population.[12] In terms of ancestry, 27.5% were German, 10.5% were English, 9.4% were American, and 9.3% were Irish.[13]

Of the 8,311 households, 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.3% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.0% were non-families, and 27.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.95. The median age was 39.9 years.[12]

The median income for a household in the county was $41,269 and the median income for a family was $51,216. Males had a median income of $38,257 versus $27,188 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,663. About 10.8% of families and 16.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.6% of those under age 18 and 12.0% of those age 65 or over.[14]

Communities

Cities

Villages

Unincorporated communities

Townships

Fayette County is divided into twenty townships:

Politics

Until the beginning of the twentieth century, Fayette County was rock-ribbed Democratic. It was not won by a Republican until Theodore Roosevelt’s landslide win of 1904. The county voted after that for the winning candidate in every election until 1940, when opposition to Franklin D. Roosevelt’s economic and war policies gave the county to Wendell Willkie. Since then only two Democratic presidential candidates have gained an absolute majority in the county – the more recent of these two, Jimmy Carter in 1976, doing so by a single vote. The county has seen a rapid swing to the Republicans in recent elections due to opposition to the Democratic Party’s liberal views on social issues: Hillary Clinton’s 2016 tally of 19.0 percent of the county’s vote is 15.7 percent worse than any Democrat before 2012.

Presidential election results
Presidential election results[15]
Year Republican Democratic Third parties
2016 76.9% 7,372 19.0% 1,819 4.2% 400
2012 66.0% 5,951 31.7% 2,853 2.3% 208
2008 56.6% 5,499 40.9% 3,967 2.5% 242
2004 61.6% 5,880 37.4% 3,571 1.0% 98
2000 55.7% 5,200 41.6% 3,886 2.7% 252
1996 44.1% 3,881 44.2% 3,887 11.6% 1,024
1992 34.7% 3,508 47.8% 4,833 17.6% 1,777
1988 53.9% 5,452 45.8% 4,632 0.3% 34
1984 63.1% 6,607 36.7% 3,844 0.2% 22
1980 62.7% 6,523 34.7% 3,614 2.6% 271
1976 49.3% 5,059 50.0% 5,128 0.7% 68
1972 61.1% 6,574 38.9% 4,192 0.0% 2
1968 52.4% 5,449 38.6% 4,011 9.1% 943
1964 41.6% 4,492 58.4% 6,295
1960 57.3% 6,586 42.7% 4,907 0.1% 11
1956 57.8% 6,739 42.2% 4,914 0.0% 5
1952 57.0% 7,028 43.0% 5,299 0.1% 12
1948 49.3% 5,717 49.7% 5,771 1.0% 120
1944 53.3% 6,332 45.7% 5,435 1.0% 120
1940 50.2% 7,486 48.9% 7,286 1.0% 143
1936 48.0% 6,419 51.0% 6,824 1.0% 128
1932 41.4% 5,122 57.1% 7,053 1.5% 185
1928 61.7% 6,545 37.7% 3,998 0.7% 73
1924 48.4% 5,010 45.1% 4,668 6.4% 666
1920 58.5% 5,758 38.8% 3,824 2.7% 264
1916 46.6% 5,316 49.7% 5,669 3.8% 434
1912 24.5% 1,481 46.0% 2,782 29.4% 1,779
1908 48.7% 3,261 47.7% 3,193 3.7% 246
1904 51.6% 3,253 42.1% 2,650 6.3% 399
1900 44.8% 2,920 52.5% 3,423 2.7% 176
1896 42.5% 2,769 55.6% 3,627 1.9% 126
1892 36.7% 1,980 45.1% 2,433 18.3% 988

See also

References
  1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
  2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 3, 2015. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. Allan H. Keith, Historical Stories: About Greenville and Bond County, IL. Consulted on August 15, 2007.
  4. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 124.
  5. "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
  6. "Monthly Averages for Vandalia, Illinois". The Weather Channel. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
  7. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Archived from the original on May 29, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2019.
  8. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
  9. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Archived from the original on August 11, 2012. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
  10. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on April 24, 2014. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
  11. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 18, 2014. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
  12. "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
  13. "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
  14. "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
  15. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Archived from the original on March 23, 2018. Retrieved April 30, 2018.

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