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Sangamon County, Illinois
Sangamon County Courthouse 2017
Sangamon County Courthouse
Flag of Sangamon County, Illinois
Flag
Map of Illinois highlighting Sangamon County
Location in the state of Illinois
Map of the U.S
Illinois's location in the U.S.
Founded 1823
Named for Sangamon River
Seat Springfield
Largest city Springfield
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water

877 sq mi (2,271 km²)
868 sq mi (2,248 km²)
8.7 sq mi (23 km²), 1.0
Population
 - (2020)
 - Density

196,343
Congressional districts 13th, 18th
Website www.co.sangamon.il.us

Sangamon County is located in the center of the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 196,343.[1] Its county seat and largest city is Springfield,[2] the state capital.

Sangamon County is included in the Springfield, IL Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History[]

Abraham Lincoln Tomb Springfield Illiois

Lincoln Tomb

Sangamon County was formed in 1821 out of Madison and Bond counties. The county was named for the Sangamon River, which runs through it. The origin of the name of the river is unknown; among several explanations is the theory that it comes from the Pottawatomie word Sain-guee-mon (pronounced "sang gä mun"), meaning "where there is plenty to eat."[3] Published histories of neighboring Menard County (formed from Sangamon County) suggest that the name was first given to the river by the French explorers of the late 17th century as they passed through the region. The river was named to honor "St. Gamo", or Saint Gamo, an 8th-century French Benedictine monk. The French pronunciation "San-Gamo" is the legacy.

Prior to being elected President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln represented Sangamon County in the Illinois Legislature. Lincoln, along with several other legislators, was instrumental in securing Springfield, the Sangamon County seat, as the state's capital. Sangamon County was also within the congressional district represented by Lincoln when he served in the US House of Representatives. Another legislator who represented Sangamon County was Colonel Edmund Dick Taylor, also known as "Father of the Greenback". The prominent financiers and industrialists Jacob Bunn and John Whitfield Bunn were based in Springfield, Sangamon County, Illinois, as well as in Chicago, during the nineteenth century and the early twentieth century. The careers of these men and the people with whom they collaborated helped to shape much of the history and development of Sangamon County, Illinois.

Geography[]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 877 square miles (2,270 km2), of which 868 square miles (2,250 km2) is land and 8.7 square miles (23 km2) (1.0%) is water.[4]

Climate and weather[]

Climate chart for Springfield, Illinois
JFMAMJJASOND
 
 
1.62
 
33
17
 
 
1.80
 
39
22
 
 
3.15
 
51
32
 
 
3.36
 
63
42
 
 
4.06
 
74
53
 
 
3.77
 
83
62
 
 
3.53
 
87
66
 
 
3.41
 
85
64
 
 
2.83
 
79
55
 
 
2.62
 
67
44
 
 
2.87
 
51
34
 
 
2.54
 
38
23
temperatures in °Cprecipitation totals in mm
source: The Weather Channel[5]

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Springfield have ranged from a low of 17 °F (−8 °C) in January to a high of 87 °F (31 °C) in July, although a record low of −24 °F (−31.1 °C) was recorded in February 1905 and a record high of 112 °F (44 °C) was recorded in July 1954. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.62 inches (41 mm) in January to 4.06 inches (103 mm) in May.[5]

Major highways[]

  • I-55 Interstate 55
  • Business Loop 55 Interstate 55 Business Loop
  • I-72 Interstate 72
  • US 36 U.S. Route 36
  • Illinois 4 Illinois Route 4
  • Illinois 29 Illinois Route 29
  • Illinois 54 Illinois Route 54
  • Illinois 97 Illinois Route 97
  • Illinois 104 Illinois Route 104
  • Illinois 124 Illinois Route 124
  • Illinois 123 Illinois Route 123
  • Illinois 125 Illinois Route 125

Adjacent counties[]

National protected areas[]

  • Lincoln Home National Historic Site

State protected areas[]

  • Sangchris Lake State Recreation Area

Demographics[]

