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Peoria County, Illinois
Peoria - Downtown from Caterpillar, Courthouse Square, First National Bank and Savings Tower
Courthouse Square in Peoria
Seal of Peoria County, Illinois
Seal
Map of Illinois highlighting Peoria County
Location in the state of Illinois
Map of the U.S
Illinois's location in the U.S.
Founded 1825
Named for Peoria tribe
Seat Peoria
Largest city Peoria
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water

631 sq mi (1,634 km²)
619 sq mi (1,603 km²)
11 sq mi (28 km²), 1.8
Population
 - (2020)
 - Density

181,830
Congressional districts 17th, 18th
Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5
Website www.co.peoria.il.us

Peoria County is located in the U.S. state of Illinois. The 2020 United States Census listed its population at 181,830.[1] Its county seat is Peoria.[2] Peoria County is part of the Peoria, IL Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History[]

Peoria County was formed in 1825 out of Fulton County. It was named for the Peoria, an Illiniwek people who lived there. It included most of the western valley of the Illinois River up to the Chicago river portage.

Gallery timeline[]

Geography[]

According to the US Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 631 square miles (1,630 km2), of which 619 square miles (1,600 km2) is land and 11 square miles (28 km2) (1.8%) is water.[4] The county is drained by Spoon River, Kickapoo Creek, Elbow Creek, and Copperas Creek.[5]

Climate and weather[]

Climate chart for Peoria, Illinois
JFMAMJJASOND
 
 
1.50
 
31
14
 
 
1.67
 
37
20
 
 
2.83
 
49
30
 
 
3.56
 
62
40
 
 
4.17
 
73
51
 
 
3.84
 
82
60
 
 
4.02
 
86
65
 
 
3.16
 
84
63
 
 
3.12
 
77
54
 
 
2.77
 
64
42
 
 
2.99
 
49
31
 
 
2.40
 
35
20
temperatures in °Cprecipitation totals in mm
source: The Weather Channel[6]

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Peoria have ranged from a low of 14 °F (−10 °C) in January to a high of 86 °F (30 °C) in July, although a record low of −27 °F (−32.8 °C) was recorded in January 1884 and a record high of 113 °F (45 °C) was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.50 inches (38 mm) in January to 4.17 inches (106 mm) in May.[6]

Adjacent counties[]

Transportation[]

Major highways[]

  • I-74 Interstate 74 in Illinois
  • I-474 Interstate 474
  • US 24 U.S. Route 24 in Illinois
  • US 150 U.S. Route 150 in Illinois
  • Illinois 6 Illinois Route 6
  • Illinois 8 Illinois Route 8
  • Illinois 9 Illinois Route 9
  • Illinois 29 Illinois Route 29
  • Illinois 40 Illinois Route 40
  • Illinois 78 Illinois Route 78
  • Illinois 90 Illinois Route 90
  • Illinois 91 Illinois Route 91
  • Illinois 116 Illinois Route 116
  • Illinois Route 336 (Soon)

Defunct highways[]

  • Illinois 174 Illinois Route 174
  • Illinois 175 Illinois Route 175

Airports[]

  • General Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport (PIA), formerly Greater Peoria Regional Airport
  • Mount Hawley Auxiliary Airport (3MY) – Peoria, Illinois[7]

Demographics[]

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1840 6,153
1850 17,547 185.2%
1860 36,601 108.6%
1870 47,540 29.9%
1880 55,355 16.4%
1890 70,378 27.1%
1900 88,608 25.9%
1910 100,255 13.1%
1920 111,710 11.4%
1930 141,344 26.5%
1940 153,374 8.5%
1950 174,347 13.7%
1960 189,044 8.4%
1970 195,318 3.3%
1980 200,466 2.6%
1990 182,827 −8.8%
2000 183,433 0.3%
2010 186,494 1.7%
US Decennial Census[8]
1790–1960[9] 1900–1990[10]
1990–2000[11] 2010–2020[1]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 186,494 people, 75,793 households, and 47,248 families residing in the county.[12] The population density was 301.2 inhabitants per square mile (116.3 /km2). There were 83,034 housing units at an average density of 134.1 per square mile (51.8 /km2).[4] The racial makeup of the county was 74.4% white, 17.7% black or African American, 3.1% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 1.6% from other races, and 2.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.8% of the population.[12] In terms of ancestry, 28.3% were German, 14.8% were Irish, 10.4% were English, and 5.5% were American.[13]

Of the 75,793 households, 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.1% were married couples living together, 14.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 37.7% were non-families, and 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.00. The median age was 36.8 years.[12]

