Macon County, Illinois

Macon County
County
Location within the U.S. state of Illinois
Illinois's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 39°52′N 88°58′W
Country	United States
State	Illinois
Founded	1829
Seat	Decatur
Area
• Total	585.86 sq mi (1,517.4 km2)
• Land	580.69 sq mi (1,504.0 km2)
• Water	5.18 sq mi (13.4 km2)  0.88%
Population  (2010)
• Total	110,768
• Density	198/sq mi (76/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Website	www.maconcounty-il.gov

Macon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois and is included in the Decatur, Illinois, Metropolitan Statistical Area. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 110,768, which is a decrease of 3.4% from 114,706 in 2000. Its county seat is Decatur.Template:GR

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 585.86 square miles (1,517.4 km²), of which 580.69 square miles (1,504.0 km²) (or 99.12%) is land and 5.18 square miles (13.4 km²) (or 0.88%) is water.

Because of its location, Macon County is often referred to as "The Heart of Illinois."

Major highways

• Interstate 72
• U.S. Highway 51
• U.S. Highway 36
• Illinois Route 48
• Illinois Route 105
• Illinois Route 121
• Illinois Route 128

Townships

• Austin
• Blue Mound
• Decatur
• Friends Creek
• Harristown
• Hickory Point
• Illini
• Long Creek
• Maroa
• Milam (former, now defunct, after merger with Mount Zion Township)
• Mount Zion
• Niantic
• Oakley
• Pleasant View
• South Macon
• South Wheatland
• Whitmore

Adjacent counties

• De Witt - north
• Piatt - northeast
• Moultrie - southeast
• Shelby - south
• Christian - southwest
• Sangamon - west
• Logan - northwest

History

Macon County was formed on January 19, 1829 out of Shelby County. It was named for Nathaniel Macon, who served as a Colonel in the Revolutionary War. Macon later served as senator from North Carolina until his resignation in 1828.

• 
  Macon County from the time of its creation to 1829
• 
  Macon County between 1829 and 1841
• 
  Macon County between 1841 and 1843
• 
  Macon County in 1843, reduced to its present borders

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1900	44,003		—
1910	54,186		23.1%
1920	65,175		20.3%
1930	81,731		25.4%
1940	84,693		3.6%
1950	98,853		16.7%
1960	118,257		19.6%
1970	125,010		5.7%
1980	131,375		5.1%
1990	117,206		−10.8%
2000	114,706		−2.1%
2010	110,768		−3.4%
IL Counties 1900-1990

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 114,706 people, 46,561 households, and 30,963 families residing in the county. The population density was 198 people per square mile (76/km²). There were 50,241 housing units at an average density of 86 per square mile (33/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 83.48% White, 14.06% Black or African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.33% from other races, and 1.36% from two or more races. 0.98% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 23.8% were of German, 15.9% American, 10.7% English and 9.9% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 46,561 households out of which 29.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.70% were married couples living together, 12.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.50% were non-families. 28.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the county the population was spread out with 24.60% under the age of 18, 9.80% from 18 to 24, 26.40% from 25 to 44, 24.00% from 45 to 64, and 15.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 91.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $37,859, and the median income for a family was $47,493. Males had a median income of $39,107 versus $22,737 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,067. About 9.30% of families and 12.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.00% of those under age 18 and 8.20% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

Map of Macon County, Illinois.

• Argenta
• Bearsdale
• Blue Mound
• Decatur
• Emery
• Forsyth
• Harristown
• Long Creek
• Macon
• Maroa
• Mount Zion
• Newburg
• Niantic
• Oakley
• Oreana
• Warrensburg

Climate and weather

Decatur, Illinois
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     2.1     35 17     2     41 22     3.2     53 32     3.6     65 42     4.5     76 52     3.9     85 61     4.5     88 65     4.1     86 63     3     80 55     2.7     68 44     3.3     52 34     2.9     39 23 █ 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     52     2 −8     50     5 −6     81     12 0     91     18 6     114     24 11     99     29 16     115     31 18     105     30 17     76     27 13     70     20 7     84     11 1     73     4 −5 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Decatur have ranged from a low of 17 °F (−8 °C) in January to a high of 88 °F (31 °C) in July, although a record low of −25 °F (−32 °C) was recorded in February 1905 and a record high of 113 °F (45 °C) was recorded in July 1954. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.95 inches (50 mm) in February to 4.54 inches (115 mm) in July.

See also

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