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1830 12,960
1840 14,716 13.5%
1850 19,228 30.7%
1860 32,274 67.8%
1870 46,352 43.6%
1880 52,894 14.1%
1890 61,195 15.7%
1900 71,593 17.0%
1910 91,024 27.1%
1920 100,262 10.1%
1930 111,733 11.4%
1940 117,912 5.5%
1950 131,484 11.5%
1960 146,539 11.5%
1970 161,335 10.1%
1980 176,089 9.1%
1990 178,386 1.3%
2000 188,951 5.9%
2010 197,465 4.5%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]
1790-1960[7] 1900-1990[8]
1990-2000[9] 2010-2020[1]

As of the 2010 census, there were 197,465 people, 82,986 households, and 51,376 families residing in the county.[10] The population density was 227.4 inhabitants per square mile (87.8 /km2). There were 89,901 housing units at an average density of 103.5 per square mile (40.0 /km2).[4] The racial makeup of the county was 83.6% white, 11.8% black or African American, 1.6% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.5% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.8% of the population.[10] In terms of ancestry, 29.4% were German, 14.8% were Irish, 12.1% were English, 9.5% were American, and 6.3% were Italian.[11]

Of the 82,986 households, 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.4% were married couples living together, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 38.1% were non-families, and 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.94. The median age was 39.2 years.[10]

The median income for a household in the county was $52,232 and the median income for a family was $66,917. Males had a median income of $48,324 versus $36,691 for females. The per capita income for the county was $28,394. About 9.9% of families and 13.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.7% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over.[12]

Government[]

Sangamon County is governed by a 29-member board. Each member of the board is elected from a separate district.[13]

Other elected officials include:[14]

Office Representative Party Residence Took Office
Auditor Andy Goleman Republican Divernon 2015 (appointed)
Clerk of the Circuit Court Paul Palazzolo Republican Springfield 2015 (appointed)
Coroner James Allmon Republican Springfield 2020 (appointed)
County Clerk Don Gray Republican Springfield 2015 (appointed)
Recorder Josh Langfelder Democratic Springfield 2008 (elected)
Regional Superintendent of Schools Jeff Vose Republican Springfield 2010 (appointed)
Sheriff Jack Campbell Republican Illiopolis 2018 (elected)
State's Attorney Dan Wright Republican Springfield 2018 (appointed)
Treasurer Joe Aiello Republican Springfield 2018 (elected)

Politics[]

Like much of Central Illinois, Sangamon County tilts Republican. It is rather conservative for a county with an urban state capital, but is not nearly as conservative as the surrounding counties. Only six Democrats have carried it since 1896. It is slowly moving towards the Democratic camp, having shifted 8.7 points to the left since 2000 (as of 2020).

United States presidential election results for Sangamon County, Illinois[15]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 53,485 50.87% 48,917 46.52% 2,740 2.61%
2016 49,944 50.77% 40,907 41.58% 7,522 7.65%
2012 50,225 53.26% 42,107 44.65% 1,965 2.08%
2008 46,945 46.90% 51,300 51.25% 1,861 1.86%
2004 55,904 58.61% 38,630 40.50% 841 0.88%
2000 50,374 55.06% 38,414 41.99% 2,697 2.95%
1996 42,174 47.87% 38,902 44.15% 7,029 7.98%
1992 39,641 40.93% 40,052 41.35% 17,167 17.72%
1988 50,175 56.76% 37,729 42.68% 499 0.56%
1984 54,086 61.10% 34,059 38.47% 378 0.43%
1980 49,372 57.95% 29,354 34.45% 6,474 7.60%
1976 43,309 52.24% 38,017 45.85% 1,584 1.91%
1972 50,458 65.47% 25,720 33.37% 897 1.16%
1968 36,510 50.02% 29,542 40.47% 6,944 9.51%
1964 33,077 43.43% 43,073 56.55% 16 0.02%
1960 41,483 53.64% 35,793 46.28% 59 0.08%
1956 42,951 59.71% 28,949 40.24% 35 0.05%
1952 39,392 53.99% 33,526 45.95% 50 0.07%
1948 33,714 53.28% 29,196 46.14% 363 0.57%
1944 32,871 53.24% 28,713 46.50% 161 0.26%
1940 35,464 52.44% 31,943 47.23% 221 0.33%
1936 29,562 46.43% 32,281 50.70% 1,827 2.87%
1932 26,856 44.29% 32,745 54.00% 1,042 1.72%
1928 31,957 59.99% 21,026 39.47% 288 0.54%
1924 23,443 51.58% 12,640 27.81% 9,363 20.60%
1920 21,820 59.42% 11,000 29.95% 3,903 10.63%
1916 20,900 51.65% 17,958 44.38% 1,606 3.97%
1912 6,196 31.14% 8,406 42.25% 5,295 26.61%
1908 10,422 49.79% 9,351 44.67% 1,161 5.55%
1904 10,638 53.44% 7,571 38.03% 1,697 8.53%
1900 9,769 49.61% 9,499 48.24% 422 2.14%
1896 8,998 50.17% 8,582 47.85% 354 1.97%
1892 6,009 41.06% 7,665 52.38% 960 6.56%



