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Henry County, Illinois
Henry County Courthouse (Cambridge, Illinois)
Henry County Courthouse
Map of Illinois highlighting Henry County
Location in the state of Illinois
Map of the U.S
Illinois's location in the U.S.
Founded 13 January 1825
Named for Patrick Henry
Seat Cambridge
Largest city Kewanee
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water

826 sq mi (2,139 km²)
823 sq mi (2,132 km²)
2.7 sq mi (7 km²), 0.3
Population
 - (2020)
 - Density

49,284
Congressional district 17th
Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5
Website www.henrycty.com

Henry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. The 2020 United States Census, listed its population at 49,284.[1] Its county seat is Cambridge.[2]

Henry County is included in the Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL Metropolitan Statistical Area.[3]

History[]

Henry County was formed on January 13, 1825, out of Fulton County, Illinois. It is named for Patrick Henry,[4] Revolutionary War firebrand and champion of individual rights, to whom the slogan "give me liberty, or give me death" is attributed. The county was settled by people from New England and western New York, descendants of English Puritans who settled New England in the colonial era. The New England settlers founded the five towns of Andover, Wethersfield, Geneseo, Morristown and La Grange.[5]

The settlement of Cambridge came about in 1843, when the owner of the land in that area (Rev. Ithamar Pillsbury) dedicated a section of his properties to a town council; lots were sold to incoming settlers, and construction of the town proper began on 9 June 1843. The incoming "Yankee" settlers made Henry County culturally similar to early New England culture.[6][7]

Geography[]

According to the US Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 826 square miles (2,140 km2), of which 823 square miles (2,130 km2) is land and 2.7 square miles (7.0 km2) (0.3%) is water.[8] It is the 29th largest of Illinois' 102 counties. The area is fairly flat, with elevations ranging from 650 feet above sea level in the northwest to 850 in the southeast. About 456,596 acres (1,847.778 km2) or 86.7% of the county's land area, is used for agriculture.[9]

Climate and weather[]

Climate chart for Cambridge, Illinois
JFMAMJJASOND
 
 
1.52
 
29
13
 
 
1.58
 
35
19
 
 
2.69
 
47
30
 
 
3.74
 
61
40
 
 
4.21
 
73
52
 
 
4.20
 
82
61
 
 
3.90
 
86
66
 
 
4.32
 
83
63
 
 
3.29
 
76
55
 
 
3.01
 
63
43
 
 
2.82
 
47
31
 
 
2.15
 
33
19
temperatures in °Cprecipitation totals in mm
source: The Weather Channel[10]

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Cambridge 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 −24 °F (−31.1 °C) was recorded in February 1996 and a record high of 103 °F (39 °C) was recorded in July 1983. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.52 inches (39 mm) in January to 4.32 inches (110 mm) in August.[10]

Major highways[]

  • I-74 Interstate 74
  • I-80 Interstate 80
  • I-280 Interstate 280
  • US 6 U.S. Highway 6
  • US 34 U.S. Highway 34
  • Illinois 17 Illinois Route 17
  • Illinois 84 Illinois Route 84
  • Illinois 78 Illinois Route 78
  • Illinois 81 Illinois Route 81
  • Illinois 82 Illinois Route 82
  • Illinois 92 Illinois Route 92
  • Illinois 93 Illinois Route 93

Adjacent counties[]

Demographics[]

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1830 41
1840 1,260 2,973.2%
1850 3,807 202.1%
1860 20,660 442.7%
1870 35,506 71.9%
1880 36,597 3.1%
1890 33,338 −8.9%
1900 40,049 20.1%
1910 41,736 4.2%
1920 45,162 8.2%
1930 43,851 −2.9%
1940 43,798 −0.1%
1950 46,492 6.2%
1960 49,317 6.1%
1970 53,217 7.9%
1980 57,968 8.9%
1990 51,159 −11.7%
2000 51,020 −0.3%
2010 50,486 −1.0%
US Decennial Census[11]
1790-1960[12] 1900-1990[13]
1990-2000[14] 2010-2020[1]
USA Henry County, Illinois age pyramid

2000 census age pyramid for Henry County

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 50,486 people, 20,373 households, and 14,149 families residing in the county.[15] The population density was 61.3 inhabitants per square mile (23.7 /km2). There were 22,161 housing units at an average density of 26.9 per square mile (10.4 /km2).[8] The racial makeup of the county was 94.8% white, 1.6% black or African American, 0.4% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 1.6% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.8% of the population.[15] In terms of ancestry, 30.0% were German, 14.6% were Irish, 12.3% were Swedish, 11.5% were English, and 7.2% were American.[16]

Of the 20,373 households, 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.9% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.6% were non-families, and 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.92. The median age was 41.8 years.[15]

The median income for a household in the county was $49,164 and the median income for a family was $61,467. Males had a median income of $44,589 versus $30,992 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,915. About 6.8% of families and 10.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.9% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over.[17]

Communities[]

Cities[]

Towns[]

  • Annawan
  • Atkinson

Villages[]

  • Alpha
  • Andover
  • Bishop Hill
  • Cambridge
  • Cleveland
  • Coal Valley (partial)
  • Hooppole
  • Orion
  • Woodhull

Unincorporated communities[]

  • Aliceville
  • Briar Bluff
  • Brook Lawn
  • Dayton
  • German Corner
  • Green River
  • Green Rock
  • Hickory Hills
  • Level Acres
  • Lynn Center
  • Morristown
  • Nekoma
  • Opheim
  • Osco
  • Shady Beach
  • Sunny Hill
  • Sunny Hill Estates
  • Timber Ridge
  • Ulah
  • Warner
  • Woodcrest