The median income for a household in the county was $49,747 and the median income for a family was $63,163. Males had a median income of $51,246 versus $32,881 for females. The per capita income for the county was $28,157. About 10.3% of families and 14.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.8% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.[14]

Points of interest[]

  • Glasford crater
  • Jubilee College State Park
  • WMBD World's Most Beautiful Drive (Grandview Drive/Prospect)[15]
  • Forest Park Nature Center[16]
  • Peoria Heights Tower Park[17]
  • Rock Island Trail

Communities[]

Cities[]

Villages[]

  • Bartonville
  • Bellevue
  • Brimfield
  • Dunlap
  • Glasford
  • Hanna City
  • Kingston Mines
  • Mapleton
  • Norwood
  • Peoria Heights
  • Princeville

Census-designated places[]

  • Lake Camelot
  • Mossville
  • Rome
  • Smithville
  • Trivoli

Unincorporated communities[]

  • Akron
  • Alta
  • Edelstein
  • Eden
  • Edwards
  • Elmore
  • Kickapoo
  • Lake of the Woods
  • Laura
  • Mossville
  • Trivoli

Townships[]

  • Akron
  • Brimfield
  • Chillicothe
  • Elmwood
  • Hallock
  • Hollis
  • Jubilee
  • Kickapoo
  • Limestone
  • Logan
  • Medina
  • Millbrook
  • Peoria City
  • Princeville
  • Radnor
  • Richwoods
  • Rosefield
  • Timber
  • Trivoli
  • West Peoria

School districts[]

Notable residents[]

People from Peoria County other than in the city of Peoria:

  • Chris Brackett, host of Arrow Affliction on The Sportsman Channel
  • Mike Dunne, pitcher for several Major League Baseball teams
  • Bill Krieg, Major League Baseball player
  • Lance (Henry) LeGault, TV and movie actor: Colonel Roderick Decker on The A-Team
  • Zach McAllister, Major League Baseball player: Cleveland Indians pitcher
  • Johnston McCulley, pulp fiction author: creator of Zorro
  • Richard Pryor, Actor, Comedian
  • David Ogden Stiers, actor, Major Charles Emerson Winchester III on M*A*S*H
  • Josh Taylor, TV actor: Chris Kostichek on the soap opera Days of Our Lives
  • Jim Thome, first baseman for several Major League Baseball teams

Government[]

Peoria County is governed by an 18-member County Board which meets on the second Thursday of each month. Each member represents a district with roughly 10,000 residents.[18]

District Board Member Residence In office since Party
1 Sharon K. Williams Peoria 2012 Democratic
2 Junior Watkins Peoria 1994 Democratic
3 Barry Robinson Peoria 2016 Democratic
4 Andrew Rand (Chair) Peoria 2008 Democratic
5 Brandy Bryant Peoria 2019 Democratic
6 Dr. Eden Blair Peoria 2019 Democratic
7 James C. Dillon West Peoria 2006 Democratic
8 Phillip Salzer Peoria unknown Democratic
9 Kate Pastucha Peoria Heights 2017 Democratic
10 Rob Reneau Peoria 2018 Democratic
11 Linda E. Daley Peoria 2019 Republican
12 Rachel Reliford Peoria 2018 Republican
13 James Fennell (Vice-Chair) Chillicothe 2010 Republican
14 Brian Elsasser Princeville 1998 Republican
15 Steven B. Rieker Peoria 2016 Republican
16 Matt Windish Brimfield 2016 Republican
17 Jennifer Groves Allison Peoria 2019 Democratic
18 Paul Rosenbohm Peoria 2010 Republican

The County also elects an Auditor, Circuit Clerk, Coroner, County Clerk, Sheriff, State's Attorney, Regional Superintendent, and Treasurer to four-year terms.

Office Current Holder In office since Party
Auditor Jessica Thomas 2018 Democratic
Circuit Clerk Bobby Spears 2002 Democratic
Coroner Jamie Harwood 2016 Democratic
County Clerk Rachael Parker 2019 Democratic
Sheriff Brian Asbell 2017 Republican
State's Attorney Jodi Hoos 2019 Democratic
Regional Superintendent Elizabeth Crider 2014 Democratic
Treasurer Nicole Bjerke 2017 Republican

Politics[]

Prior to 1992, Peoria County usually voted for Republican candidates in presidential elections, only voting for Democratic Party candidates when they won nationally by a landslide. It began trending away from the GOP in the mid-1980s, as evidenced when Ronald Reagan only carried it with 55 percent of the vote in 1984 even as he was winning reelection in a landslide nationally.

