Woodford County, Illinois

Woodford County, Illinois
Location in the state of Illinois
Illinois's location in the U.S.
Founded	1841
Seat	Eureka
Largest city	Eureka
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	542.64 sq mi (1,405 km²) 527.80 sq mi (1,367 km²) 14.84 sq mi (38 km²), 2.73%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	38,664 67/sq mi (26/km²)
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5

Woodford County is a county located in the state of Illinois, USA. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 38,664, which is an increase of 9.0% from 35,469 in 2000. Its county seat is Eureka.

Woodford County is part of the Peoria, Illinois, Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 542.64 square miles (1,405.4 km²), of which 527.80 square miles (1,367.0 km²) (or 97.27%) is land and 14.84 square miles (38.4 km²) (or 2.73%) is water.

Major highways

• Interstate 39
• Interstate 74
• U.S. Highway 24
• U.S. Highway 51
• U.S. Highway 150
• Illinois Route 26
• Illinois Route 89
• Illinois Route 116
• Illinois Route 117
• Illinois Route 251

Adjacent counties

• Marshall County (north)
• LaSalle County (northeast)
• Livingston County (east)
• McLean County (southeast)
• Tazewell County (southwest)
• Peoria County (west)

History

Woodford County was formed in 1841 out of Tazewell and McLean counties. The County was named for Woodford County, Kentucky, which was named for General William Woodford, who was with General George Washington at Valley Forge.

• 

  Woodford County at the time of its creation in 1841

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1900	21,822		—
1910	20,506		−6.0%
1920	19,340		−5.7%
1930	18,792		−2.8%
1940	19,124		1.8%
1950	21,335		11.6%
1960	24,579		15.2%
1970	28,012		14.0%
1980	33,320		18.9%
1990	32,653		−2.0%
2000	35,469		8.6%
2010	38,664		9.0%
IL Counties 1900-1990

At the 2000 census, there were 35,469 people, 12,797 households and 9,802 families residing in the county. The population density was 67 per square mile (26/km²). There were 13,487 housing units at an average density of 26 per square mile (10/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.47% White, 0.25% Black or African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.14% from other races, and 0.65% from two or more races. 0.68% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 45.9% were of German, 9.5% American, 9.0% English and 8.7% Irish ancestry.

There were 12,797 households of which 35.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.50% were married couples living together, 6.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.40% were non-families. 20.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.12.

Age distribution was 26.70% under the age of 18, 8.70% from 18 to 24, 26.20% from 25 to 44, 23.60% from 45 to 64, and 14.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 95.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.90 males.

The median household income was $51,394, and the median family income was $58,305. Males had a median income of $42,150 versus $25,251 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,956. About 2.90% of families and 4.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.80% of those under age 18 and 4.20% of those age 65 or over.

Presidential election voting

Woodford County is among the most solidly Republican counties in Illinois when it comes to Presidential elections. The last Republican to receive less than 50% of the county's vote was George H. W. Bush in 1992 who still won the county. In 1964, Barry Goldwater won the county despite losing the state by nearly 19%. In a related vein Ronald Reagan, although a Democrat at the time, attended Eureka College which is located in the county.

Cities and towns

Bay View Gardens Benson Cazenovia Congerville El Paso Eureka

Germantown Hills Goodfield Kappa Lowpoint Metamora Minonk

Panola Roanoke Secor Spring Bay Washburn

Townships

Woodford County is divided into these townships:

Cazenovia Clayton Cruger El Paso Greene Kansas

Linn Metamora Minonk Montgomery Olio Palestine

Panola Partridge Roanoke Spring Bay Worth

Climate and weather

Eureka, Illinois
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     1.8   30 13     1.8   36 18     3.2   48 29     3.5   62 38     4.2   73 49     3.7   83 58     3.8   86 62     3.4   84 60     3.3   78 52     2.8   66 41     3.3   49 30     2.4   35 19 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     44   -1 -11     46   2 -8     82   9 -2     90   17 3     107   23 9     94   28 14     96   30 17     87   29 16     85   26 11     71   19 5     83   9 -1     61   2 -7 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Eureka have ranged from a low of 13 °F (−11 °C) in January to a high of 86 °F (30 °C) in July, although a record low of −28 °F (−33 °C) was recorded in February 1905 and a record high of 111 °F (44 °C) was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.75 inches (44 mm) in January to 4.20 inches (107 mm) in May.

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Woodford County, Illinois