text:
Livingston County, Illinois

Livingston County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 35,815. Its county seat is Pontiac. Livingston County comprises the Pontiac, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is combined with the Bloomington–Normal metropolitan statistical area as the Bloomington-Pontiac, IL Combined Statistical Area in upper portion of Central Illinois.

History
Livingston was established on February 27, 1837. It was formed from parts of McLean, LaSalle, and Iroquois counties, and named after Edward Livingston, a prominent politician who was mayor of New York City and represented New York in the United States House of Representatives and Louisiana in both houses of Congress. He later served as Andrew Jackson's Secretary of State and as Minister to France. Although he had no connections to Illinois, the General Assembly found him accomplished enough to name a county after him.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1046 sqmi, of which 1044 sqmi is land and 1.6 sqmi (0.2%) is water. It is the fourth-largest county in Illinois by land area.

Climate and weather
In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Pontiac have ranged from a low of 14 °F in January to a high of 85 °F in July, although a record low of -24 °F was recorded in January 1927 and a record high of 108 °F was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.44 in in February to 4.11 in in June.

Transit

 * SHOW Bus
 * Pontiac station

Major highways

 * [[Image:I-55.svg|20px]] Interstate 55
 * [[Image:US 24.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 24
 * US 66 (historic).svg U.S. Highway 66
 * [[Image:Illinois 17.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 17
 * [[Image:Illinois 18.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 18
 * [[Image:Illinois 23.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 23
 * [[Image:Illinois 47.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 47
 * [[Image:Illinois 116.svg|25px]] Illinois Route 116
 * [[Image:Illinois 170.svg|25px]] Illinois Route 170

Adjacent counties

 * LaSalle County - northwest
 * Grundy County - north
 * Kankakee County - northeast
 * Ford County - southeast
 * McLean County - southwest
 * Woodford County - west

Demographics
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 38,950 people, 14,613 households, and 9,741 families residing in the county. The population density was 37.3 PD/sqmi. There were 15,895 housing units at an average density of 15.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the county was 91.8% white, 4.9% black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 1.3% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.9% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 36.6% were German, 17.2% were Irish, 11.2% were American, 10.7% were English, and 5.1% were Italian.

Of the 14,613 households, 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.3% were non-families, and 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.98. The median age was 40.8 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $50,500 and the median income for a family was $60,933. Males had a median income of $44,639 versus $32,234 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,259. About 9.1% of families and 11.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.4% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.

Cities

 * Fairbury
 * Pontiac
 * Streator

Town

 * Chatsworth

Villages

 * Campus
 * Cornell
 * Cullom
 * Dwight
 * Emington
 * Flanagan
 * Forrest
 * Long Point
 * Odell
 * Reddick
 * Saunemin
 * Strawn

Townships
Livingston County is divided into thirty townships:

 * Amity
 * Avoca
 * Belle Prairie
 * Broughton
 * Charlotte
 * Chatsworth
 * Dwight
 * Eppards Point
 * Esmen
 * Fayette
 * Forrest
 * Germanville
 * Indian Grove
 * Long Point
 * Nebraska
 * Nevada
 * Newtown
 * Odell
 * Owego
 * Pike
 * Pleasant Ridge
 * Pontiac
 * Reading
 * Rooks Creek
 * Round Grove
 * Saunemin
 * Sullivan
 * Sunbury
 * Union
 * Waldo

Unincorporated communities

 * Ancona
 * Blackstone
 * Blair
 * Budd
 * Cayuga
 * Charlotte
 * Graymont
 * Manville
 * Munster
 * Nevada

Government and infrastructure
The Illinois Department of Corrections operates two prisons in the county.

Pontiac Correctional Center is located in Pontiac. Pontiac houses the male death row. Prior to the January 11, 2003, commutation of death row sentences, male death row inmates were housed in Pontiac, Menard, and Tamms correctional centers. Dwight Correctional Center is within Nevada Township in an unincorporated area in the county.

The Dwight Correctional Center is currently unoccupied and was closed in 2013.

Politics
Although it was solidly Democratic before 1856, Livingston has since always been a powerfully Republican county. The solitary Democrat to win a majority of the county's vote since the Civil War has been Franklin D. Roosevelt in his 1932 landslide triumph over Herbert Hoover. Apart from that and the 1912 election when Woodrow Wilson won against a mortally divided Republican Party, Livingston has always voted Republican since that party was founded in 1856. Since 1940, only Lyndon Johnson in his 1964 landslide victory over the conservative Barry Goldwater has won more than forty percent of the county's vote.

Notable residents

 * Donald Attig, businessman and adventurer.
 * Libbie Beach Brown (1858-1924), philanthropist and temperance activist
 * Calistus Bruer, Illinois state representative and farmer
 * M. C. Eignus, Illinois state representative
 * Moira Harris, actress and wife of Gary Sinise.
 * William Harris, first President of the Illinois Senate.
 * Irene Hunt, Newbery Medal-winning author.
 * Francis Townsend, physician and political activist whose advocacy for an old age revolving pension influenced the creation of the U.S. Social Security program.
 * Skottie Young, comic book artist known for the Oz series. He was born and raised in Fairbury.

title: Livingston County, Illinois


text:
Lee County, Illinois

Lee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 34,145. Its county seat is Dixon. The Dixon, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Lee County.

History
The area's first non-native settlers were mostly from the six New England states. The early nineteenth century saw a wave of westward movement from New England, due largely to completion of the Erie Canal and the end of the Black Hawk War.

The area that included present-day Lee County was delineated as St. Clair County in 1809. In 1823, a large section of northern St. Clair County was partitioned off as Fulton County. In 1825, the northwestern portion of that county was partitioned off as Putnam County. In 1831, the area was further partitioned into Jo Daviess County. A section of that county was partitioned off in 1836 as Ogle County, and in 1839 the bottom half of Ogle County was split off as Lee County. It is largely understood that the county's name honors "Lighthorse Harry" Lee, an officer in the American Revolutionary War. An alternative theory suggests the name honors Richard Henry Lee, a member of the Continental Congress (the Declaration of Independence was adopted pursuant to the Lee Resolution).

President Ronald Reagan lived in Dixon as a boy and attended Dixon High School.

Geography
According to the US Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 729 sqmi, of which 725 sqmi is land and 4.1 sqmi (0.6%) is water.

Adjacent counties

 * Ogle County – north
 * DeKalb County – east
 * LaSalle County - southeast, south
 * Bureau County – south, southwest
 * Whiteside County – west

Climate and weather
In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Dixon have ranged from a low of 10 °F in January to a high of 82 °F in July, although a record low of -27 °F was recorded in January 1999 and a record high of 110 °F was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranges from 1.43 in in February to 4.88 in in June.

Major highways

 * [[Image:I-39.svg|20px]] Interstate 39
 * [[Image:I-88.svg|20px]] Interstate 88
 * [[Image:US 30.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 30
 * [[Image:US 51.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 51
 * [[Image:US 52.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 52
 * [[Image:Illinois 2.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 2
 * [[Image:Illinois 26.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 26
 * [[Image:Illinois 38.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 38
 * [[Image:Illinois 110.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 110
 * [[Image:Illinois 251.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 251

Other features

 * Green River Ordnance Plant
 * Mendota Hills Wind Farm

Demographics
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 36,031 people, 13,758 households, and 9,064 families residing in the county. The population density was 49.7 PD/sqmi. There were 15,049 housing units at an average density of 20.8 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the county was 90.9% white, 4.8% black or African American, 0.7% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 1.9% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 5.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 38.0% were German, 18.8% were Irish, 8.4% were English, and 8.2% were American.

Of the 13,758 households, 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.2% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.1% were non-families, and 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.94. The median age was 42.0 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $48,502 and the median income for a family was $60,759. Males had a median income of $42,114 versus $30,920 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,440. About 7.6% of families and 9.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.8% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.

