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Greene County, Illinois

Coordinates: 39°21′N 90°23′W / 39.35°N 90.39°W / 39.35; -90.39
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Greene County
County
Greene County Courthouse
Greene County Courthouse
Map of Illinois highlighting Greene County
Location within the U.S. state of Illinois
Map of the United States highlighting Illinois
Illinois's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 39°21′N 90°23′W / 39.35°N 90.39°W / 39.35; -90.39
Country United States
State Illinois
Founded1821
Named forNathanael Greene
SeatCarrollton
Largest cityCarrollton
Area
 • Total
546 sq mi (1,410 km2)
 • Land543 sq mi (1,410 km2)
 • Water3.3 sq mi (9 km2)  0.6%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
11,843
 • Density22/sq mi (8.4/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district15th
Websitehttps://

Greene County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 United States Census, it has a population of 11,843.[1] Its county seat is Carrollton.[2]

A notable archaeological area, the Koster Site, has produced evidence of more than 7,000 years of human habitation. Artifacts from the site are displayed at the Center for American Archeology in Kampsville, Illinois.

History

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Greene County is named in honor of General Nathanael Greene, a hero of the American Revolutionary War.[3] In 1821, three years after Illinois became a state, Greene County was established, being carved out of what was previously Madison county and St. Clair county before that. Over the course of the next 18 years four more counties were formed out of what was once Greene Country. These include Scott, Morgan, Macoupin and Jersey counties. This left Greene county with approximately 546 square miles of land located in western-central Illinois near the Illinois River, which was an important resource that provided both a means for travel and to ship goods. Like much of southern Illinois the earliest settlers in the county came from Southern states such as North and South Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee. By the time of the Civil War, 1860, the population of Greene County had grown to 16,093 and 10% of the adult population had been born in the Northeast, 15% were foreign born, 25% were born in Southern states, and almost 50% had been born in the Midwest. Of the population born in the Midwest many could still trace their roots to the South, with almost 80% of them having parents born in a Southern state.[4]

  • Greene County from its creation in 1821 to 1823, including unorganized territory temporarily attached to it.[5]
    Greene County from its creation in 1821 to 1823, including unorganized territory temporarily attached to it.[5]
  • Greene County between 1823 and 1825
    Greene County between 1823 and 1825
  • Greene between 1825 and 1829
    Greene between 1825 and 1829
  • Greene between 1829 and 1839
    Greene between 1829 and 1839
  • Greene in 1839 after the creation of Jersey County reduced Greene to its current size
    Greene in 1839 after the creation of Jersey County reduced Greene to its current size

Geography

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According to the US Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 546 square miles (1,410 km2), of which 543 square miles (1,410 km2) is land and 3.3 square miles (8.5 km2) (0.6%) is water.[6]

Climate and weather

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Carrollton, Illinois
Climate chart (explanation)
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█ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
█ Precipitation totals in inches
Source: The Weather Channel[7]
Metric conversion
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41
 
 
1
−9
 
 
44
 
 
4
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28
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86
 
 
31
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72
 
 
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19
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83
 
 
11
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65
 
 
4
−6
█ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
█ Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Carrollton have ranged from a low of 16 °F (−9 °C) in January to a high of 87 °F (31 °C) in July, although a record low of −26 °F (−32 °C) was recorded in January 1912 and a record high of 113 °F (45 °C) was recorded in July 1934. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.60 inches (41 mm) in January to 4.34 inches (110 mm) in May.[7]

Major highways

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Adjacent counties

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National protected area

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Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18307,674—
184011,95155.7%
185012,4294.0%
186016,09329.5%
187020,27726.0%
188023,01013.5%
189023,7913.4%
190023,402−1.6%
191022,363−4.4%
192022,8832.3%
193020,417−10.8%
194020,292−0.6%
195018,852−7.1%
196017,460−7.4%
197017,014−2.6%
198016,661−2.1%
199015,317−8.1%
200014,761−3.6%
201013,886−5.9%
202011,985−13.7%
2023 (est.)11,543[8]−3.7%
US Decennial Census[9]
1790–1960[10] 1900–1990[11]
1990–2000[12] 2010–2013[13]
2000 census age pyramid for Greene County

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 13,886 people, 5,570 households, and 3,777 families living in the county.[14] The population density was 25.6 inhabitants per square mile (9.9/km2). There were 6,389 housing units at an average density of 11.8 per square mile (4.6/km2).[6] The racial makeup of the county was 97.9% white, 0.9% black or African American, 0.2% American Indian, 0.1% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.8% of the population.[14] In terms of ancestry, 30.7% were German, 14.7% were Irish, 13.3% were English, and 12.1% were American.[15]

Of the 5,570 households, 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.0% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.2% were non-families, and 27.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.95. The median age was 41.6 years.[14]

The median income for a household in the county was $41,450 and the median income for a family was $52,049. Males had a median income of $38,185 versus $27,231 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,107. About 11.8% of families and 15.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.1% of those under age 18 and 10.0% of those age 65 or over.[16]

Communities

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Cities

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Villages

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Unincorporated communities

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Townships

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Population ranking

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The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Greene County.

