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Fayette County, Illinois
Fayette County Courthouse, Vandalia
Fayette County Courthouse in Vandalia
Map of Illinois highlighting Fayette County
Location in the state of Illinois
Map of the U.S
Illinois's location in the U.S.
Founded 1821
Named for Marquis de Lafayette
Seat Vandalia
Largest city Vandalia
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water

725 sq mi (1,878 km²)
716 sq mi (1,854 km²)
8.9 sq mi (23 km²), 1.2
Population
 - (2020)
 - Density

21,488
Congressional district 15th
Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5
Website www.fayettecountyillinois.org

Fayette County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,488.[1] Its county seat is Vandalia,[2] the site of the Vandalia State House State Historic Site. Ramsey Lake State Recreation Area is located in the northwest part of this county.

History[]

Fayette County was formed in 1821 out of Bond, Clark, and Crawford counties. It was named in honor of the Marquis de LaFayette, French hero of the American Revolutionary War.[3][4]

Geography[]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 725 square miles (1,880 km2), of which 716 square miles (1,850 km2) is land and 8.9 square miles (23 km2) (1.2%) is water.[5]

Climate and weather[]

Climate chart for Vandalia, Illinois
JFMAMJJASOND
 
 
2.49
 
35
18
 
 
2.41
 
41
23
 
 
3.72
 
52
32
 
 
3.57
 
64
43
 
 
4.11
 
74
53
 
 
3.93
 
83
62
 
 
3.61
 
88
67
 
 
2.80
 
86
64
 
 
2.97
 
79
55
 
 
2.84
 
67
43
 
 
3.70
 
53
34
 
 
2.75
 
40
24
temperatures in °Cprecipitation totals in mm
source: The Weather Channel[6]

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Vandalia have ranged from a low of 18 °F (−8 °C) in January to a high of 88 °F (31 °C) in July, although a record low of −21 °F (−29.4 °C) was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of 104 °F (40 °C) was recorded in July 1980. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.41 inches (61 mm) in February to 4.11 inches (104 mm) in May.[6]

Adjacent counties[]

Major highways[]

  • I-57 Interstate 57
  • I-70 Interstate 70
  • US 40 U.S. Route 40
  • US 51 U.S. Route 51
  • Illinois 33 Illinois Route 33
  • Illinois 37 Illinois Route 37
  • Illinois 128 Illinois Route 128
  • Illinois 140 Illinois Route 140
  • Illinois 185 Illinois Route 185

Demographics[]

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1830 2,704
1840 6,328 134.0%
1850 8,075 27.6%
1860 11,189 38.6%
1870 19,638 75.5%
1880 23,241 18.3%
1890 23,367 0.5%
1900 28,065 20.1%
1910 28,075 0%
1920 26,187 −6.7%
1930 23,487 −10.3%
1940 29,159 24.1%
1950 24,582 −15.7%
1960 21,946 −10.7%
1970 20,752 −5.4%
1980 22,167 6.8%
1990 20,893 −5.7%
2000 21,802 4.4%
2010 22,140 1.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]
1790-1960[8] 1900-1990[9]
1990-2000[10] 2010-2020[1]
USA Fayette County, Illinois age pyramid

2000 census age pyramid for Fayette County, skewed toward the male side by the Vandalia Correctional Center, an Illinois State prison, located in the county.[1]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 22,140 people, 8,311 households, and 5,648 families living in the county.[11] The population density was 30.9 inhabitants per square mile (11.9 /km2). There were 9,302 housing units at an average density of 13.0 per square mile (5.0 /km2).[5] The racial makeup of the county was 93.7% white, 4.4% black or African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.4% of the population.[11] In terms of ancestry, 27.5% were German, 10.5% were English, 9.4% were American, and 9.3% were Irish.[12]

Of the 8,311 households, 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.3% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.0% were non-families, and 27.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.95. The median age was 39.9 years.[11]

The median income for a household in the county was $41,269 and the median income for a family was $51,216. Males had a median income of $38,257 versus $27,188 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,663. About 10.8% of families and 16.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.6% of those under age 18 and 12.0% of those age 65 or over.[13]

Communities[]

Cities[]

Villages[]

  • Bingham
  • Brownstown
  • Farina
  • Ramsey
  • St. Peter

Unincorporated communities[]