Cities

 * Amboy
 * Dixon (county seat)

Villages

 * Ashton
 * Compton
 * Franklin Grove
 * Harmon
 * Lee
 * Nelson
 * Paw Paw
 * Steward
 * Sublette
 * West Brooklyn

Unincorporated communities

 * Binghampton
 * The Burg

Townships

 * Alto
 * Amboy
 * Ashton
 * Bradford
 * Brooklyn
 * Dixon
 * East Grove
 * Franklin Grove
 * Hamilton
 * Harmon
 * Lee Center
 * Marion
 * May
 * Nachusa
 * Nelson
 * Palmyra
 * Reynolds
 * South Dixon
 * Sublette
 * Viola
 * Willow Creek
 * Wyoming

Politics
Lee County is, together with neighboring Ogle County, the most consistently Republican county in Illinois. It is one of very few counties in the United States to have never supported a Democrat for President since the Civil War. The only occasion when the Republican candidate did not win the county in this time was in 1912, when Theodore Roosevelt carried it while running as a member of the Progressive Party, unofficially known as the "Bull Moose" party.

As of 2018, Lee County is in the 16th congressional district, the 45th legislative district, and the 74th and 90th representative districts.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Lee County, Illinois


text:
Talk:Brazos County, Texas

Untitled
Wondering how to edit this U.S. County Entry? The WikiProject U.S. Counties standards might help.

Coordinate error
The following coordinate fixes are needed for Brazos County, Texas. Instead of being the coordinates to Brazos County, the coordinates are of a location on the coast in Brazoria County.

—70.176.96.34 (talk) 07:10, 5 September 2013 (UTC)
 * ✅. Thanks for pointing out the error. Deor (talk) 08:15, 5 September 2013 (UTC)

Zack, Texas
So I saw Zack, Texas on the requested article list for the United States and created a stub. I'm having difficulty finding coordinates to add. I saw a 1940s map with Zack listed, but it wasn't a close up shot. I'm not concerned about whether "Zack" existed because there is enough out there to show it did (lots of "non-reliable" sources compiling material that appears legitimate). Ideally an old USGS map showing Zack would be great.--Milowent • hasspoken 12:44, 4 October 2014 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified 3 one external links on Brazos County, Texas. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20110615012444/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx to http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx
 * Added archive http://www.webcitation.org/6YSasqtfX?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.census.gov%2Fprod%2Fwww%2Fdecennial.html to http://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20130911234518/http://factfinder2.census.gov to http://factfinder2.census.gov

When you have finished reviewing my changes, please set the checked parameter below to true or failed to let others know (documentation at ).

Cheers.— InternetArchiveBot  (Report bug) 16:36, 7 November 2016 (UTC)

Unincorporated Community Wellborn
Wellborn isn't an unincorporated community in Brazos County anymore, instead, it is now annexed as part of College Station, TX. Should Wellborn be removed from the article completely, or should there be an added note for Wellborn that indicates it is no longer truly an unincorporated community, but still exists inside Brazos County? --SentientHuman (talk) 18:51, 6 October 2021 (UTC)

title: Talk:Brazos County, Texas


text:
Lawrence County, Illinois

Lawrence County is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of Illinois. At the 2020 census, the population was 15,280. Its county seat is Lawrenceville.

History
Lawrence County was formed in 1821 out of Crawford and Edwards counties. It was named for Capt. James Lawrence, who was killed in action during the War of 1812 while commanding the frigate USS Chesapeake (1799). Mortally wounded, he gave his men the famous last order, "Don't give up the ship."

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 374 sqmi, of which 372 sqmi is land and 2.0 sqmi (0.5%) is water.

Climate and weather
In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Lawrenceville have ranged from a low of 18 °F in January to a high of 88 °F in July, although a record low of -26 °F was recorded in January 1994 and a record high of 104 °F was recorded in June 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.51 in in February to 5.13 in in May.

Transit

 * Rides Mass Transit District

Major highways

 * US 50.svg U.S. Route 50
 * Illinois 1.svg Illinois Route 1
 * Illinois 33.svg Illinois Route 33
 * Illinois 250.svg Illinois Route 250

Adjacent counties

 * Crawford County - north
 * Knox County, Indiana - east
 * Wabash County - south
 * Richland County - west

Demographics
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 16,833 people, 6,130 households, and 4,056 families living in the county. The population density was 45.2 PD/sqmi. There were 6,936 housing units at an average density of 18.6 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the county was 87.3% white, 9.6% black or African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 1.7% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.3% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 12.7% were German, 10.4% were American, 9.5% were Irish, and 7.8% were English.

Of the 6,130 households, 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.7% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.8% were non-families, and 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age was 39.7 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $38,771 and the median income for a family was $45,565. Males had a median income of $40,949 versus $25,991 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,297. About 14.8% of families and 17.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.9% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.

Cities

 * Bridgeport
 * Lawrenceville (seat)
 * St. Francisville
 * Sumner

Village

 * Russellville

Unincorporated communities

 * Billett
 * Birds
 * Chauncey
 * Petrolia
 * Pinkstaff
 * Riddleville

Townships
Nine townships make up Lawrence County. They are:

 * Allison
 * Bond
 * Bridgeport
 * Christy
 * Denison
 * Lawrence
 * Lukin
 * Petty
 * Russell

Politics
In its early days, Lawrence County was a Democratic-leaning swing county, voting Republican only twice up to 1892 when it supported Ulysses S. Grant in 1872 and Benjamin Harrison in 1888. It did not vote for a losing Republican candidate until Wendell Willkie carried the county in 1940 due to isolationist sentiment. Since that time, however, Lawrence County – like so many in Southern Illinois – has become reliably Republican. The only Democrat to gain an absolute majority in the county since 1936 has been Lyndon Johnson in 1964, although Bill Clinton obtained pluralities in both 1992 and 1996.

title: Lawrence County, Illinois


text:
Lake County, Illinois

Lake County is a county located in the northeastern corner of the U.S. state of Illinois, along the shores of Lake Michigan. As of the 2020 census, it has a population of 714,342, making it the third-most populous county in Illinois. Its county seat is Waukegan, the tenth-largest city in Illinois. The county is primarily suburban, with some urban areas and some rural areas. Due to its location, immediately north of Cook County, Lake County is one of the collar counties of the Chicago metropolitan area. Its northern boundary is the Wisconsin state line.

According to the 2010 census, Lake County is the second wealthiest county in the state by per capita income, after DuPage County. Additionally, Lake County ranks as the 27th wealthiest county in the nation. The county includes the affluent North Shore communities of Lake Forest, Lake Bluff, and Highland Park, and much of the county's wealth is concentrated in this area, as well as in communities bordering Cook County to the south and McHenry County to the west. The north and northwest areas of the county, though historically rural and exurban, have experienced rapid suburbanization in the past three decades, while the lakefront communities of Waukegan, North Chicago, and Zion are post-industrial areas that have majority-minority populations. The Hispanic population has seen significant increases in nearly all areas of the county and comprise 24% of the county's population in 2020. Naval Station Great Lakes is located in the city of North Chicago. It is the United States Navy's Headquarters Command for training, and the Navy's only recruit training center.

History

The county, which was primarily unsettled prairie and was still home to its native Potawatomi Indians, was created by the Illinois State Legislature in 1839. At that time, Libertyville, then known as Independence Grove, was the first county seat. In 1841, however, the county's residents voted to move the county government to Little Fort, now Waukegan, where the commissioners had purchased a section of land from the state. Lake County's first courthouse was built on part of that land in 1844 and the remainder was sold to pay for the $4,000 construction cost.