† county seat

Rank Place Municipal type Population (2020 Census)
1 † Carrollton City 2,485
2 White Hall City 2,295
3 Roodhouse City 1,578
4 Greenfield City 1,059
5 Kane Village 296
6 Rockbridge Village 175
7 Eldred Village 149
8 Hillview Village 94
9 Wilmington (Patterson) Village 91

Politics

[edit]

Greene County was reliably Democratic from the beginning through 1948; only one Republican Party nominee carried the county vote during that period. Since then it has usually voted for the Republican presidential nominee (14 of 18 elections).

As one of the most northerly “southern” counties in Illinois, Greene County was rock-ribbed Democratic for the seventy years after the Civil War, which it opposed as a “Yankee” war. Not until considerable anti-Catholic sentiment against Al Smith turned many voters to Herbert Hoover did the county support a Republican presidential nominee. However, with the coming of World War II, opposition to American involvement led to gains for Wendell Willkie and Thomas E. Dewey, although apart from the 1960 election – also influenced by Catholicism – Greene was a bellwether county throughout the period from 1928 to 2004.

Hillary Clinton’s 2016 tally of 21.68 percent of the county’s vote is 14.3 percent worse than any Democratic presidential candidate before 2012.[17]

Political culture

[edit]
United States presidential election results for Greene County, Illinois[18]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2024 4,719 77.92% 1,220 20.15% 117 1.93%
2020 4,770 76.48% 1,349 21.63% 118 1.89%
2016 4,145 74.22% 1,205 21.58% 235 4.21%
2012 3,451 61.22% 2,023 35.89% 163 2.89%
2008 3,053 52.40% 2,619 44.95% 154 2.64%
2004 3,559 58.65% 2,457 40.49% 52 0.86%
2000 3,129 54.26% 2,490 43.18% 148 2.57%
1996 2,245 37.83% 2,734 46.07% 955 16.09%
1992 2,391 34.00% 3,164 44.99% 1,477 21.00%
1988 3,136 50.56% 3,020 48.69% 47 0.76%
1984 4,057 60.96% 2,563 38.51% 35 0.53%
1980 4,224 59.33% 2,607 36.62% 289 4.06%
1976 3,706 47.35% 4,057 51.83% 64 0.82%
1972 4,673 62.13% 2,824 37.55% 24 0.32%
1968 3,944 51.17% 3,094 40.14% 670 8.69%
1964 3,128 39.55% 4,781 60.45% 0 0.00%
1960 4,487 53.78% 3,847 46.10% 10 0.12%
1956 4,718 54.57% 3,909 45.21% 19 0.22%
1952 5,019 54.96% 4,106 44.96% 7 0.08%
1948 3,639 47.09% 4,035 52.22% 53 0.69%
1944 4,261 49.70% 4,268 49.78% 45 0.52%
1940 4,840 44.30% 6,015 55.06% 70 0.64%
1936 3,916 37.14% 6,510 61.74% 118 1.12%
1932 2,857 30.61% 6,347 67.99% 131 1.40%
1928 4,299 51.05% 4,076 48.40% 46 0.55%
1924 3,527 39.73% 4,648 52.35% 703 7.92%
1920 3,685 47.96% 3,776 49.15% 222 2.89%
1916 3,400 35.60% 6,150 64.40% 0 0.00%
1912 831 17.04% 2,801 57.44% 1,244 25.51%
1908 2,004 37.19% 3,159 58.62% 226 4.19%
1904 1,959 40.14% 2,649 54.28% 272 5.57%
1900 2,131 35.53% 3,785 63.11% 81 1.35%
1896 2,365 36.88% 3,983 62.11% 65 1.01%
1892 1,967 35.16% 3,146 56.24% 481 8.60%

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Greene County, Illinois".
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p. 143.
  4. ^ Greene County, Illinois : history & families. Francis, Charles A., Greene County Historical Society (Ill.). Morley, Missouri. 2016. ISBN 978-1-942613-43-5. OCLC 987445234.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link)
  5. ^ White, Jesse. Origin and Evolution of Illinois Counties. State of Illinois, March 2010. [1]
  6. ^ a b "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
  7. ^ a b "Monthly Averages for Carrollton, Illinois". The Weather Channel. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
  8. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
  9. ^ "US Decennial Census". US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
  10. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
  11. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
  12. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). US Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
  13. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
  14. ^ a b c "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
  15. ^ "Selected Social Characteristics in the United States – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
  16. ^ "Selected Economic Characteristics – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
  17. ^ "Vote Total Search Election Results". www.elections.il.gov. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  18. ^ "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".

39°21′N 90°23′W / 39.35°N 90.39°W / 39.35; -90.39

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