Former communities[]

  • Kedron
  • Oxford
  • Saxon

Townships[]

  • Alba
  • Andover
  • Annawan
  • Atkinson
  • Burns
  • Cambridge
  • Clover
  • Colona
  • Cornwall
  • Edford
  • Galva
  • Geneseo
  • Hanna
  • Kewanee
  • Loraine
  • Lynn
  • Munson
  • Osco
  • Oxford
  • Phenix
  • Weller
  • Western
  • Wethersfield
  • Yorktown

Politics[]

Henry County's political history is fairly typical of many Yankee-settled rural counties in Illinois. After being largely Democratic in its first few elections, the county turned powerfully Republican for the 110 years following the formation of that party. The only time it did not vote Republican between 1856 and 1960 was in 1912 when the GOP was mortally divided and Progressive Theodore Roosevelt won a majority of the county's ballots. In 1964, when the Republican Party nominated the Southern-oriented Barry Goldwater, Henry County voted Democratic for the first time since 1852, but as was typical for Yankee counties it returned to the Republicans with the selection of the more moderate Richard Nixon.

In the 1980s, the transition of the Republican Party into a party largely based around Southern Evangelicals severely alienated its historic Yankee base: Henry County turned to Democrat Michael Dukakis in 1988, and voted Democratic in every election between 1988 and 2012 except that of 2004 when George W. Bush carried the county by 5.1 percent. However, concern with unemployment in the “Rust Belt” resulted in a powerful swing to Republican Donald Trump in 2016 – the worst Democratic result in the county since Jimmy Carter in 1980.

United States presidential election results for Henry County, Illinois[18]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 15,300 59.53% 9,797 38.12% 604 2.35%
2016 13,985 56.75% 8,871 36.00% 1,787 7.25%
2012 11,583 47.46% 12,332 50.53% 490 2.01%
2008 11,263 45.33% 13,181 53.04% 405 1.63%
2004 13,212 52.34% 11,877 47.05% 152 0.60%
2000 10,896 46.43% 11,921 50.79% 653 2.78%
1996 8,393 38.33% 11,201 51.15% 2,303 10.52%
1992 8,989 36.88% 11,077 45.45% 4,305 17.66%
1988 11,358 49.28% 11,594 50.30% 96 0.42%
1984 14,504 57.41% 10,679 42.27% 79 0.31%
1980 14,506 59.93% 7,977 32.95% 1,723 7.12%
1976 12,849 56.03% 9,822 42.83% 263 1.15%
1972 14,796 63.82% 8,368 36.09% 21 0.09%
1968 12,524 55.10% 8,455 37.20% 1,752 7.71%
1964 10,644 46.83% 12,085 53.17% 0 0.00%
1960 14,297 57.91% 10,372 42.01% 21 0.09%
1956 15,896 65.46% 8,349 34.38% 39 0.16%
1952 16,301 65.49% 8,558 34.38% 33 0.13%
1948 12,363 58.84% 8,489 40.40% 159 0.76%
1944 13,539 59.48% 9,130 40.11% 92 0.40%
1940 14,971 58.37% 10,481 40.86% 196 0.76%
1936 11,953 49.61% 11,490 47.69% 651 2.70%
1932 11,376 51.25% 10,122 45.60% 701 3.16%
1928 14,666 70.83% 5,858 28.29% 183 0.88%
1924 13,159 72.39% 1,944 10.69% 3,076 16.92%
1920 12,379 78.96% 2,530 16.14% 768 4.90%
1916 11,406 65.42% 5,220 29.94% 808 4.63%
1912 1,859 20.29% 2,219 24.22% 5,085 55.49%
1908 6,387 64.53% 2,499 25.25% 1,011 10.22%
1904 7,331 74.52% 1,390 14.13% 1,117 11.35%
1900 6,892 68.54% 2,809 27.94% 354 3.52%
1896 6,177 66.03% 2,971 31.76% 207 2.21%
1892 4,265 55.82% 2,670 34.95% 705 9.23%



See also[]

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

References[]

  1. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". US Census Bureau. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/17/17073.html. 
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. 
  3. ^ United States Office of Management and Budget. "Update of Statistical Area Definitions and Guidance on Their Uses" (PDF). pp. 5, 36. https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/bulletins/fy2006/b06-01.pdf. 
  4. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off.. pp. 155. https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ. 
  5. ^ The expansion of New England: the spread of New England settlement and institutions to the Mississippi River, 1620-1865, pp. 215-216
  6. ^ History Henry County, Illinois H.F. Kett & Company (1877) pp. 177-178
  7. ^ The expansion of New England: the spread of New England settlement and institutions to the Mississippi River, 1620-1865 by Louis Kimball Matthews, pp. 215-216
  8. ^ a b "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". US Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/GCTPH1.CY10/0500000US17073. 
  9. ^ Henry County website
  10. ^ a b "Monthly Averages for Cambridge IL". The Weather Channel. http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USIL0174. 
  11. ^ "US Decennial Census". US Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html. 
  12. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu. 
  13. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". US Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/il190090.txt. 
  14. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". US Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf. 
  15. ^ a b c "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". US Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/0500000US17073. 
  16. ^ "Selected Social Characteristics in the United States – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". US Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP02/0500000US17073. 
  17. ^ "Selected Economic Characteristics – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". US Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP03/0500000US17073. 
  18. ^ Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS. 

External links[]

Coordinates: 41°21′11″N 90°07′53″W / 41.35306, -90.13139

This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at Henry 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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