From 1992 onward, the county has backed the Democratic candidate in every presidential election, though never by a margin greater than 10 percent aside from 2008 when Illinoisan Barack Obama won it by nearly 14 points. This relative closeness in results was most evident in 2004 when the county backed John Kerry over George W. Bush by only 70 votes.

United States presidential election results for Peoria County, Illinois[19]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 38,252 45.55% 43,578 51.90% 2,143 2.55%
2016 35,633 45.05% 38,060 48.12% 5,409 6.84%
2012 36,774 46.90% 40,209 51.28% 1,428 1.82%
2008 34,579 42.32% 45,906 56.19% 1,219 1.49%
2004 41,051 49.60% 41,121 49.68% 599 0.72%
2000 36,398 47.39% 38,604 50.26% 1,810 2.36%
1996 30,990 41.82% 37,383 50.45% 5,729 7.73%
1992 30,718 37.77% 38,099 46.85% 12,511 15.38%
1988 37,605 51.35% 35,253 48.14% 372 0.51%
1984 45,607 55.02% 36,830 44.43% 462 0.56%
1980 47,815 57.26% 28,276 33.86% 7,419 8.88%
1976 46,526 56.65% 34,606 42.14% 991 1.21%
1972 50,324 64.49% 27,264 34.94% 444 0.57%
1968 37,021 49.96% 30,937 41.75% 6,147 8.29%
1964 33,327 41.30% 47,360 58.70% 0 0.00%
1960 45,529 53.77% 39,061 46.13% 86 0.10%
1956 50,888 62.72% 30,145 37.15% 108 0.13%
1952 49,245 59.09% 33,955 40.74% 139 0.17%
1948 35,018 52.78% 31,026 46.76% 308 0.46%
1944 34,171 50.81% 32,837 48.83% 243 0.36%
1940 34,911 45.21% 42,009 54.40% 301 0.39%
1936 25,425 33.96% 48,063 64.20% 1,377 1.84%
1932 25,166 39.50% 37,605 59.02% 945 1.48%
1928 31,024 56.50% 23,150 42.16% 739 1.35%
1924 25,243 58.55% 6,343 14.71% 11,526 26.74%
1920 24,541 66.00% 9,453 25.42% 3,188 8.57%
1916 18,615 48.38% 18,718 48.65% 1,145 2.98%
1912 9,229 41.91% 8,364 37.98% 4,427 20.10%
1908 10,828 52.47% 8,898 43.12% 909 4.41%
1904 11,868 62.02% 5,697 29.77% 1,570 8.20%
1900 10,700 51.82% 9,433 45.69% 514 2.49%
1896 10,486 52.70% 9,068 45.57% 344 1.73%
1892 7,266 45.63% 8,053 50.57% 605 3.80%



In Congress, Peoria County is represented by Democrat Cheri Bustos of Illinois's 17th congressional district and Republican Darin LaHood of the Illinois's 18th congressional district

In the Illinois Senate, Peoria County is represented by Republican Chuck Weaver of the 37th Legislative District and Democrat Dave Koehler of the 46th Legislative District. In the Illinois House of Representatives, Peoria County is represented by Republican Ryan Spain of the 73rd Representative District, Republican Mike Unes of the 91st Representative District and Democrat Jehan Gordon-Booth of the 92nd Representative District.

See also[]

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

References[]

  1. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". US Census Bureau. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/17/17143.html. 
  2. ^ "Peoria County, Illinois". http://www.peoriacounty.org. 
  3. ^ a b White, Jesse. Origin and Evolution of Illinois Counties. State of Illinois, March 2010. [1]
  4. ^ 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.CY10/0500000US17143. 
  5. ^ Wikisource-logo "Peoria, a N. central county of Illinois". The American Cyclopædia. 1879. 
  6. ^ a b "Monthly Averages for Peoria IL". The Weather Channel. http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USIL0935. 
  7. ^ "Peoria County Public and Private Airports". http://www.tollfreeairline.com/illinois/peoria.htm. 
  8. ^ "US Decennial Census". US Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html. 
  9. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu. 
  10. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". US Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/il190090.txt. 
  11. ^ "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. 
  12. ^ 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/DPDP1/0500000US17143. 
  13. ^ "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/DP02/0500000US17143. 
  14. ^ "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/DP03/0500000US17143. 
  15. ^ Grandview Drive Google Maps (accessed 27 December 2018)
  16. ^ Forest Park Nature Center Google Maps (accessed 27 December 2018)
  17. ^ Peoria Heights Tower Park Google Maps (accessed 27 December 2018)
  18. ^ "County Board | Peoria County, IL". https://www.peoriacounty.org/524/County-Board. 
  19. ^ Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS. 

External links[]

Coordinates: 40°47′N 89°46′W / 40.79, -89.76


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