Perry County, Illinois

Perry County, Illinois
Location in the state of Illinois
Illinois's location in the U.S.
Founded	1827
Seat	Pinckneyville
Largest city	Du Quoin
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	446.95 sq mi (1,158 km²) 441.76 sq mi (1,144 km²) 5.19 sq mi (13 km²), 1.16%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	22,350 52/sq mi (20/km²)
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	www.perrycountyil.org

Perry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 22,350, which is a decrease of 3.2% from 23,094 in 2000. Its county seat is Pinckneyville.

Geography

Perry County is located in Southern Illinois. Pinckneyville, at the center of the county, is approximately 70 miles (110 km) southeast of St. Louis, Missouri and 300 miles (480 km) southwest of Chicago. The Mississippi River lies about 10 miles (16 km) west and southwest of the County at its closest point.

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 446.95 square miles (1,157.6 km²), of which 441.76 square miles (1,144.2 km²) (or 98.84%) is land and 5.19 square miles (13.4 km²) (or 1.16%) is water.

The County's topography is mainly flat with some rolling hills. The part of the County's eastern border, the part shared with Franklin County, is formed by the Little Muddy River. Beaucoup Creek runs north to south through the County and lies just east of Pinckneyville.

The county's topography also features many "strip cut" lakes, lakes left behind following above-ground coal mining. Lakes at two of the county's chief recreation areas, the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds and Pyramid State Recreation Area, were formed this way.

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 51
• Illinois Route 13
• Illinois Route 14
• Illinois Route 127
• Illinois Route 150
• Illinois Route 152
• Illinois Route 154

Adjacent counties

• Washington County - north
• Jefferson County - northeast
• Franklin County - east
• Jackson County - south
• Randolph County - west

History

Perry County was formed in 1827 out of Jackson and Randolph counties. It was named in honor of Oliver Hazard Perry who defeated the British fleet at the decisive Battle of Lake Erie in the War of 1812.

• 

  Perry County at the time of its creation in 1827

In its early history, Perry County was mainly an inland pioneer outpost. Early settlers, including some Revolutionary War veterans bearing land grants, moved here from the Eastern United States. These were primarily Protestant settlers. Growth boomed in the 1850s for two reasons: construction of the Illinois Central Railroad through the eastern portion of the county, and the discovery of large coal reserves. Immigrants from Ireland, Poland, Germany, Italy and elsewhere steadily increased the County's population from 1850 through the 1920s. African Americans also were established in the County during northward migration following the Civil War.

Mining continued to be the dominant employment sector through the 1990s.

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1900	19,830		—
1910	22,088		11.4%
1920	22,901		3.7%
1930	22,767		−0.6%
1940	23,438		2.9%
1950	21,684		−7.5%
1960	19,184		−11.5%
1970	19,757		3.0%
1980	21,714		9.9%
1990	21,412		−1.4%
2000	23,094		7.9%
2010	22,350		−3.2%
IL Counties 1900-1990 Census QuickFacts

As of the census of 2000, there were 23,094 people, 8,504 households, and 5,842 families residing in the county. The population density was 52 people per square mile (20/km²). There were 9,457 housing units at an average density of 21 per square mile (8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 89.55% White, 8.02% Black or African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.09% from other races, and 0.79% from two or more races. 1.76% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 30.2% were of German, 17.8% American, 9.6% Irish, 9.0% English, 6.1% Italian, 5.5% Polish and 1.0% Dutch ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 8,504 households out of which 30.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.30% were married couples living together, 9.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.30% were non-families. 27.90% 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 2.43 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the county the population was spread out with 22.00% under the age of 18, 10.30% from 18 to 24, 29.20% from 25 to 44, 22.50% from 45 to 64, and 16.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 113.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 114.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $33,281, and the median income for a family was $41,064. Males had a median income of $29,169 versus $20,170 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,935. About 10.10% of families and 13.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.50% of those under age 18 and 10.10% of those age 65 or over.

Precincts

As one of the 17 Commission counties in Illinois, Perry doesn't use a system of townships, but it is divided into 27 voting precincts:

• Beaucoup Precinct
• Cutler Precinct
• Du Quoin No. 1 Precinct
• Du Quoin No. 2 Precinct
• Du Quoin No. 3 Precinct
• Du Quoin No. 4 Precinct
• Du Quoin No. 5 Precinct
• Du Quoin No. 6 Precinct
• Du Quoin No. 7 Precinct
• Du Quoin No. 8 Precinct
• Du Quoin No. 9 Precinct
• Du Quoin No. 10 Precinct
• Du Quoin No. 11 Precinct
• Du Quoin No. 12 Precinct
• Pinckneyville No. 1 Precinct
• Pinckneyville No. 2 Precinct
• Pinckneyville No. 3 Precinct
• Pinckneyville No. 4 Precinct
• Pinckneyville No. 5 Precinct
• Pinckneyville No. 6 Precinct
• Pinckneyville No. 7 Precinct
• Pinckneyville No. 8 Precinct
• Sunfield Precinct
• Swanwick Precinct
• Tamaroa No. 1 Precinct
• Tamaroa No. 2 Precinct
• Willisville Precinct

Cities and towns

• Cutler
• Du Quoin
• Pinckneyville
• St. Johns
• Tamaroa
• Willisville

Census designated places

• Conant
• Swanwick
• Winkle

Climate and weather

Pinckneyville, Illinois
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     2.8   40 22     2.6   46 26     4.3   57 36     4.3   68 45     4.8   77 55     4.2   86 64     3.5   90 68     3.3   88 65     3.3   81 57     3.2   71 45     4.4   56 36     3.5   44 26 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation totals in inches Source: The Weather Channel
Metric conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     70   4 -6     66   8 -3     109   14 2     108   20 7     122   25 13     107   30 18     90   32 20     85   31 18     83   27 14     81   22 7     113   13 2     88   7 -3 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Pinckneyville have ranged from a low of 22 °F (−6 °C) in January to a high of 90 °F (32 °C) in July, although a record low of −22 °F (−30 °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 2.61 inches (66 mm) in February to 4.81 inches (122 mm) in May.

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Perry County

External links

• Perry County, Illinois Government