The county's first courthouse was used solely for court sessions and the jail, but in 1853, commissioners constructed a building to accommodate county administration offices and house records. When fire damaged the courthouse on October 19, 1875, the county records were saved because they were in the adjacent building.

After the fire, proposals were made to move the county seat to Highland Park, Libertyville or another site in central Lake County. The county commissioners, however, decided to rebuild in Waukegan. The east half of the building was reconstructed at a cost of $45,000. In 1895, the first jail building was added to the government complex and a west addition was added to the courthouse in 1922. By 1938, county commissioners saw a need for additional space and approved the addition of a 5th Floor. This courthouse, however, was demolished in 1967 to make room for a new high-rise administration building, which was completed with the addition of the jail in 1969 and courts in 1970.

Shortly thereafter, the Lake County Board commissioned the construction of a multi-faceted justice facility and ground was broken in 1986 for the Robert H. Babcox Justice Center, named in memory of Sheriff Babcox, who served as Lake County Sheriff from 1982 to 1988. The justice center, which houses the county jail, work release program, sheriff's administration offices and three courtrooms, was finished in 1989 at a cost of $29.6 million.

Additional county government facilities have been built or expanded throughout Lake County, including the Coroner's Office, Health Department/Community Health Center facilities, Division of Transportation, Public Works and Winchester House. Lake County government services extend throughout the county's 470 sqmi.

The historic Half Day Inn, a tavern/restaurant, was constructed in 1843. This structure, once located at the corner of Milwaukee Avenue and Rte. 45/Old Half Day Road, was one of the oldest structures in Lake County until it was demolished in 2007 to make way for retail space, condominiums, and a retention pond.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1368 sqmi, of which 444 sqmi is land and 935 sqmi (67.6%) is water. It is the second-largest county in Illinois by total area and the only one that has more water area than land area. Most of the water is in Lake Michigan.

State parks

 * Illinois Beach State Park
 * North Point Marina
 * Volo Bog State Natural Area
 * Chain O'Lakes State Park

Lakes
Besides Lake Michigan, lakes in the county include:

 * Bangs Lake
 * Bluff Lake
 * Butler Lake
 * Channel Lake
 * Lake Charles
 * Countryside Lake
 * Diamond Lake
 * Druce Lake
 * Dunns Lake
 * East Loon Lake
 * Fox Lake
 * Gages Lake
 * Grays Lake
 * Highland Lake
 * Island Lake
 * Lake Linden
 * Loon Lake
 * Lake Naomi
 * Sterling Lake
 * Valley Lake
 * Wooster Lake
 * Lake Zurich

Natural areas
Lake County's forest preserves and natural areas are administered by the Lake County Forest Preserves district. These facilities include traditional nature preserves, such as the Ryerson Conservation Area, as well as golf courses and historic homes, such as the Adlai Stevenson historic home. A long north–south string of the preserves in Lake County, including Half Day Woods, Old School Forest Preserve, Independence Grove, and Van Patten Woods, form the Des Plaines River Greenway, which contains the Des Plaines River Trail, a popular place for walking, running, and biking. Lake County is also home to Illinois Beach State Park, featuring over six miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, as well as dune areas, wetlands, prairie, and black oak savanna. Several local environmental groups operate in Lake County, such as Conserve Lake County and Citizens for Conservation, working to improve habitat. Volunteer opportunities also exist with the Lake County Forest Preserve District.

Adjacent counties

 * Kenosha County, Wisconsin – north
 * Cook County – south
 * McHenry County – west

Transit

 * Metra
 * Milwaukee District North Line
 * North Central Service
 * Union Pacific North Line
 * Union Pacific Northwest Line
 * Pace

County routes and county highways
Lake County's county road system currently covers 300 miles of road. The county also employs two different numbering systems, a county route system and a county highway system. While both systems' can be seen on official road maps, only the County Route designations have been indicated with highway markers on traffic signals or dedicated poles.

The county route system in use today by Lake County was purportedly intended to be the dominant system for all of Illinois' counties and was proposed by the National Association of Counties (NACo), however their system was not chosen and instead each county was given the freedom to number their own county routes as well as choose whether or not to produce and display highway markers. Currently, only Lake County, Boone County, McHenry County and Cook County use NACo's proposed numbering system, and of the four only Lake and McHenry counties chose to fully display the county route designations on highway markers. Cook County began to roll out the production of highway markers near the beginning of 2009, but the seemingly arbitrary numbering system as well as the cost to produce the markers resulted in a lot of confusion and backlash, and ultimately only some of the markers were produced and mounted.

For Lake County, all East–West-bound County Routes begin with an "A", while North—South-bound County Routes on the western half of the county begin with a "V", and those located on the eastern half begin with a "W".

2010 Census
As of the 2010 Census, there were 703,462 people, 241,712 households, and 179,428 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,585.6 PD/sqmi. There were 260,310 housing units at an average density of 586.7 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the county was 75.1% white, 7.0% black or African American, 6.3% Asian, 0.5% American Indian, 8.5% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 19.9% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 20.5% were German, 12.9% were Irish, 9.4% were Polish, 6.9% were Italian, 6.5% were English, and 4.0% were American.

Of the 241,712 households, 40.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.6% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 25.8% were non-families, and 21.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.31. The median age was 36.7 years. The median income for a household in the county was $78,948 and the median income for a family was $91,693. Males had a median income of $62,042 versus $44,200 for females. The per capita income for the county was $38,120. About 4.8% of families and 7.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.6% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.

2021 American Community Survey one-year estimates
According to 2021 US Census Bureau American Community Survey one-year estimates (which is conducted annually for cities over 65,000 via sampling), the population of Lake County, Illinois was 61.8% White (57.8% Non-Hispanic White and 4.0% Hispanic White), 6.3% Black or African American, 8.4% Asian, 1.1% Native American and Alaskan Native, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 7.5% Some Other Race, and 14.8% from two or more races. The White population continues to remain the largest racial category and includes the 17.3% of Hispanics in Lake County who identify as White. A plurality of Hispanics identify as Multiracial (48.5%) with others continuing to identify as Some Other Race (29.1%) and smaller amounts identifying as Black (0.5%), American Indian and Alaskan Native (4.0%), Asian (0.4%), and Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (0.1%). By ethnicity, 23.1% of the total population is Hispanic-Latino (of any race) and 76.9% is Non-Hispanic (of any race). If treated as a separate category, Hispanics are the largest minority group in Lake County, Illinois surpassing the Black population in the 1990 Census. The majority of Hispanic/ Latino residents in Lake County, Illinois are of Mexican descent (18.0% of the county population in 2021). Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Central Americans, and South Americans also reside in Lake County, Illinois.

Sports
The following sports teams play in Lake County:
 * Lake County Fielders baseball (defunct)
 * Lake County Coyotes baseball

Amusement parks

 * Six Flags Great America in Gurnee
 * Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Chicago in Gurnee
 * Lambs Farm in Libertyville

Museums

 * Volo Auto Museum in Volo
 * Bess Bower Dunn Museum in Libertyville
 * Warbird Heritage Foundation in Waukegan
 * Waukegan History Museum in Waukegan
 * Raupp Museum in Buffalo Grove
 * Shiloh House in Zion
 * Fort Hill Memorial Museum in Mundelein
 * Dunn Museum in Libertyville

Performing arts

 * Adler Arts Center in Libertyville
 * ArtWauk in Waukegan
 * Clockwise Theatre in Waukegan
 * Genesee Theatre in Waukegan
 * James Lumber Center for Performing Arts in Grayslake
 * Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire
 * Ravinia Festival in Highland Park

Other

 * Naval Station Great Lakes
 * Gurnee Mills shopping mall
 * Lake Michigan

Cities

 * Highland Park
 * Highwood
 * Lake Forest
 * McHenry (unincorporated part)
 * North Chicago
 * Park City
 * Waukegan
 * Zion