  • Augsburg
  • Avena
  • Bayle City
  • Bluff City
  • Confidence
  • Dressor
  • Hagarstown
  • La Clede
  • Loogootee
  • Pittsburg
  • Saint James
  • Saint Paul
  • Shafter
  • Shobonier
  • Vera

Townships[]

Fayette County is divided into twenty townships:

  • Avena
  • Bear Grove
  • Bowling Green
  • Carson
  • Kaskaskia
  • LaClede
  • Lone Grove
  • Loudon
  • North Hurricane
  • Otego
  • Pope
  • Ramsey
  • Sefton
  • Seminary
  • Shafter
  • Sharon
  • South Hurricane
  • Vandalia
  • Wheatland
  • Wilberton

Politics[]

Until the beginning of the twentieth century, Fayette County was rock-ribbed Democratic. It was not won by a Republican until Theodore Roosevelt’s landslide win of 1904. The county voted after that for the winning candidate in every election until 1940, when opposition to Franklin D. Roosevelt’s economic and war policies gave the county to Wendell Willkie. Since then only two Democratic presidential candidates have gained an absolute majority in the county – the more recent of these two, Jimmy Carter in 1976, doing so by a single vote.

United States presidential election results for Fayette County, Illinois[14]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 8,055 79.94% 1,826 18.12% 195 1.94%
2016 7,372 76.86% 1,819 18.97% 400 4.17%
2012 5,951 66.03% 2,853 31.66% 208 2.31%
2008 5,499 56.64% 3,967 40.86% 242 2.49%
2004 5,880 61.58% 3,571 37.40% 98 1.03%
2000 5,200 55.69% 3,886 41.61% 252 2.70%
1996 3,881 44.14% 3,887 44.21% 1,024 11.65%
1992 3,508 34.67% 4,833 47.77% 1,777 17.56%
1988 5,452 53.88% 4,632 45.78% 34 0.34%
1984 6,607 63.09% 3,844 36.70% 22 0.21%
1980 6,523 62.67% 3,614 34.72% 271 2.60%
1976 5,059 49.33% 5,128 50.00% 68 0.66%
1972 6,574 61.05% 4,192 38.93% 2 0.02%
1968 5,449 52.38% 4,011 38.56% 943 9.06%
1964 4,492 41.64% 6,295 58.36% 0 0.00%
1960 6,586 57.25% 4,907 42.65% 11 0.10%
1956 6,739 57.81% 4,914 42.15% 5 0.04%
1952 7,028 56.96% 5,299 42.95% 12 0.10%
1948 5,717 49.25% 5,771 49.72% 120 1.03%
1944 6,332 53.27% 5,435 45.72% 120 1.01%
1940 7,486 50.19% 7,286 48.85% 143 0.96%
1936 6,419 48.01% 6,824 51.04% 128 0.96%
1932 5,122 41.44% 7,053 57.06% 185 1.50%
1928 6,545 61.65% 3,998 37.66% 73 0.69%
1924 5,010 48.43% 4,668 45.13% 666 6.44%
1920 5,758 58.48% 3,824 38.84% 264 2.68%
1916 5,316 46.55% 5,669 49.65% 434 3.80%
1912 1,481 24.51% 2,782 46.04% 1,779 29.44%
1908 3,261 48.67% 3,193 47.66% 246 3.67%
1904 3,253 51.62% 2,650 42.05% 399 6.33%
1900 2,920 44.79% 3,423 52.51% 176 2.70%
1896 2,769 42.46% 3,627 55.61% 126 1.93%
1892 1,980 36.66% 2,433 45.05% 988 18.29%



See also[]

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

References[]

  1. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/17/17051.html. 
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. 
  3. ^ Allan H. Keith, Historical Stories: About Greenville and Bond County, IL. Consulted on August 15, 2007.
  4. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off.. pp. 124. https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ. 
  5. ^ a b "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/GCTPH1.CY10/0500000US17051. 
  6. ^ a b "Monthly Averages for Vandalia, Illinois". The Weather Channel. http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USIL1197. 
  7. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html. 
  8. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu. 
  9. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/il190090.txt. 
  10. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf. 
  11. ^ a b c "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/0500000US17051. 
  12. ^ "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP02/0500000US17051. 
  13. ^ "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP03/0500000US17051. 
  14. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS. 

Coordinates: 39°00′N 89°01′W / 39.00, -89.02

This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at Fayette County, Illinois. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this Familypedia wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License.
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