Hamilton County, Illinois

County in Illinois, United States

Not to be confused with Hamilton, Illinois.

U.S. county in Illinois

Hamilton County

U.S. county

Hamilton County Courthouse in McLeansboro

Seal

Map of Illinois highlighting Hamilton County

Location within the U.S. state of Illinois

Illinois's location within the U.S.

Country|  United States
State|  Illinois
Founded| 1821
Named for| Alexander Hamilton
Seat| McLeansboro
Largest city| McLeansboro
Area

• Total| 436 sq mi (1,130 km2)
• Land| 435 sq mi (1,130 km2)
• Water| 1.2 sq mi (3 km2)
Population

(2020)

• Total| 7,993
• Density| 18/sq mi (7.1/km2)
Time zone| UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)| UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district| 15th
Website| www.hamiltoncountyillinois.com

Hamilton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. At the 2020 census, its population was 7,993.[1] Its county seat is McLeansboro.[2] It is located in the southern portion of the state known locally as "Little Egypt".

## Contents

* 1 History
* 2 Geography
* 2.1 Climate and weather
* 2.2 Major highways
* 2.3 Adjacent counties
* 3 Demographics
* 4 Communities
* 4.1 City
* 4.2 Incorporated town
* 4.3 Villages
* 4.4 Unincorporated communities
* 4.5 Townships
* 5 Politics
* 6 See also
* 7 References
* 8 External links

## History

[edit | edit source]

Hamilton County was formed out of White County in 1821. It is named for Alexander Hamilton, Revolutionary War hero and the first United States Secretary of the Treasury.[3]

* Hamilton County at the time of its creation in 1821

Hamilton County at the time of its creation in 1821

On March 18, 1925, the infamous Tri-State Tornado tore across the county, destroying dozens of homes and farms in Flannigan, Twigg, Mayberry and Crook townships, and killing 37 people.

## Geography

[edit | edit source]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 436 square miles (1,130 km2), of which 435 square miles (1,130 km2) is land and 1.2 square miles (3.1 km2) (0.3%) is water.[4]

### Climate and weather

[edit | edit source]

McLeansboro, Illinois

Climate chart (explanation)

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

3.2

2.8

4.5

4.6

4.7

3.9

3.5

2.9

4.5

3.6

Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
Precipitation totals in inches
Source: The Weather Channel[5]
| Metric conversion

113

117

119

115

Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of McLeansboro have ranged from a low of 20 °F (−7 °C) in January to a high of 89 °F (32 °C) in July, although a record low of −23 °F (−31 °C) was recorded in January 1930 and a record high of 113 °F (45 °C) was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.76 inches (70 mm) in February to 4.67 inches (119 mm) in May.[5]

### Major highways

[edit | edit source]

* Illinois Route 14
* Illinois Route 142
* Illinois Route 242

### Adjacent counties

[edit | edit source]

* Wayne County \- north
* White County \- east
* Gallatin County \- southeast
* Saline County \- south
* Franklin County \- west
* Jefferson County \- northwest

## Demographics

[edit | edit source]

Historical population

Census | Pop. |  | %±
1830| 2,616| | —
1840| 3,945| | 50.8%
1850| 6,362| | 61.3%
1860| 9,915| | 55.8%
1870| 13,014| | 31.3%
1880| 16,712| | 28.4%
1890| 17,800| | 6.5%
1900| 20,197| | 13.5%
1910| 18,227| | −9.8%
1920| 15,920| | −12.7%
1930| 12,995| | −18.4%
1940| 13,454| | 3.5%
1950| 12,256| | −8.9%
1960| 10,010| | −18.3%
1970| 8,665| | −13.4%
1980| 9,172| | 5.9%
1990| 8,499| | −7.3%
2000| 8,621| | 1.4%
2010| 8,457| | −1.9%
2020| 7,993| | −5.5%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]
1790-1960[7] 1900-1990[8]
1990-2000[9] 2010-2013[1]

2000 census age pyramid for Hamilton County

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 8,457 people, 3,489 households, and 2,376 families residing in the county.[10] The population density was 19.5 inhabitants per square mile (7.5/km2). There were 4,104 housing units at an average density of 9.4 per square mile (3.6/km2).[4] The racial makeup of the county was 98.2% white, 0.4% black or African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.3% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.2% of the population.[10] In terms of ancestry, 33.1% were German, 20.7% were Irish, 11.4% were English, and 10.3% were American.[11]

Of the 3,489 households, 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.9% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.9% were non-families, and 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.91. The median age was 43.1 years.[10]