Villages

 * Antioch
 * Arlington Heights (unincorporated part)
 * Bannockburn
 * Barrington (part)
 * Barrington Hills (part)
 * Beach Park
 * Buffalo Grove (part)
 * Deerfield (mostly)
 * Deer Park (part)
 * Fox Lake (part)
 * Fox River Grove (part)
 * Grayslake
 * Green Oaks
 * Gurnee
 * Hainesville
 * Hawthorn Woods
 * Indian Creek
 * Island Lake (part)
 * Kildeer
 * Lake Barrington
 * Lake Bluff
 * Lake Villa
 * Lake Zurich
 * Lakemoor (mostly)
 * Libertyville
 * Lincolnshire
 * Lindenhurst
 * Long Grove
 * Mettawa
 * Mundelein
 * North Barrington
 * Old Mill Creek
 * Palatine (unincorporated part)
 * Port Barrington (part)
 * Riverwoods
 * Round Lake
 * Round Lake Beach
 * Round Lake Heights
 * Round Lake Park
 * Spring Grove (unincorporated part)
 * Third Lake
 * Tower Lakes
 * Vernon Hills
 * Volo
 * Wadsworth
 * Wauconda
 * Wheeling (part)
 * Winthrop Harbor

Census-designated places

 * Channel Lake
 * Forest Lake
 * Fox Lake Hills
 * Gages Lake
 * Grandwood Park
 * Knollwood
 * Lake Catherine
 * Long Lake
 * Venetian Village

Unincorporated communities

 * Aptakisic
 * Diamond Lake
 * Eddy
 * Fort Sheridan
 * Fremont Center
 * Gilmer
 * Grange Hall
 * Grass Lake
 * Half Day
 * Ingleside
 * Ivanhoe
 * Kennedy
 * Loon Lake
 * Millburn
 * Monaville
 * Palm Beach
 * Prairie View
 * Rondout (Part of Lake Bluff)
 * Rosecrans
 * Russell
 * Sylvan Lake
 * West Miltmore
 * Wildwood
 * Wilson

Townships
The county is divided into eighteen townships.

 * Antioch
 * Avon
 * Benton
 * Cuba
 * Ela
 * Fremont
 * Grant
 * Lake Villa
 * Libertyville
 * Moraine
 * Newport
 * Shields
 * Vernon
 * Warren
 * Wauconda
 * Waukegan
 * West Deerfield
 * Zion

Politics
As a historic Yankee settlement, Lake County was initially a stronghold of the Free Soil Party. In the 1848 presidential election, it was Free Soil nominee and former president Martin van Buren’s strongest county, giving him over 58 percent of the vote.

Consequently, Lake County would turn rock-solid Republican for most of the next century and a half. After narrowly supporting Democrat Franklin Pierce in 1852, it voted Republican at all but one presidential election from 1856 to 1960. This tradition was only broken in 1912, when the GOP was mortally divided and Lake County voted for Progressive Party nominee and former president Theodore Roosevelt over conservative incumbent William Howard Taft.

In 1964 the Republican Party nominated Barry Goldwater, whose hostility to the Yankee establishment and strongly conservative platform were sufficient to leave many traditional Republicans to stay home or even to vote for Lyndon Johnson, who narrowly became the first Democrat to win an absolute majority in the county since James K. Polk in 1844, and the first to win it at all since Pierce in 1852. Between 1968 and 1988, however, Lake County became powerfully Republican once more, with no Democrat cracking forty percent of the vote.

However, as in the other collar counties, the Republican edge narrowed considerably in the 1990s, and Bill Clinton actually won it with a 166-vote plurality in 1996–the only time that Clinton won any of the collar counties besides Will County during his two campaigns for president. After narrowly voting for George W. Bush twice, in 2008 it swung over dramatically to support Democrat Barack Obama, who carried it by almost 20 points. Obama won it but by a slimmer margin in 2012. Hillary Clinton won it handily in 2016, tallying her second-best margin in the state. At 36%, Donald Trump's performance in the county was the worst of any Republican presidential nominee since 1912. In 2020, Joe Biden won 61% of the vote, the highest percentage of the vote for any candidate since 1988 and the highest ever attained by a Democrat.

Lake County has the highest payout for wrongful conviction in the United States. Juan Rivera was awarded $20 million, the largest wrongful conviction settlement in United States history, including $2 million from John E. Reid & Associates, who were known for the Reid technique of questioning suspects. This technique has been widely criticized for its history of eliciting confessions that were later determined to be false. Rivera was questioned twice at Reid headquarters by an employee of the company during his interrogation, which lasted for several days. Another payout was made to Jerry Hobbs. Kathleen Zellner settled Jerry Hobbs' civil rights case for $7.75 million. Hobbs was incarcerated for 66 months. This was the largest pre-trial detainee settlement in the United States.

Media
Lake County is covered by the Chicago and Milwaukee media market and the county relies on Chicago and Milwaukee television stations, radio stations, and newspapers for the source of its news and information.

The county has multiple radio stations, including 102.3 FM XLC and 98.3 FM WRLR.

The Lake County News-Sun, owned by Tribune Publishing, is the county's main print newspaper. It is printed and published in Gurnee.

Lake and McHenry County Scanner, launched in 2012 by Sam Borcia, is the county's biggest digital newspaper which covers Lake County as well as nearby McHenry County. The publication's work has been quoted in top news outlets such as Fox News and Yahoo! News.

The county is also covered by the Chicago Sun-Times and The Daily Herald.

Education
The following is a list of school districts with any territory in Lake County, no matter how slight, even if the school districts' administrative headquarters and/or schools are outside of the county:

K-12:
 * Barrington Community Unit School District 22
 * Lake Zurich Community Unit School District 95
 * North Chicago School District 187
 * Round Lake Community Unit School District 116
 * Wauconda Community Unit School District 118
 * Waukegan Community Unit School District 60

Secondary:
 * Antioch Community High School District 117
 * Community High School District 155
 * Grant Community High School District 124
 * Grayslake Community High School District 127
 * Lake Forest Community High School District 115
 * Libertyville Community High School District 128
 * Mundelein Consolidated High School District 120
 * Richmond-Burton Community High School District 157
 * Adlai E. Stevenson High School District 125
 * Township High School District 113
 * Warren Township High School District 121
 * Zion-Benton Township High School District 126

Elementary:
 * Antioch Community Consolidated School District 34
 * Aptakisic-Tripp Community Consolidated School District
 * Bannockburn School District 106
 * Beach Park Community Consolidated School District 3
 * Big Hollow School District 38
 * Cary Community Consolidated School District 26
 * Deerfield School District 109
 * Diamond Lake School District 76
 * Emmons School District 33
 * Fox Lake Grade School District 114
 * Fremont School District 79
 * Gavin School District 37
 * Grass Lake School District 36
 * Grayslake Consolidated Community School District 46
 * Gurnee School District 56
 * Hawthorn Community Consolidated School District 73
 * Kildeer Countryside Community Consolidated School District 96
 * Lake Bluff Elementary School District 65
 * Lake Forest School District 67
 * Lake Villa Community Consolidated School District 41
 * Libertyville School District 70
 * Lincolnshire-Prairieview School District 103
 * McHenry Community Consolidated School District 15
 * Millburn Community Consolidated School District 24
 * Mundelein Elementary School District 75
 * North Shore School District 112
 * Nippersink School District 2
 * Oak Grove School District 68
 * Rondout School District 72
 * Winthrop Harbor School District 1
 * Woodland Community Consolidated School District 50
 * Zion Elementary School District 6

