Hamilton County, Illinois

History

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. File:Hamilton County Illinois 1821.png|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 41 people.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 436 sqmi, of which 435 sqmi is land and 1.2 sqmi (0.3%) is water.

Climate and weather

|McLeansboro, Illinois |20|39|3.15 |24|45|2.76 |34|55|4.46 |43|66|4.59 |53|76|4.67 |62|85|3.86 |66|89|3.47 |63|88|2.97 |55|81|2.89 |43|70|2.95 |35|56|4.54 |25|44|3.59 |access-date=January 27, 2011 In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of McLeansboro have ranged from a low of 20 °F in January to a high of 89 °F in July, although a record low of -23 °F was recorded in January 1930 and a record high of 113 °F was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.76 in in February to 4.67 in in May.

Transit

• Rides Mass Transit District

Major highways

• [[Image:Illinois 14.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 14
• [[Image:Illinois 142.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 142
• [[Image:Illinois 242.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 242

Adjacent counties

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

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 7,993. The median age was 43.2 years, 22.7% of residents were under the age of 18, and 21.7% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.0 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 95.1% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% Asian,

There were 3,328 households in the county, of which 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 49.8% were married-couple households, 19.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 25.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 3,806 housing units, of which 12.6% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 78.7% were owner-occupied and 21.3% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.9%.

Racial and ethnic composition

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 8,457 people, 3,489 households, and 2,376 families residing in the county.{{cite web |access-date=July 11, 2015 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213033828/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/0500000US17065 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |url-status=dead |access-date=July 11, 2015 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212203622/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/GCTPH1.CY10/0500000US17065 |archive-date=February 12, 2020 |url-status=dead |access-date=July 11, 2015 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213012053/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP02/0500000US17065 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |url-status=dead

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.

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.{{cite web |access-date=July 11, 2015 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213013642/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP03/0500000US17065 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |url-status=dead

Communities

City

• McLeansboro

Incorporated town

• Belle Prairie City

Villages

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

Unincorporated communities

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

Townships

Hamilton County is divided into twelve townships:

• Beaver Creek
• Crook
• Crouch
• Dahlgren
• Flannigan
• Knight Prairie
• Mayberry
• McLeansboro
• South Crouch
• South Flannigan
• South Twigg
• Twigg

Politics

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 (with Michael Dukakis losing the county by just four votes in 1988), a rapid swing to the Republicans has taken place since 1992. This trend matches all traditionally Democratic parts of the Upland South.

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. Gannett, Henry. (1905). "The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States". Govt. Print. Off..
5. (March 18, 2025). "100th Anniversary of the 1925 Tri-State Tornado, Deadliest Twister in US History". [[WSIL-TV]].
6. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates Tables". United States Census Bureau.
7. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau.
8. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
9. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
10. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
11. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
12. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
13. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
14. "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)".
15. "1990 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Illinois - Table 6 - Race and Hispanic Orogin".
16. "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Hamilton County, Illinois".
17. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Hamilton County, Illinois".
18. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Hamilton County, Illinois".
19. included in the Asian category in the 1980 Census
20. included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census
21. not an option in the 1980 Census
22. not an option in the 1990 Census
23. Cohn, Nate; [https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/24/upshot/southern-whites-loyalty-to-gop-nearing-that-of-blacks-to-democrats.html ‘Demographic Shift: Southern Whites’ Loyalty to G.O.P. Nearing That of Blacks to Democrats’], ''[[New York Times]]'', April 24, 2014
24. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".