The median income for a household in the county was $35,032 and the median income for a family was $50,878. Males had a median income of $45,245 versus $23,491 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,602. About 8.2% of families and 14.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.5% of those under age 18 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over.[12]

## Communities

[edit | edit source]

### City

[edit | edit source]

* McLeansboro

### Incorporated town

[edit | edit source]

* Belle Prairie City

### Villages

[edit | edit source]

* Broughton
* Dahlgren
* Macedonia (partly in Franklin County)

### Unincorporated communities

[edit | edit source]

* Aden
* Blairsville (Flannigan's Store)
* Braden
* Dale
* Delafield
* Piopolis
* Rural Hill
* Tuckers Corners
* West Rural Hill

### Townships

[edit | edit source]

Hamilton County is divided into twelve townships:

* Beaver Creek
* Crook
* Crouch
* Dahlgren
* Flannigan
* Knights Prairie
* Mayberry
* McLeansboro
* South Crouch
* South Flannigan
* South Twigg
* Twigg

## Politics

[edit | edit source]

Like most of Southern-leaning Southern Illinois, Hamilton County was heavily Democratic before the Civil War, and unlike such counties as Johnson, Pope and Massac, it did not turn Republican after the war. Not until 1920, when isolationist sentiments turned many voters against the party of Woodrow Wilson, did Hamilton County vote Republican, and Herbert Hoover was to carry the county in 1928 due to anti-Catholic sentiment against Al Smith.

From 1940 onwards, when Wendell Willkie carried the county due to opposition to involvement in World War II, Hamilton has become increasingly Republican. Although Lyndon Johnson, Jimmy Carter in 1976 and Bill Clinton in 1992 all gained absolute majorities for the Democratic Party, since 1992, as with all traditionally Democratic parts of the Upland South, a rapid swing to the Republicans has taken place.[13]

United States presidential election results for Hamilton County, Illinois[14] Year  | Republican | Democratic | Third party

|
|
|

No. | % | No. | % | No. | %
2020 | 3,432  | 79.39% | 824  | 19.06%  | 67  | 1.55%
2016 | 3,206  | 77.14% | 802  | 19.30%  | 148  | 3.56%
2012 | 2,566  | 65.11% | 1,269  | 32.20%  | 106  | 2.69%
2008 | 2,353  | 54.93% | 1,796  | 41.92%  | 135  | 3.15%
2004 | 2,653  | 58.77% | 1,814  | 40.19%  | 47  | 1.04%
2000 | 2,519  | 54.92% | 1,943  | 42.36%  | 125  | 2.73%
1996 | 1,677  | 37.19%  | 2,242  | 49.72% | 590  | 13.08%
1992 | 1,521  | 30.58%  | 2,582  | 51.91% | 871  | 17.51%
1988 | 2,622  | 49.89% | 2,618  | 49.81%  | 16  | 0.30%
1984 | 3,074  | 57.50% | 2,251  | 42.11%  | 21  | 0.39%
1980 | 3,254  | 59.64% | 1,990  | 36.47%  | 212  | 3.89%
1976 | 2,433  | 44.25%  | 3,036  | 55.22% | 29  | 0.53%
1972 | 3,282  | 61.94% | 2,006  | 37.86%  | 11  | 0.21%
1968 | 2,912  | 52.82% | 1,951  | 35.39%  | 650  | 11.79%
1964 | 2,561  | 44.98%  | 3,133  | 55.02% | 0  | 0.00%
1960 | 3,804  | 58.94% | 2,639  | 40.89%  | 11  | 0.17%
1956 | 3,675  | 57.75% | 2,685  | 42.19%  | 4  | 0.06%
1952 | 4,047  | 60.25% | 2,662  | 39.63%  | 8  | 0.12%
1948 | 2,887  | 50.93% | 2,750  | 48.51%  | 32  | 0.56%
1944 | 3,582  | 54.68% | 2,914  | 44.48%  | 55  | 0.84%
1940 | 4,005  | 51.69% | 3,691  | 47.64%  | 52  | 0.67%
1936 | 3,321  | 44.07%  | 4,152  | 55.10% | 62  | 0.82%
1932 | 2,513  | 37.98%  | 4,059  | 61.34% | 45  | 0.68%
1928 | 3,275  | 51.08% | 3,037  | 47.36%  | 100  | 1.56%
1924 | 2,659  | 44.02%  | 3,168  | 52.44% | 214  | 3.54%
1920 | 3,220  | 54.71% | 2,591  | 44.02%  | 75  | 1.27%
1916 | 3,239  | 46.26%  | 3,644  | 52.05% | 118  | 1.69%
1912 | 1,242  | 31.33%  | 1,920  | 48.44% | 802  | 20.23%
1908 | 1,809  | 44.26%  | 2,128  | 52.07% | 150  | 3.67%
1904 | 1,894  | 45.65%  | 2,049  | 49.39% | 206  | 4.97%
1900 | 1,911  | 42.95%  | 2,467  | 55.45% | 71  | 1.60%
1896 | 1,767  | 41.92%  | 2,408  | 57.13% | 40  | 0.95%
1892 | 1,505  | 39.80%  | 2,061  | 54.51% | 215  | 5.69%