Notable people

 * Jack Benny (February 14, 1894 – December 26, 1974) – entertainer, comedian, actor and musician, Benny was one of America's greatest stars of radio and television, and also appeared in many films; he was raised in Waukegan, Illinois.
 * Charles Boyce (September 21, 1949) – cartoonist, creator of syndicated comic panel Compu-toon and the telecommunication public affairs image The KeyPad Kid.
 * Ray Bradbury (August 22, 1920 – June 5, 2012) – fantasy, horror, science fiction, and mystery writer. Best known for his dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 and The Martian Chronicles, Bradbury is widely considered one of the greatest and most popular American writers of speculative fiction of the twentieth century. Bradbury was born in Waukegan.
 * Marlon Brando (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) actor; as a young sex symbol, he is best known for his roles in A Streetcar Named Desire, On the Waterfront and Guys and Dolls. Brando and his family moved to Libertyville, Illinois where he lived from 1937 until 1942.
 * Gary Coleman (February 8, 1968 – May 28, 2010) – actor, known for his role as Arnold Jackson in the American sitcom Diff'rent Strokes (1978–1986). Coleman was born in Zion, Illinois.
 * Ron Goldman (July 2, 1968 – June 12, 1994), who was killed along with Nicole Brown Simpson grew up in Buffalo Grove.
 * Michael Jordan (born February 17, 1963) – retired professional basketball player and active businessman, widely considered one of the greatest players of all time; as of 2015, Jordan had a residence in Highland Park, Illinois.
 * Vince Vaughn (born March 28, 1970) – actor, known for his roles in Swingers and Wedding Crashers; grew up in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, then moved to Lake Forest, Illinois, where he graduated from Lake Forest High School in 1988.
 * Pete Wilson (born August 23, 1933), Mayor of San Diego (1971-1983); United States Senator from California (1983-1991); and Governor of California (1991-1999), born in Lake Forest.
 * Thomas E. Wilson (1868-1958), businessman and founder of 'Wilson Sporting Goods', resident and buried in Lake County.

General sources

 * Encyclopedia of Chicago (2004), comprehensive coverage of city and suburbs, past and present
 * Encyclopedia of Chicago (2004), comprehensive coverage of city and suburbs, past and present

title: Lake County, Illinois


text:
LaSalle County, Illinois

LaSalle County is a county located within the Fox Valley and Illinois River Valley regions of the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2020 Census, it had a population of 109,658. Its county seat and largest city is Ottawa. LaSalle County is part of the Ottawa, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area of Northern Illinois.

LaSalle County borders Woodford, Marshall, Putnam, Bureau, Livingston, Lee, DeKalb, Kendall, and Grundy counties. Though LaSalle County is in the Chicago media market, it retains a unique identity with a mix of river towns and vast expanses of farmland. The county lies at the intersection of the Chicago, Peoria, Quad Cities and Rockford television markets with all four regions broadcasting within its borders and having a strong influence on the area, despite the county being only 60 mi southwest of Chicago.

History
LaSalle County was formed on January 15, 1831, out of Tazewell and Putnam Counties. It is named for the early French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle. La Salle was the first European recorded as entering the area. He traveled the Mississippi River upriver from the Gulf of Mexico, claimed the land for France, or rather as a possession of King Louis XIV of France, and named it Louisiana. In 1680, he and Henry de Tonty built Fort Crevecoeur on the Illinois River in present-day Tazewell County, and in 1683, they constructed Fort St. Louis on Starved Rock in present-day LaSalle County. By 1857, the county was served by the daily arrivals of two trains of the Illinois Central Railroad.

As William D. Boyce reportedly founded the Boy Scouts of America in Ottawa, the council is named for him. He and two other founders established the BSA, but Boyce is given the sole credit since his faction of the BSA adopted the other two competing factions' elements within the organization. LaSalle County is within what is called the Lowaneu District of the W.D. Boyce Council.

In 1838, William Reddick, a local farmer and landowner, was elected sheriff of LaSalle County. He was hired to restore public order resulting from an influx of workmen creating the Illinois and Michigan Canal. Reddick served as sheriff for four consecutive two-year terms. After being elected to the Illinois State Senate, Reddick commissioned the construction of a luxurious Italianate home, now known as the Reddick Mansion. This structure is one of the largest surviving pre-Civil War homes in Illinois. The mansion was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, as part of the Washington Park Historic District.

The tri-county area of DeKalb, LaSalle, and Kendall has been influential in terms of its politics, sports, multimedia, industry, and technology. DeKalb County was the birthplace of plant hybridization (DeKalb, DeKalb Agricultural), the hot-air hand dryer (Sandwich, Sahara-Pak), and is the home of supermodel Cindy Crawford, at least 7 MLB players, two NFL coaches, and three NFL players. LaSalle County was home to the Westclox Company for many years, it was the site of the first Lincoln-Douglas Debates, and was the home to the discoverer of Pluto, as well as a Wild West figure, multiple published authors, a legendary NCAA athletic director and coach, and multiple political figures. Kendall County is the home to a seminal piece of 20th Century architecture, the birthplace of the Harvester Reaper, (as well as the precursor to the International Harvester Company), the plastic tackle box and plastic-injection molding, and is the home of multiple athletes, politicians, and a former Speaker of the House of Representatives. DeKalb, LaSalle, and Kendall Counties have all been featured in major films, with scripts either having been written by residents or former residents.

La Salle County was founded largely by immigrants from New England. These were old stock Yankee immigrants, who were descended from the English Puritans who settled New England in the 1600s. The completion of the Erie Canal caused a surge in New England immigration to what was then the Northwest Territory. The end of the Black Hawk War led to an additional surge of immigration, once again coming almost exclusively from the six New England states as a result of overpopulation combined with land shortages in that region. Some of these later settlers were from upstate New York and had parents who had moved to that region from New England shortly after the Revolutionary War. New Englanders and New England transplants from upstate New York were the vast majority of La Salle County's inhabitants during the first several decades of its history. These settlers were primarily members of the Congregational Church, though due to the Second Great Awakening, many of them had converted to Methodism, and some had become Baptists before coming to what is now La Salle County. The Congregational Church has subsequently gone through many divisions, and some factions, including those in La Salle County, are now known as the Church of Christ and the United Church of Christ. As a result of this heritage, the vast majority of inhabitants in La Salle County − much like antebellum New England − were overwhelmingly in favor of the abolitionist movement during the decades leading up to the Civil War. When the New Englanders arrived in what is now La Salle County, there was nothing but dense virgin forest and wild prairie. They laid out farms, constructed roads, erected government buildings and established post routes. In 1834, Norwegian immigrants settled in the northwest corner of the county. The construction of the Illinois & Michigan Canal brought thousands of Irish and Irish-American workers to Illinois. Many settled in the counties along the canal route. Ottawa and LaSalle County had a large Irish population due to the importance of Ottawa as a trade and industrial center on the canal. The election of the LaSalle County sheriff hinged on the Irish vote when a New Englander Woodruff was replaced as sheriff by William Reddick a successful Irish landowner following Woodruff's role in putting down a riot along the canal in 1837. Irish and German immigration to LaSalle County, especially LaSalle. Ottawa and Peru prior to the Civil War was such that many German immigrants joined Illinois regiments during the war. In the late 1880s and early 1890s, Irish and German migrants began moving into La Salle County; most of these later immigrants did not move directly from Ireland and Germany, but rather from other areas in the Midwest where they had been living, particularly the state of Ohio. Immigrants around the Peterstown, Troy Grove, Meriden, Mendota, and Earlville area were largely of German descent, with the Mendota area directly being the epicenter of the German community in the county. Norwegian population has been strong in the area around Northville, Serena, Mission, and Miller Townships in LaSalle County, along with Little Rock and Fox Townships in Kendall County, and Sandwich and Somonauk Townships in DeKalb County. One such family, the Borschsenius family, runs the Norway Store in the unincorporated community of Norway, in southern Mission Township, and the family has been deeply involved with businesses and the school district of nearby Serena and Sheridan.

