Union County, Illinois

Union County, Illinois
Location in the state of Illinois
Illinois's location in the U.S.
Founded	1818
Seat	Jonesboro
Largest city	Anna
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	422.15 sq mi (1,093 km²) 413.46 sq mi (1,071 km²) 8.69 sq mi (23 km²), 2.06%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	17,808 44/sq mi (17/km²)
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5

Union County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 17,808, which is a decrease of 2.7% from 18,293 in 2000. Its county seat is Jonesboro.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 422.15 square miles (1,093.4 km²), of which 413.46 square miles (1,070.9 km²) (or 97.94%) is land and 8.69 square miles (22.5 km²) (or 2.06%) is water.

Major highways

• Interstate 57
• U.S. Highway 51
• Illinois Route 3
• Illinois Route 127
• Illinois Route 146

Adjacent counties

• Jackson County (north)
• Williamson County (northeast)
• Johnson County (east)
• Pulaski County (southeast)
• Alexander County (south)
• Cape Girardeau County, Missouri (west)
• Perry County, Missouri (northwest)

National protected areas

• Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge (part)
• Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge (part)
• Shawnee National Forest (part)

History

Union County was formed out of Johnson County in 1818, the same year Illinois joined the Union. It was named for a joint revival meeting of the Baptists and Dunkards, called a "union meeting". The county seal depicts the leaders of these two groups shaking hands.

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  For its first year of existence, Union County included an area of unorganized territory temporarily attached to it.

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  In 1819, the additional territory became Alexander County, reducing Union to its current borders.

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1900	22,610		—
1910	21,856		−3.3%
1920	20,249		−7.4%
1930	19,883		−1.8%
1940	21,528		8.3%
1950	20,500		−4.8%
1960	17,645		−13.9%
1970	16,071		−8.9%
1980	17,765		10.5%
1990	17,619		−0.8%
2000	18,293		3.8%
2010	17,808		−2.7%
IL Counties 1900-1990

2010

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

• 94.8% White
• 0.9% Black
• 0.5% Native American
• 0.3% Asian
• 0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
• 1.5% Two or more races
• 2.0% Other races
• 4.8% Hispanic or Latino (of any race)

2000

As of the census of 2000, there were 18,293 people, 7,290 households, and 4,971 families residing in the county. The population density was 44 people per square mile (17/km²). There were 7,894 housing units at an average density of 19 per square mile (7/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.28% White, 0.82% Black or African American, 0.37% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.19% from other races, and 1.04% from two or more races. 2.63% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 23.7% were of German, 22.7% American, 11.8% English and 10.3% Irish ancestry.

There were 7,290 households out of which 30.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.60% were married couples living together, 9.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.80% were non-families. 28.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the county the population was spread out with 23.20% under the age of 18, 7.50% from 18 to 24, 26.70% from 25 to 44, 25.10% from 45 to 64, and 17.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 94.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,994, and the median income for a family was $37,710. Males had a median income of $30,016 versus $22,305 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,450. About 10.80% of families and 16.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.80% of those under age 18 and 12.10% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

• Alto Pass
• Anna
• Cobden
• Dongola
• Jonesboro
• Mill Creek

Unincorporated communities

• Balcom
• Reynoldsville
• Ware
• Wetaug
• Wolf Lake

Climate and weather

Jonesboro, Illinois
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     3.6   42 22     3.4   49 27     4.7   60 35     4.7   70 44     5.2   78 53     4.2   86 62     3.3   90 66     3.6   89 64     3.1   82 56     3.4   72 45     4.8   58 36     4.3   46 27 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     91   6 -6     87   9 -3     120   16 2     119   21 7     133   26 12     107   30 17     83   32 19     91   32 18     80   28 13     86   22 7     121   14 2     109   8 -3 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Jonesboro 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 −20 °F (−29 °C) was recorded in January 1918 and a record high of 112 °F (44 °C) was recorded in July 1901. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 3.13 inches (80 mm) in September to 5.22 inches (133 mm) in May.

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Union County

References

Bibliography

• Perrin, William Henry, ed. (1883). History of Alexander, Union and Pulaski Counties, Illinois. Chicago: O. L. Baskin and Company, Historical Publishers. 

External links

• Union County Official Website
• Union County State's Attorney
• Union County Treasurer
• Union County Chamber of Commerce