## See also

[edit | edit source]

* National Register of Historic Places listings in Hamilton County, Illinois

## References

[edit | edit source]

1. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 147.
4. ^ a b "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
5. ^ a b "Monthly Averages for McLeansboro, Illinois". The Weather Channel. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
6. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
7. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
8. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
9. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
10. ^ a b c "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
11. ^ "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
12. ^ "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
13. ^ Cohn, Nate; ‘Demographic Shift: Southern Whites’ Loyalty to G.O.P. Nearing That of Blacks to Democrats’, New York Times, April 24, 2014
14. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved November 4, 2018.

## External links

[edit | edit source]

* Hamilton County Illinois
* McLeansboro.com
* Hamilton County Community Unit District No.10 Schools
* Hamilton County Historical Society
* Hamilton County Foxes Football

Places adjacent to Hamilton County, Illinois

| Jefferson County | Wayne County |

|
|

|  |
Franklin County |

Hamilton County, Illinois

| White County
|  |
| Saline County | Gallatin County

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Hamilton County, Illinois, United States

County seat: McLeansboro

Cities|

* McLeansboro

File:Map of Illinois highlighting Hamilton County.svgMap of Illinois highlighting Hamilton County

Town|

* Belle Prairie City

Villages|

* Broughton
* Dahlgren
* Macedonia‡

Townships|

* Beaver Creek
* Crook
* Crouch
* Dahlgren
* Flannigan
* Knights Prairie
* Mayberry
* McLeansboro
* South Crouch
* South Flannigan
* South Twigg
* Twigg

Unincorporated
communities|

* Aden
* Blairsville
* Braden
* Dale
* Delafield
* Piopolis
* Rural Hill
* Tuckers Corners
* West Rural Hill

Footnotes|

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

* United States portal

* v
* t
* e

State of Illinois

Springfield (capital)

Topics|

* Index
* Buildings and structures
* Census areas
* Communications
* Culture
* Delegations
* Earthquakes
* Economy
* Education
* Energy
* Environment
* Geography
* Government
* Health
* History
* Languages
* Law
* Music
* People
* Politics
* Portal
* Protected areas
* Society
* Sports
* Symbols
* Tourism
* Transportation
* Windmills

Regions|

* American Bottom
* Bloomington–Normal metropolitan area
* Central Illinois
* Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area
* Chicago metropolitan area
* Collar counties
* Corn Belt
* Driftless Area
* Forgottonia
* Fox Valley
* Illinois–Indiana–Kentucky tri-state area
* Metro East
* Metro Lakeland
* Mississippi Alluvial Plain
* North Shore
* Northern Illinois
* Northwestern Illinois
* Peoria metropolitan area
* Quad Cities
* River Bend
* Rockford metropolitan area
* Southern Illinois
* Wabash Valley

Municipalities|

* Alton/Granite City/Edwardsville
* Arlington Heights/Palatine
* Aurora/Naperville/Oswego/Plainfield
* Bartlett/Hanover Park/Streamwood
* Belleville/East St. Louis/Collinsville/O'Fallon
* Berwyn/Cicero
* Bloomington/Normal
* Bolingbrook/Romeoville
* Buffalo Grove/Wheeling
* Calumet City
* Canton
* Carbondale
* Carol Stream/Glendale Heights
* Centralia
* Champaign/Urbana
* Charleston/Mattoon
* Chicago
* Chicago Heights
* Crystal Lake/Algonquin
* Danville
* Decatur
* DeKalb/Sycamore
* Des Plaines/Mount Prospect/Park Ridge
* Dixon
* Downers Grove/Woodridge
* Effingham
* Elgin/Carpentersville
* Elmhurst/Lombard/Addison
* Evanston/Skokie
* Freeport
* Galesburg
* Glenview/Northbrook
* Harrisburg
* Jacksonville
* Joliet
* Kankakee/Bradley/Bourbonnais
* Lincoln
* Macomb
* Marion/Herrin
* Moline/East Moline/Rock Island
* Mount Vernon
* Mundelein
* Oak Lawn
* Oak Park
* Orland Park/Tinley Park
* Ottawa/Streator/LaSalle/Peru
* Peoria/Pekin/East Peoria/Morton/Washington
* Pontiac
* Quincy
* Rochelle
* Rockford/Belvidere/Machesney Park/Loves Park
* St. Charles
* Schaumburg/Hoffman Estates/Elk Grove Village
* Springfield
* Sterling/Rock Falls
* Taylorville
* Waukegan/North Chicago/Gurnee
* Wheaton