Ottawa was the first site of the famous Lincoln–Douglas debates on August 21, 1858. The community has a strong association with the 16th President, and elements of the downtown area of the city retain much mid-19th century architecture. People in LaSalle County were predominantly abolitionist in attitude, and many Underground Railroad sites were maintained in the county prior to the American Civil War.

Utica (officially North Utica) is considered the gateway to the Starved Rock area. Visiting three parks provides a full experience of the area. Starved Rock State Park, (south of Utica on Illinois Route 178), is the crown jewel. Matthiessen State Park (south of Starved Rock on Ill 178) has many of the same features of Starved Rock, but is smaller, and faces the Vermilion River to the west. Buffalo Rock State Park (east of Utica, and west of Naplate/Ottawa on Dee Bennett Road) has an enclosure which features American bison, as well as the mound sculpture complex, known as the Effigy Tumuli. The village was the site of a F3 tornado that ripped through the downtown and killed nine people on April 20, 2004.

On November 15, 2023, a magnitude 3.6 earthquake hit the county.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1148 sqmi, of which 1135 sqmi is land and 13 sqmi (1.1%) is water. It is the second-largest county in Illinois by land area and the fourth-largest by total area.

Adjacent counties

 * Lee County – northwest
 * DeKalb County – north
 * Kendall County – northeast
 * Grundy County –  east
 * Livingston County – southeast
 * Woodford County – south
 * Marshall County – southwest
 * Putnam County – west
 * Bureau County – west

LaSalle County, Illinois, is one of the few counties in the United States to border as many as nine counties. Illinois has two such counties, with Pike County being the other.

Many of the residents of LaSalle County live in cities and towns along the Illinois River. It is the main population core, with some exceptions, including Streator to the south of the county. Large cities along the river include Ottawa, LaSalle, Peru, and Marseilles. The regions north and south of the Illinois River are mostly agricultural, including the Fox River portion of the county, and have few large towns.

Climate
In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Ottawa have ranged from a low of 12 °F in January to a high of 85 °F in July, although a record low of -25 °F was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of 112 °F was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.32 in in February to 4.13 in in June.

Demographics
As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 109,658 people, 45,089 households, and 29,344 families residing in the county. The population density was 95.5 PD/sqmi. There were 49,812 housing units at an average density of 43.4 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the county was 85.6% white, 2.4% black or African American, 0.8% Asian, 0.4% American Indian, 3.6% from other races, and 7.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 10.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 27.8% were German, 18.0% were Irish, 8.7% were Italian, 8.1% were English, 7.6% were Polish, 4.4% were Norwegian, 3.8% were American, and 3.1% were French.

Of the 45,089 households, 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.6% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.9% were non-families, and 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.86. The median age was 42.1 years. For every 100 females there were 101.4 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $60,069 and the median income for a family was $72,583. Males had a median income of $50,214 versus $26,424 for females. The per capita income for the county was $31,020. About 9.7% of families and 13.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.8% of those under age 18 and 5.2% of those age 65 or over.

Public

 * Earlville High School (CUSD 9), also has district area in DeKalb and Lee counties
 * LaSalle-Peru High School, LaSalle
 * Leland High School, Leland, also has district area in DeKalb County
 * Mendota Township High School, Mendota, also has district area in Bureau and Lee Counties
 * Newark Community High School, located within Kendall County, but serves Mission Township
 * Ottawa Township High School, Ottawa
 * Sandwich Community High School (CUSD 430), located within DeKalb County, but serves Northville Township
 * Seneca High School, also has district area in Grundy County
 * Serena High School (CUSD 2)
 * Somonauk High School, located within DeKalb County, but serves Northville and Adams Townships
 * Streator Township High School, Streator
 * Woodland High School, Streator

Private

 * Marquette Academy, Ottawa
 * Ottawa Christian Academy, Ottawa
 * St. Bede Academy, Peru

Colleges and universities

 * Illinois Valley Community College, Oglesby

Transit

 * Amtrak (Illinois Zephyr, Carl Sandburg, and Southwest Chief)
 * Burlington Trailways
 * Mendota station
 * List of intercity bus stops in Illinois

Airports

 * Earlville Airport, closed in 2010
 * Illinois Valley Regional Airport, Peru

Major highways

 * [[Image:I-39.svg|20px]] Interstate 39
 * [[Image:I-80.svg|20px]] Interstate 80
 * [[Image:US 6.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 6
 * [[Image:US 34.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 34
 * [[Image:US 51.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 51
 * [[Image:US 52.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 52
 * [[Image:Illinois 17.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 17
 * [[Image:Illinois 18.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 18
 * [[Image:Illinois 23.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 23
 * [[Image:Illinois 71.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 71
 * [[Image:Illinois 170.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 170
 * [[Image:Illinois 178.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 178
 * [[Image:Illinois 251.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 251
 * [[Image:Illinois 351.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 351

Utilities

 * LaSalle County Nuclear Generating Station, Marseilles

Cities

 * Earlville
 * LaSalle
 * Marseilles
 * Mendota
 * Oglesby
 * Ottawa
 * Peru
 * Sandwich (part)
 * Streator (part)
 * Wenona (part)

Villages

 * Cedar Point
 * Dalzell (part)
 * Dana
 * Grand Ridge
 * Kangley
 * Leland
 * Leonore
 * Lostant
 * Millington (part)
 * Naplate
 * North Utica
 * Ransom
 * Rutland
 * Seneca (part)
 * Sheridan
 * Somonauk (part)
 * Tonica
 * Troy Grove

Census-designated places

 * Dayton
 * Lake Holiday

Other unincorporated communities

 * Altmar
 * Baker
 * Blakes
 * Catharine
 * Danway
 * Dimmick
 * Farm Ridge
 * Fitchmoor
 * Garfield
 * Harding
 * Hitt
 * Jonesville
 * Kernan
 * Leeds
 * Lowell
 * Meriden
 * Milla
 * Mount Palatine (part)
 * Northville
 * Norway
 * Peterstown
 * Prairie Center
 * Richards
 * Science
 * Serena
 * Stavanger
 * Sulphur Springs
 * Ticona
 * Triumph
 * Waltham
 * Wedron
 * Welland (part)
 * Wilsman

Townships
LaSalle County is divided into thirty-seven townships:

 * Adams
 * Allen
 * Brookfield
 * Bruce
 * Dayton
 * Deer Park
 * Dimmick
 * Eagle
 * Earl
 * Eden
 * Fall River
 * Farm Ridge
 * Freedom
 * Grand Rapids
 * Groveland
 * Hope
 * LaSalle
 * Manlius
 * Mendota
 * Meriden
 * Miller
 * Mission
 * Northville
 * Ophir
 * Osage
 * Ottawa
 * Otter Creek
 * Peru
 * Richland
 * Rutland
 * Serena
 * South Ottawa
 * Troy Grove
 * Utica
 * Vermillion
 * Wallace
 * Waltham

Ghost towns

 * East Wenona
 * Little Rock
 * Science

Politics
LaSalle has generally been a Republican-leaning swing county, more competitive than most in urbanized Northern Illinois.

In its early years, LaSalle County supported the Democratic Party, being southwest of the Free Soil strongholds in the far northeast of the state. Following the formation of the Republican party, LaSalle County voted for that party in every election until 1884, when it supported Democrat Grover Cleveland three consecutive times. Although the county gave a plurality to Woodrow Wilson in 1912 and supported Franklin D. Roosevelt in his first three elections, it otherwise voted Republican until 1960.

A Democratic trend, typical of Yankee Northern Illinois, saw Michael Dukakis carry LaSalle despite failing to win the election in 1988, and no Republican would carry the county again until George W. Bush in 2004.