Communities[]

Cities[]

  • Auburn
  • Leland Grove
  • Springfield (county seat and largest municipality)
  • Virden

Villages[]

  • Berlin
  • Buffalo
  • Cantrall
  • Chatham
  • Clear Lake
  • Curran
  • Dawson
  • Divernon
  • Grandview
  • Illiopolis
  • Jerome
  • Loami
  • Mechanicsburg
  • New Berlin
  • Pawnee
  • Pleasant Plains
  • Riverton
  • Rochester
  • Sherman
  • Southern View
  • Spaulding
  • Thayer
  • Williamsville

Unincorporated communities[]

  • Andrew
  • Archer
  • Barclay
  • Barr
  • Bates
  • Berry
  • Bissell
  • Bradfordton
  • Breckenridge
  • Buckhart
  • Buffalo Hart
  • Cimic
  • Clayville
  • Farmingdale
  • Glenarm
  • Island Grove
  • Lowder
  • New City
  • Old Berlin
  • Riddle Hill
  • Salisbury
  • Toronto
  • Zenobia

Townships[]

Sangamon County is divided into these townships:

  • Auburn
  • Ball
  • Buffalo Hart
  • Capital
  • Cartwright
  • Chatham
  • Clear Lake
  • Cooper
  • Cotton Hill
  • Curran
  • Divernon
  • Fancy Creek
  • Gardner
  • Illiopolis
  • Island Grove
  • Lanesville
  • Loami
  • Maxwell
  • Mechanicsburg
  • New Berlin
  • Pawnee
  • Rochester
  • Salisbury (former, now defunct)
  • Springfield
  • Talkington
  • Williams
  • Woodside

Forts[]

  • Camp Butler

See also[]

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

References[]

  1. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/17/17101.html. 
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. 
  3. ^ Callary, Edward. 2009. Place Names of Illinois. Champaign: University of Illinois Press, p. 310.
  4. ^ 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.CY10/0500000US17167. 
  5. ^ a b "Monthly Averages for Springfield, Illinois". The Weather Channel. http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USIL1114. 
  6. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html. 
  7. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu. 
  8. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/il190090.txt. 
  9. ^ "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. 
  10. ^ 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/DPDP1/0500000US17167. 
  11. ^ "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/DP02/0500000US17167. 
  12. ^ "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/DP03/0500000US17167. 
  13. ^ "History and Overview". Springfield, Illinois: County of Sangamon, Illinois. http://www.co.sangamon.il.us/History/default.asp. 
  14. ^ "Elected Officials - Sangamon County Clerk - Don Gray - Sangamon County, Illinois". http://www.sangamoncountyclerk.com/Elected-Officials/County.aspx. 
  15. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS. 

External links[]

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Coordinates: 39°46′N 89°40′W / 39.76, -89.66

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