Pope County, Illinois

Pope County, Illinois
Location in the state of Illinois
Illinois's location in the U.S.
Founded	1816
Seat	Golconda
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	374.30 sq mi (969 km²) 368.77 sq mi (955 km²) 5.53 sq mi (14 km²), 1.48%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	4,470 10/sq mi (4/km²)

Pope County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 4,470, which is an increase of 1.3% from 4,413 in 2000. Its county seat is Golconda. In terms of population, it is the smallest county in Illinois.

The county was organized in 1816 from portions of Gallatin County and Johnson County and named after Nathaniel Pope, a Secretary of the Illinois Territory.

History

First permanent settlement in 1798 at the modern-day site of Golconda, operating as a ferry point across the Ohio River. Pope County was formed in 1816 from portions of Gallatin and Johnson counties.

• 

  Pope County from the time of its creation to 1839

• 

  Pope County between 1839 and 1843

• 

  Pope County between 1843 and 1847

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  In 1847, Pope's border with Hardin County was adjusted, bringing both to their present borders

Geography

The entire county is hilly and during rainy weather rivulets cascade down the hills in the park forming waterfalls of varying sizes and heights. The county contains Dixon Springs State Park, one of many state parks in the Illinois Shawnee Hills, and is part of the Shawnee National Forest. It is bordered to the south and east by the Ohio River, which marks the state's border with Kentucky.

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 374.30 square miles (969.4 km²), of which 368.77 square miles (955.1 km²) (or 98.52%) is land and 5.53 square miles (14.3 km²) (or 1.48%) is water.

Major highways

• Illinois Route 34
• Illinois Route 145
• Illinois Route 146

Adjacent counties

• Saline County - north
• Hardin County - east
• Livingston County, Kentucky - southeast
• Massac County - southwest
• Johnson County - west
• Williamson County - northwest

National protected area

• Shawnee National Forest (part)

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1900	13,585		—
1910	11,215		−17.4%
1920	9,625		−14.2%
1930	7,996		−16.9%
1940	7,999		0%
1950	5,779		−27.8%
1960	4,061		−29.7%
1970	3,857		−5.0%
1980	4,404		14.2%
1990	4,373		−0.7%
2000	4,413		0.9%
2010	4,470		1.3%
IL Counties 1900-1990

2010

Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:

• 91.7% White
• 6.0% Black
• 0.6% Native American
• 0.2% Asian
• 0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
• 0.9% Two or more races
• 0.6% Other races
• 1.4% Hispanic or Latino (of any race)

2000

As of the census of 2000, there were 4,413 people, 1,769 households, and 1,220 families residing in the county. The population density was 12 people per square mile (5/km²). There were 2,351 housing units at an average density of 6 per square mile (2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 93.29% White, 3.76% Black or African American, 0.79% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.45% from other races, and 1.43% from two or more races. 0.91% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 24.8% were of American, 19.1% German, 13.3% Irish and 11.0% English ancestry.

There were 1,769 households out of which 27.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.80% were married couples living together, 7.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.00% were non-families. 27.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.84.

In the county the population was spread out with 21.50% under the age of 18, 10.20% from 18 to 24, 23.80% from 25 to 44, 26.70% from 45 to 64, and 17.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 102.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,048, and the median income for a family was $37,860. Males had a median income of $33,717 versus $20,074 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,440. About 9.80% of families and 18.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.40% of those under age 18 and 8.40% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

• Eddyville
• Golconda

Other localities

• Brownfield
• Hamletsburg
• Herod
• Lusk's Ferry
• Rosebud
• Temple Hill

Notable residents

• James L. Alcorn, born near Golconda, American Civil War general in the Union Army
• John R. Hodge, born in Golconda; Military Governor of South Korea preceding the Korean War and Commanding General of the U.S. Third Army
• Green B. Raum, born in Golconda, American Civil War general in the Union Army

Climate and weather

Golconda, Illinois
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     3.5   41 21     3.7   47 24     4.7   57 33     4.8   68 42     5   76 52     4.2   84 60     4.2   87 65     3.5   87 63     3.2   80 55     3.2   70 43     4.4   57 34     4.3   46 25 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     88   5 -6     93   8 -4     120   14 1     121   20 6     128   24 11     106   29 16     107   31 18     89   31 17     82   27 13     82   21 6     112   14 1     109   8 -4 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Golconda have ranged from a low of 21 °F (−6 °C) in January to a high of 87 °F (31 °C) in July, although a record low of −22 °F (−30 °C) was recorded in January 1994 and a record high of 104 °F (40 °C) was recorded in August 2007. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 3.22 inches (82 mm) in October to 5.02 inches (128 mm) in May.

See also

• Dixon Springs State Park
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Pope County
• Ohio River
• Shawnee National Forest

External links

• http://www.popeco.net/history/history.html
• http://genealogytrails.com/ill/pope/cohist.htm
• http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/shawnee