Henry County, Illinois

History

Henry County was formed on January 13, 1825, out of Fulton County, Illinois. It is named for Revolutionary War figure Patrick Henry. The county was settled by people from New England and western New York, descendants of English Puritans who settled New England in the colonial era. The New England settlers founded the five towns of Andover, Wethersfield, Geneseo, Morristown and La Grange.

The settlement of Cambridge came about in 1843, when the owner of the land in that area (Rev. Ithamar Pillsbury) dedicated a section of his properties to a town council; lots were sold to incoming settlers, and construction of the town proper began on June 9, 1843. The incoming "Yankee" settlers made Henry County culturally similar to early New England culture.

File:Henry County Illinois 1825.png|Henry County from the time of its creation to 1827 File:Henry County Illinois 1827.png|The county between 1827 and 1831 File:Henry County Illinois 1831.png|Henry between 1831 and 1836 File:Henry County Illinois 1836.png|Henry in 1836, after Whiteside County was created

Geography

According to the US Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 826 sqmi, of which 823 sqmi is land and 2.7 sqmi (0.3%) is water.

Climate and weather

|Cambridge, Illinois |13|29|1.52 |19|35|1.58 |30|47|2.69 |40|61|3.74 |52|73|4.21 |61|82|4.20 |66|86|3.90 |63|83|4.32 |55|76|3.29 |43|63|3.01 |31|47|2.82 |19|33|2.15 In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Cambridge have ranged from a low of 13 °F in January to a high of 86 °F in July, although a record low of -24 °F was recorded in February 1996 and a record high of 103 °F was recorded in July 1983. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.52 in in January to 4.32 in in August.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

• Rock Island County - northwest
• Whiteside County - northeast
• Bureau County - east
• Stark County - southeast
• Knox County - south
• Mercer County - west

Demographics

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

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 49,284. The median age was 43.2 years. 22.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 21.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 99.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 98.1 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 89.1% White, 2.2% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian,

50.2% of residents lived in urban areas, while 49.8% lived in rural areas.

There were 20,320 households in the county, of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 51.9% were married-couple households, 17.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 23.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 22,211 housing units, of which 8.5% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 78.5% were owner-occupied and 21.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.0%.

Racial and ethnic composition

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 50,486 people, 20,373 households, and 14,149 families residing in the county. The population density was 61.3 PD/sqmi. There were 22,161 housing units at an average density of 26.9 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the county was 94.8% white, 1.6% black or African American, 0.4% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 1.6% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.8% of the population.

Of the 20,373 households, 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.9% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.6% were non-families, and 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.92. The median age was 41.8 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $49,164 and the median income for a family was $61,467. Males had a median income of $44,589 versus $30,992 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,915. About 6.8% of families and 10.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.9% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

• Colona
• Galva
• Geneseo
• Kewanee

Towns

• Annawan
• Atkinson

Villages

• Alpha
• Andover
• Bishop Hill
• Cambridge
• Cleveland
• Coal Valley (partial)
• Hooppole
• Orion
• Woodhull

Census-designated places

• Lynn Center
• Nekoma
• Ophiem
• Osco

Unincorporated communities

• Aliceville
• Briar Bluff
• Brook Lawn
• Dayton
• German Corner
• Green River
• Green Rock
• Hickory Hills
• Level Acres
• Morristown
• Shady Beach
• Sunny Hill
• Sunny Hill Estates
• Timber Ridge
• Ulah
• Warner
• Woodcrest

Former communities

• Kedron
• Oxford
• Saxon

Townships

• Alba
• Andover
• Annawan
• Atkinson
• Burns
• Cambridge
• Clover
• Colona
• Cornwall
• Edford
• Galva
• Geneseo
• Hanna
• Kewanee
• Loraine
• Lynn
• Munson
• Osco
• Oxford
• Phenix
• Weller
• Western
• Wethersfield
• Yorktown

Politics

Henry County's political history is fairly typical of many Yankee-settled rural counties in Illinois. After being largely Democratic in its first few elections, the county turned powerfully Republican for the 110 years following the formation of that party. The only time it did not vote Republican between 1856 and 1960 was in 1912 when the GOP was mortally divided and Progressive Theodore Roosevelt won a majority of the county's ballots. In 1964, when the Republican Party nominated the Southern-oriented Barry Goldwater, Henry County voted Democratic for the first time since 1852, but as was typical for Yankee counties it returned to the Republicans with the selection of the more moderate Richard Nixon.

