Effingham County, Illinois

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Effingham County, Illinois
Seal of Effingham County, Illinois Seal
Location in the state of Illinois
Illinois's location in the U.S.
Founded	1831
Seat	Effingham
Largest city	Effingham
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	480.01 sq mi (1,243 km²) 478.78 sq mi (1,240 km²) 1.23 sq mi (3 km²), 0.26%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	34,242 72/sq mi (28/km²)
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	www.co.effingham.il.us

Effingham County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 34,242, which is a decrease of 0.1% from 34,264 in 2000. Its county seat is Effingham.

History

Effingham County was formed in 1855 out of Fayette and Crawford Counties. It may have been named after Thomas Howard, 3rd Earl of Effingham, who resigned his commission as general in the British army in 1775, refusing to serve in the war against the Colonies. The name is Anglo-Saxon for "Effa's house". New information suggests that the county was named after a surveyor who surveyed the area whose last name was Effingham. There is no written proof that the county was named after Lord Effingham.

Effingham County at the time of its creation in 1831

Effingham County Courthouse in Effingham

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 480.01 square miles (1,243.2 km²), of which 478.78 square miles (1,240.0 km²) (or 99.74%) is land and 1.23 square miles (3.2 km²) (or 0.26%) is water.

Just west of Effingham, Illinois on Interstate 70 there is a 198 ft. White Cross. 50,000 travellers are estimated to pass the site each day. It is the world's second biggest cross, and took over 200 tons of steel to erect.

Adjacent counties

• Cumberland County - northeast
• Jasper County - east
• Clay County - south
• Fayette County - west
• Shelby County - northwest

Major highways

• Interstate 57
• Interstate 70
• US Route 40
• US Route 45
• Illinois Route 32
• Illinois Route 33
• Illinois Route 128

Settlements

Cities

• Altamont
• Effingham

Towns

• Mason

Villages

• Beecher City
• Dieterich
• Edgewood
• Montrose (west three-quarters)
• Shumway
• Teutopolis
• Watson

Townships

Effingham County is divided into fifteen townships:

Banner Bishop Douglas Jackson Liberty

Lucas Mason Moccasin Mound St. Francis

Summit Teutopolis Union Watson West

Politics

Effingham County is one of Illinois's most Republican counties, if not the most. In the 2008 U.S. Presidential election, John McCain carried the county by a 36% margin over Illinois's native son Barack Obama, making it McCain's strongest county in the state, with Obama carrying his home state by a 25.1% margin over McCain.

Demographics

2000 census age pyramid for Effingham County.

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1900	20,465		—
1910	20,055		−2.0%
1920	19,556		−2.5%
1930	19,013		−2.8%
1940	22,034		15.9%
1950	21,675		−1.6%
1960	23,107		6.6%
1970	24,608		6.5%
1980	30,944		25.7%
1990	31,704		2.5%
2000	34,264		8.1%
2010	34,242		−0.1%
IL Counties 1900-1990

As of the census of 2000, there were 34,264 people, 13,001 households, and 9,178 families residing in the county. The population density was 72 people per square mile (28/km²). There were 13,959 housing units at an average density of 29 per square mile (11/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.66% White, 0.16% Black or African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.22% from other races, and 0.46% from two or more races. 0.74% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 54.4% were of German, 14.5% American, 7.8% English and 6.3% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000. 97.6% spoke English and 1.2% Spanish as their first language.

There were 13,001 households out of which 36.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.80% were married couples living together, 9.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.40% were non-families. 26.10% 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 2.60 and the average family size was 3.16.

In the county the population was spread out with 28.60% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 28.20% from 25 to 44, 21.10% from 45 to 64, and 13.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 98.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $39,379, and the median income for a family was $46,895. Males had a median income of $31,442 versus $21,121 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,301. About 6.00% of families and 8.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.10% of those under age 18 and 7.10% of those age 65 or over.

Climate and weather

Climate chart for Effingham, Illinois
J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
2.38   35 18	2.51   41 22	3.61   52 32	4.09   64 42	4.46   74 52	4.26   83 62	4.51   87 66	2.92   85 63	3.04   78 55	2.95   67 43	4.05   52 34	3.27   40 23
temperatures in °C • precipitation totals in mm source: The Weather Channel

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Effingham have ranged from a low of 18 °F (−8 °C) in January to a high of 87 °F (31 °C) in July, although a record low of −29 °F (−33.9 °C) was recorded in January 1915 and a record high of 111 °F (44 °C) was recorded in July 1954. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.38 inches (60 mm) in January to 4.51 inches (115 mm) in July.

See also

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

References

• History of Southern Illinois, George Washington Smith, 1912.
• United States Census Bureau 2007 TIGER/Line Shapefiles
• United States Board on Geographic Names (GNIS)
• United States National Atlas

External links

• Effingham County History & Genealogy