Visitor attractions

 * Hegeler Carus Mansion
 * Hopalong Cassidy River Trail
 * Illini State Park
 * Kaskaskia Alliance Trail
 * LaSalle Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area
 * Middle East Conflicts Wall Memorial
 * Mitchell's Grove Nature Preserve
 * Ottawa Avenue Cemetery
 * Plum Island Eagle Sanctuary
 * Washington Park Historic District (Ottawa, Illinois)
 * Wild Bill Hickok Memorial

Notable people

 * James T. Aubrey (LaSalle) longtime president of CBS Television network
 * Bill Brown, (Mendota) former running back for the Minnesota Vikings
 * Herbert "Fritz" Crisler, (Earlville, Mendota) head football coach at the University of Michigan (1938–1947), namesake of the school's basketball stadium, and is credited for created the helmet design for the Michigan football team
 * Doug Dieken, (rural Streator) former tackle with the Cleveland Browns (1971–1984); color commentary for Browns radio broadcasts
 * Walter T. Gunn, Illinois Supreme Court justice, born in LaSalle County
 * J. A. Happ, (Peru) pitcher for New York Yankees; pitched for 2008 World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies
 * Michael Hermosillo, (Ottawa) outfielder for the Los Angeles Angels and minor league affiliates
 * Wild Bill Hickok, (Troy Grove) noted historical Western Figure
 * Helen Hokinson, (Mendota) cartoonist for The New Yorker
 * Silas Johnson, (Sheridan) credited as the last pitcher to strike out Herman "Babe" Ruth; played for the Cincinnati Reds
 * Harry Kelly, (Ottawa) 39th governor of Michigan
 * Terrence Malick, (Ottawa) film director, known for Badlands and The Thin Red Line; born in Ottawa
 * Bob McGrath, (Ottawa), Sesame Street performer
 * Esther Hobart Morris, (Peru) First Female Judge in United States
 * Clarence E. Mulford, (Streator) wrote the "Hopalong Cassidy" cowboy novels
 * Cleng Peerson, established the community of Norway
 * Edward H. Plumb, (Streator) film composer, worked with Walt Disney on Fantasia; nominated four times for an Academy Award
 * Maud Powell, (Peru) violinist
 * Thomas E. G. Ransom, Civil War general, lived in Peru, namesake of Ransom
 * Adam Shabala, (Streator) former outfielder for the San Francisco Giants
 * Aaron Shea, (Ottawa) player for the Cleveland Browns
 * Clyde Tombaugh, (Streator) astronomer, discovered Pluto
 * Martin R. M. Wallace, (Ottawa) Civil War general
 * W.H.L. Wallace, (Ottawa) Civil War general
 * Walt Willey, (Ottawa) actor, known for All My Children
 * Gary K. Wolf, (Earlville) author of Who Censored Roger Rabbit?, adopted into the movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit
 * Clay Zavada, (Streator) pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks

title: LaSalle County, Illinois


text:
Knox County, Illinois

Knox County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 49,967. Its county seat is Galesburg.

Knox County comprises the Galesburg, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History
Knox County was named in honor of Henry Knox, the first US Secretary of War.

The first "Knox County" in what today is Illinois was unrelated to the modern incarnation. In 1790, the land of the Indiana Territory that was to become Illinois was divided into two counties: St. Clair and Knox. The latter included land in what was to become Indiana. When Knox County, Indiana, was formed from this portion of the county in 1809, the Illinois portions were subdivided into counties that were given other names.

The modern Knox County, Illinois, was organized in 1825, from Fulton County, itself a portion of the original St. Clair County.

Like its neighbor to the south, Fulton County, for its Spoon River Drive, Knox County is also known for a similar scenic drive fall festival the first two weekends in October, the Knox County Drive.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 720 sqmi, of which 716 sqmi is land and 3.4 sqmi (0.5%) is water.

Climate and weather
In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Galesburg have ranged from a low of 13 °F in January to a high of 85 °F in July, although a record low of -25 °F was recorded in January 1982 and a record high of 102 °F was recorded in July 1983. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.41 in in January to 4.37 in in July.

Public Transit

 * Galesburg station
 * Burlington Trailways
 * Galesburg Transit
 * List of intercity bus stops in Illinois

Major highways

 * [[Image:I-74.svg|20px]] Interstate 74
 * [[Image:US 34.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 34
 * [[Image:US 150.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 150
 * [[Image:Illinois 8.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 8
 * [[Image:Illinois 17.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 17
 * [[Image:Illinois 41.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 41
 * [[Image:Illinois 78.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 78
 * [[Image:Illinois 97.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 97
 * [[Image:Illinois 164.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 164
 * [[Image:Illinois 116.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 116
 * [[Image:Illinois 167.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 167
 * [[Image:Illinois 180.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 180

Adjacent counties

 * Mercer County - northwest
 * Henry County - north
 * Stark County - east
 * Peoria County - southeast
 * Fulton County - south
 * Warren County - west

Demographics
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 52,919 people, 21,535 households, and 13,324 families residing in the county. The population density was 73.9 PD/sqmi. There were 24,077 housing units at an average density of 33.6 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the county was 87.5% white, 7.2% black or African American, 0.6% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 1.9% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.8% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 23.1% were German, 14.9% were Irish, 11.7% were English, 11.6% were Swedish, and 8.0% were American.

Of the 21,535 households, 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.7% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 38.1% were non-families, and 32.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.84. The median age was 42.0 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $39,545 and the median income for a family was $51,740. Males had a median income of $42,067 versus $25,380 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,908. About 10.9% of families and 15.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.7% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over.

Cities

 * Abingdon
 * Galesburg
 * Knoxville
 * Oneida

Villages

 * Altona
 * East Galesburg
 * Henderson
 * London Mills (mostly in Fulton County)
 * Maquon
 * Rio
 * St. Augustine
 * Victoria
 * Wataga
 * Williamsfield
 * Yates City

Census-designated places

 * Gilson
 * Oak Run

Other unincorporated communities

 * Appleton
 * Centerville
 * Columbia Heights
 * Dahinda
 * Delong
 * Douglas
 * Elba Center
 * Henderson Grove
 * Hermon
 * Ontario
 * Rapatee
 * Saluda
 * Soperville
 * Trenton Corners
 * Truro
 * Uniontown

Townships
Knox County is divided into twenty-one townships:

 * Cedar
 * Chestnut
 * Copley
 * Elba
 * Galesburg
 * Galesburg City
 * Haw Creek
 * Henderson
 * Indian Point
 * Knox
 * Lynn
 * Maquon
 * Ontario
 * Orange
 * Persifer
 * Rio
 * Salem
 * Sparta
 * Truro
 * Victoria
 * Walnut Grove

Politics
Knox County's political history is typical of Yankee-settled Northern Illinois. It leaned Whig during its early elections – although giving a plurality to Franklin Pierce in 1852 – and become powerfully Republican following that party's formation. Although Knox did support Progressive Theodore Roosevelt against conservative incumbent President William Howard Taft in 1912, it was Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1932 landslide before Knox County again gave the Democratic Party so much as a plurality, and it did not give a Democratic absolute majority until Lyndon B. Johnson gained such against the anti-Yankee, Southern-leaning Barry Goldwater in 1964.

Since then, Knox County gradually trended Democratic for the following four decades, so that Michael Dukakis in his losing 1988 campaign was able to carry the county by the same margin as Johnson had done in 1964. During the 1990s and 2000s, Knox was a solidly Democratic county, voting Democratic by at least nine percentage points in every election from 1992 to 2012. The 2016 election, in the shadow of high unemployment in the “Rust Belt” saw a swing of over twenty percentage points to Donald Trump, who became the first Republican victor in the county since Ronald Reagan in 1984.

title: Knox County, Illinois


text:
Kendall County, Illinois

Kendall County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, within the Chicago metropolitan area. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 131,869. Its county seat is Yorkville, and its most populous municipality is Oswego.