Counties|

* Adams
* Alexander
* Bond
* Boone
* Brown
* Bureau
* Calhoun
* Carroll
* Cass
* Champaign
* Christian
* Clark
* Clay
* Clinton
* Coles
* Cook
* Crawford
* Cumberland
* DeKalb
* DeWitt
* Douglas
* DuPage
* Edgar
* Edwards
* Effingham
* Fayette
* Ford
* Franklin
* Fulton
* Gallatin
* Greene
* Grundy
* Hamilton
* Hancock
* Hardin
* Henderson
* Henry
* Iroquois
* Jackson
* Jasper
* Jefferson
* Jersey
* Jo Daviess
* Johnson
* Kane
* Kankakee
* Kendall
* Knox
* Lake
* LaSalle
* Lawrence
* Lee
* Livingston
* Logan
* Macon
* Macoupin
* Madison
* Marion
* Marshall
* Mason
* Massac
* McDonough
* McHenry
* McLean
* Menard
* Mercer
* Monroe
* Montgomery
* Morgan
* Moultrie
* Ogle
* Peoria
* Perry
* Piatt
* Pike
* Pope
* Pulaski
* Putnam
* Randolph
* Richland
* Rock Island
* Saline
* Sangamon
* Schuyler
* Scott
* Shelby
* St. Clair
* Stark
* Stephenson
* Tazewell
* Union
* Vermilion
* Wabash
* Warren
* Washington
* Wayne
* White
* Whiteside
* Will
* Williamson
* Winnebago
* Woodford

* v
* t
* e

Southern Illinois

Counties|

* Alexander
* Bond
* Calhoun
* Clay
* Clinton
* Edwards
* Franklin
* Gallatin
* Hamilton
* Hardin
* Jackson
* Jefferson
* Jersey
* Johnson
* Lawrence
* Madison
* Marion
* Massac
* Monroe
* Perry
* Pope
* Pulaski
* Randolph
* Richland
* Saline
* St. Clair
* Union
* Wabash
* Washington
* Wayne
* White
* Williamson

Mid-sized cities (25,000+)|

* Alton
* Belleville
* Carbondale
* Collinsville
* Edwardsville
* Granite City
* O'Fallon

Small Cities (10,000-25,000)|

* Cahokia Heights
* Centralia
* East St. Louis
* Fairview Heights
* Glen Carbon
* Godfrey
* Herrin
* Marion
* Mt. Vernon
* Swansea
* Wood River

Small Cities (5,000-10,000)|

* Anna
* Benton
* Bethalto
* Carmi
* Carterville
* Chester
* Columbia
* Du Quoin
* East Alton
* Fairfield
* Flora
* Harrisburg
* Highland
* Jerseyville
* Maryville
* Mascoutah
* Metropolis
* Mount Carmel
* Murphysboro
* Olney
* Pinckneyville
* Pontoon Beach
* Salem
* Shiloh
* Staunton
* Troy
* Washington Park
* Waterloo
* West Frankfort

Interstates|

* I-55
* I-64
* I-70
* I-255
* I-270
* I-57
* I-24

Airports/Military bases|

* Scott Air Force Base
* MidAmerica St. Louis Airport
* St. Louis Regional Airport
* St. Louis Downtown Airport
* St. Louis Metro-East Airport
* Williamson County Regional Airport
* Kellums
* Cache River Airstrip
* Pinckneyville Duquoin Airport
* Harrisburg-Raleigh Regional Airport
* Mt. Vernon Outland Airport
* Southern Illinois Airport

Universities|

* Southern Illinois University (Carbondale)
* Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Colleges|

* Southeastern Illinois College
* Rend Lake College
* John A. Logan College
* Shawnee Community College
* Southwestern Illinois College
* Kaskaskia College
* Wabash Valley College
* East St. Louis Community College Center
* McKendree University
* Morthland College
* Olney Central College

Sports teams based in
the Southern Illinois|

* Gateway Grizzlies (baseball, Frontier League)
* Southern Illinois Miners
* Southern Illinois Salukis
* SIU Edwardsville Cougars

Coordinates: 38°05′N 88°32′W﻿ / ﻿38.08°N 88.54°W﻿ / 38.08; -88.54
*[Pop.]: Population
*[%±]: Percent change
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template