Adams County, Illinois

History

Adams County was formed in 1825 out of Pike County. Its name is in honor of the sixth President of the United States, John Quincy Adams.

File:Adams County Illinois 1825.png|When it was created, Hancock County was temporarily attached to Adams until it could organize a county government. File:Adams County Illinois 1829.png|Adams County reduced to its current borders in 1829.

Geography

|Quincy, Illinois |16|34|1.36 |21|40|1.74 |30|52|2.93 |41|65|3.48 |51|75|4.61 |61|84|3.26 |66|88|3.89 |63|86|3.09 |55|78|3.45 |43|66|2.50 |33|51|3.10 |21|38|2.22 According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 871 sqmi, of which 855 sqmi is land and 16 sqmi (1.9%) is water.

Adjacent counties

• Hancock County - north
• Brown County - east
• Schuyler County - east
• Pike County - south
• Marion County, Missouri - west
• Lewis County, Missouri - west

Public transit

• Quincy Transit Lines
• Quincy station
• Burlington Trailways
• List of intercity bus stops in Illinois

Major highways

National protected area

• Great River National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Quincy have ranged from a low of 16 °F in January to a high of 88 °F in July, although a record low of -21 °F was recorded in January 1979 and a record high of 105 °F was recorded in July 2005. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.36 in in January to 4.61 in in May.

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2013

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 65,737. The median age was 41.3 years, 22.4% of residents were under the age of 18, and 20.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.4 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 89.5% White, 3.8% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.8% from some other race, and 4.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.0% of the population.

66.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 33.9% lived in rural areas.

There were 27,313 households in the county, of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 47.3% were married-couple households, 18.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 27.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 30,235 housing units, of which 9.7% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 71.5% were owner-occupied and 28.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 11.1%.

Racial and ethnic composition

2006–2010 American Community Survey

The median income for a household in the county was $55,052 and the median income for a family was $72,091. Males had a median income of $41,852 versus $29,404 for females. The per capita income for the county was $31,035. About 9.4% of families and 12.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.7% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Census-designated places

• Adams
• Beverly
• Bloomfield
• Burton
• Fall Creek
• Fowler
• Kingston
• Marblehead
• Marcelline
• Meyer
• Paloma
• Richfield

Unincorporated communities

• Bigneck
• Blacks
• Chatton
• Cliola
• Country Meadows
• Ewbanks
• Hickory Grove
• Kellerville
• Marblehead
• North Quincy
• Rock Creek
• Sheridan Estates
• Spring Valley
• Woodville

Townships

Adams County is divided into twenty-three townships:

• Beverly
• Burton
• Camp Point
• Clayton
• Columbus
• Concord
• Ellington
• Fall Creek
• Gilmer
• Honey Creek
• Houston
• Keene
• Liberty
• Lima
• McKee
• Melrose
• Mendon
• Northeast
• Payson
• Quincy
• Richfield
• Riverside
• Ursa

Politics

Adams County, positioned in a primarily rural section of Illinois, is culturally isolated from Chicago, and therefore is somewhat more conservative than the state's northeastern corner. Quincy, the county seat, is home to a high number of socially conservative Catholics and likewise is the home to the campus of Quincy University, a private Catholic liberal arts college, and the Western Catholic Union.

The county is part of the historic belt of German settlement extending into the Missouri Rhineland. Since it was antagonistic to the Yankee northeast of Illinois, it voted solidly Democratic until 1892. After being a swing county in the first half of the twentieth century, Adams County has been a Republican stronghold. It has gone Republican in all but four presidential elections since 1920, all but one of which was a 400-vote Democratic landslide. The county last supported a Democrat in 1964, when it voted for Lyndon Johnson. The county regularly supports the Republicans at the state level as well; it has not supported a Democrat for Governor of Illinois since Adlai Stevenson II in 1948. Additionally, five of the six countywide elected officials in Adams County are Republicans, with a Democrat holding the position of Circuit Clerk. Notably, while it voted for Barack Obama in his 2004 Senate campaign, he lost it by wide margins in both of his presidential bids.

The county is part of Illinois's 15th congressional district, currently represented by Republican Mary Miller. For the Illinois House of Representatives, the county is located in the 94th district, represented by Republican Randy Frese. The county is located in the 47th district of the Illinois Senate, represented by Republican Jil Tracy.

Education

Unified school districts

School districts covering sections of the county include:

• Central Community Unit School District 3
• Griggsville-Perry Community Unit School District 4
• Liberty Community Unit School District 2
• Mendon Community Unit School District 4
• Payson Community Unit School District 1
• Quincy Public School District 172
• Southeastern Community Unit School District 337
• Western Community Unit School District 12

Private schools

• Blessed Sacrament Catholic School
• Chaddock School
• Quincy Christian School
• Quincy Notre Dame High School
• St. Dominic Catholic School
• St. Francis Solanus Catholic School
• St. James Lutheran School
• St. Peter Catholic School

Colleges and universities

• Blessing-Rieman College of Nursing and Health Sciences
• John Wood Community College
• Quincy University

Attractions

• Adams County Fair
• Bayview Bridge
• Burton Cave
• Fall Creek Scenic Park
• Golden Windmill
• John Wood Mansion
• Saukenauk Scout Reservation
• Siloam Springs State Park
• Spirit Knob Winery
• Villa Katharine
• Wavering Park

References

References

1. (March 2025). "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020–2024". U.S. Department of Commerce.
2. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau.
3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
4. White, Jesse. ''Origin and Evolution of Illinois Counties.'' State of Illinois, March 2010. [http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/publications/pdf_publications/ipub15.pdf] {{Webarchive. link. (January 9, 2017)
5. "Monthly Averages for Quincy, Illinois". The Weather Channel.
6. "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". [[United States Census Bureau]].
7. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates Tables". United States Census Bureau.
8. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau.
9. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
10. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
11. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
12. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
13. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
14. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
15. "1980 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Illinois- Table 14 - Persons by Race and Table 16 (p. 18-28) - Total Persons and Spanish Origin Persons by Type of Spanish Origin and Race (p. 29-39)".
16. "1990 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Illinois - Table 6 - Race and Hispanic Orogin".
17. "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Adams County, Illinois".
18. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Adams County, Illinois".
19. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Adams County, Illinois".
20. included in the Asian category in the 1980 Census
21. included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census
22. not an option in the 1980 Census
23. not an option in the 1990 Census
24. "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". [[United States Census Bureau]].
25. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
26. "Archived copy".
27. (2021). "Illinois Blue Book 2021-2022". [[Illinois Secretary of State]].
28. Sorensen, Mike. (December 1, 2022). "Three Adams County officials sworn in on Thursday". [[Herald-Whig]].
29. Geography Division. (December 22, 2020). "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Adams County, IL". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].
30. "Blessed Sacrament Catholic School – Quincy, Illinois – #beasaint".
31. (February 13, 2019). "Chaddock | Treatment Services for Struggling Children | Quincy IL".
32. "St. Dominic School".
33. (November 3, 2018). "Parish Home - St. Francis Solanus - Quincy, IL".
34. "St James Lutheran Church and School Quincy, IL".
35. (May 10, 2016). "Home | St.Peter School".
36. "Adams County Fair - Adams County Fair Home".
37. "Burton Cave Nature Preserve Adams County".
38. "Welcome to the Prairie Mills Windmill, Golden Illinois".
39. (June 11, 2009). "Mississippi Valley Council, BSA Saukenauk Scout Reservation Information".
40. "Spirit Knob Winery".
41. "Let's make a profit through gambling".
42. (July 8, 2009). "Quincy Parks and Facilities".