In the 1980s, the transition of the Republican Party into a party largely based around Southern Evangelicals severely alienated its historic Yankee base: Henry County turned to Democrat Michael Dukakis in 1988, and voted Democratic in every election between 1988 and 2012 except that of 2004 when George W. Bush carried the county by 5.1 percent. However, concern with unemployment and trade deals in the “Rust Belt” resulted in a powerful swing to Republican Donald Trump in 2016 – the worst Democratic result in the county since Jimmy Carter in 1980. In 2020, Trump built on his win in 2016, capturing 60% of the vote - the highest Republican percentage in 40 years.

Education

K-12 school districts include:

• Alwood Community Unit School District 225
• Annawan Community Unit School District 226
• Cambridge Community Unit School District 227
• Erie Community Unit School District 1
• Galva Community Unit School District 224
• Geneseo Community Unit School District 228
• Kewanee Community Unit School District 229
• ROWVA Community Unit School District 208
• Orion Community Unit School District 223
• Prophetstown-Lyndon-Tampico Community Unit School District 3
• Stark County Community Unit School District 100
• Wethersfield Community Unit School District 230

There is also an elementary school district, Colona School District 190, and a secondary school district, United Township High School District 30, that have portions of the county.

References

References

1. (March 2025). "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020–2024". U.S. Department of Commerce.
2. "Henry County, Illinois". [[United States Census Bureau]].
3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
4. United States Office of Management and Budget. "Update of Statistical Area Definitions and Guidance on Their Uses".
5. Gannett, Henry. (1905). "The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States". Govt. Print. Off..
6. The expansion of New England: the spread of New England settlement and institutions to the Mississippi River, 1620-1865, pp. 215-216
7. History Henry County, Illinois H.F. Kett & Company (1877) pp. 177-178
8. The expansion of New England: the spread of New England settlement and institutions to the Mississippi River, 1620-1865 by Louis Kimball Matthews, pp. 215-216
9. It is the 29th largest of Illinois' 102 counties. The area is fairly flat, with [[elevation]]s ranging from 650 feet above [[sea level]] in the northwest to 850 in the southeast. About {{convert. 456596. acre. sqkm or 86.7% of the county's land area, is used for agriculture.[https://web.archive.org/web/20050130223455/http://henrycty.com/hcedp/pdf/hc2003fs.pdf Henry County website]
10. "Monthly Averages for Cambridge IL". The Weather Channel.
11. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates Tables". United States Census Bureau.
12. "US Decennial Census". US Census Bureau.
13. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
14. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". US Census Bureau.
15. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". US Census Bureau.
16. "State & County QuickFacts". US Census Bureau.
17. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
18. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
19. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
20. "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)".
21. "1990 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Illinois - Table 6 - Race and Hispanic Orogin".
22. "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Henry County, Illinois".
23. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Henry County, Illinois".
24. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Henry County, Illinois".
25. included in the Asian category in the 1980 Census
26. included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census
27. not an option in the 1980 Census
28. not an option in the 1990 Census
29. "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". US Census Bureau.
30. "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". US Census Bureau.
31. "Selected Social Characteristics in the United States – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". US Census Bureau.
32. "Selected Economic Characteristics – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". US Census Bureau.
33. Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections".
34. Geography Division. (December 22, 2020). "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Henry County, IL". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].