Kendall County is part of the Chicago metropolitan area and was the fastest-growing county in the United States between 2000 and 2010.

History
Kendall County was formed in 1841 out of LaSalle and Kane Counties.

The county is named after Amos Kendall, who was the editor of the Frankfort, Kentucky, newspaper, and went on to be an important advisor to President Andrew Jackson. Kendall became the U.S. Postmaster General in 1835.

Early Settlement and Native American Presence
Before European settlers arrived, the land that would become Kendall County was inhabited by several Native American tribes, including the Potawatomi, Fox, and Kickapoo. These tribes lived in semi-permanent villages along the Fox River and relied on hunting, fishing, and agriculture for their sustenance. The presence of these indigenous peoples influenced the early European settlers' interactions and land use practices.

Pioneer Life and Establishment of Towns
The first European-American settlers arrived in the 1820s, primarily from New England and New York. They were attracted to the region's fertile soil and abundant waterways. These pioneers faced numerous challenges, including harsh winters, prairie fires, and conflicts with Native American tribes. Despite these obstacles, they established homesteads, farms, and small communities. Towns like Newark, Lisbon, and Plattville began to take shape, serving as centers of commerce and social activity for the burgeoning population.

Role in the Underground Railroad
Kendall County played a significant role in the Underground Railroad, a network of secret routes and safe houses used by enslaved African Americans to escape to free states and Canada. Abolitionist sentiments ran strong in the area, and many residents actively participated in assisting runaway slaves. Notable figures like the Lewis and Sackett families in Oswego provided shelter and support to freedom seekers, risking their own safety in the process.

Civil War and Military Contributions
During the American Civil War, Kendall County made substantial contributions to the Union cause. Hundreds of local men enlisted in the Union Army, serving in regiments such as the 36th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment and the 104th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment. Additionally, Kendall County residents organized relief efforts, raised funds, and supported families of soldiers serving on the front lines.

Industrialization and Economic Growth
The late 19th and early 20th centuries witnessed the rapid industrialization of Kendall County. The construction of railroads, particularly the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, spurred economic development by facilitating the transportation of goods and materials. Industrial centers emerged in towns like Yorkville, Plano, and Sandwich, where factories, mills, and foundries produced agricultural implements, machinery, and other goods.

Impact of Agriculture
Agriculture remained the backbone of Kendall County's economy well into the 20th century. The county's rich soil and favorable climate made it ideal for farming, especially for corn, soybeans, and dairy products. Family-owned farms and agricultural cooperatives played a crucial role in sustaining rural communities and providing food and commodities to urban markets.

Suburbanization and Population Growth
Following World War II, Kendall County experienced a population boom as suburbanization swept across the United States. Improved transportation infrastructure, including the construction of Interstate 88 and Interstate 55, facilitated commuting to nearby urban centers like Chicago. Subdivisions and housing developments sprang up throughout the county, catering to the needs of a growing population seeking the tranquility of suburban life.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 322 sqmi, of which 320 sqmi are land and 2.0 sqmi (0.6%) are covered by water.

Kendall County is a small but rapidly growing county that has the majority of its population in the northeast and along the Fox River (the only river in the county), which runs through the county's northwestern section. Many new subdivisions have been constructed in this county, which has produced considerable population growth. Southern Kendall still remains largely agricultural. Kendall County has two primary ranges of low-lying hills formed by what is known as an end moraine. Ransom, the more predominant of the two moraines, runs through the west and north-central part of the county. This moraine has created elevations over 800 ft, in contrast to elevations in southern Kendall County that drop to the lower 500 ft range. Minooka, the other major end moraine ridge in Kendall County, runs along its entire eastern border with Will County. The two moraines intersect at almost a right angle in the township of Oswego. The county's only designated state park is Silver Springs State Fish and Wildlife Area.

Climate and weather
In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Yorkville have ranged from a low of 10 °F in January to a high of 84 °F in July, although a record low of -26 °F was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of 111 °F was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.52 in in February to 4.39 in in July.

Major highways

 * [[Image:I-80.svg|20px]] Interstate 80
 * [[Image:US 30.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 30
 * [[Image:US 34.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 34
 * [[Image:US 52.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 52
 * [[Image:Illinois 25.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 25
 * [[Image:Illinois 31.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 31
 * [[Image:Illinois 47.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 47
 * [[Image:Illinois 71.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 71
 * [[Image:Illinois 126.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 126

Adjacent counties

 * DeKalb County - northwest
 * Kane County - north
 * DuPage County - northeast
 * Will County - east
 * Grundy County - south
 * LaSalle County - west

Demographics
As of the 2010 United States Census, 114,736 people, 38,022 households, and 30,067 families were residing in the county. The population density was 358.2 PD/sqmi. The 40,321 housing units averaged 125.9 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the county was 83.6% White, 5.7% African American, 3.0% Asian, 0.3% Native American, 5.0% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 15.6% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 28.0% were German, 16.0% were Irish, 9.5% were Polish, 9.4% were Italian, 7.5% were English, and 3.2% were American.

Of the 38,022 households, 47.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.8% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 20.9% were not families, and 16.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 3.01, and the average family size was 3.41. The median age was 32.9 years.

The county's median household income was $79,897, and its median family income was $87,309. Males had a median income of $64,048 versus $42,679 for females. The county's per capita income was $30,565. About 2.9% of families and 3.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.6% of those under age 18 and 3.4% of those age 65 or over.

Kendall County was listed as the fastest-growing county in the US from 2000 to 2009, experiencing a population growth rate of 110.4% in this period. The reason for this growth is heavy suburbanization from the metropolitan Chicago area.

Cities

 * Aurora (part)
 * Joliet (part)
 * Plano
 * Sandwich (part)
 * Yorkville (mostly)

Villages

 * Lisbon
 * Millbrook
 * Millington (mostly)
 * Minooka (mostly)
 * Montgomery (part)
 * Newark
 * Oswego (mostly)
 * Plainfield (part)
 * Plattville

Census-designated place

 * Boulder Hill

Other unincorporated communities

 * Ament Corners
 * Bristol
 * Fox
 * Helmar
 * Little Rock

Townships
The county is an 18 mi square, which is divided up into 9 townships. Each township is divided into 36 one-mile-square sections, except that the Fox River is used as a township border, resulting in Bristol being the smallest township with the extra area being assigned to Oswego and Kendall Townships. Two exceptions to the section grid reflect Indian land grants under the Treaty of Prairie du Chien in 1829: the Mo-Ah-Way Reservation in Oswego Township and the Waish-Kee-shaw Reservation in Na-Au-Say Township. These areas were eventually sold to European settlers.

 * Big Grove Township
 * Bristol Township
 * Fox Township
 * Kendall Township
 * Lisbon Township
 * Little Rock Township
 * Na-au-say Township
 * Oswego Township
 * Seward Township

Government
County board members run in two districts. All other officers run county-wide:
 * County Board Members (District 1): Ruben Rodriguez, Scott Gengler, Brian DeBolt, Seth Wormley, Jason Peterson;
 * County Board Members (District 2): Elizabeth Flowers, Brooke Shanley, Zach Bachman, Matt Kellogg, Dan Koukol;
 * County Board Chairman – Matt Kellogg
 * Forest Preserve President – Brian DeBolt
 * Clerk of the Circuit Court – Matthew G. Prochaska
 * Coroner – Jacquie Purcell
 * County Clerk and Recorder – Debbie Gillette
 * Sheriff – Dwight Baird
 * State's Attorney – Eric Weis
 * Treasurer – Jill Ferko

Politics
For years, Kendall County was one of the most Republican counties in Illinois. Between the 1856 and 2004 elections, the only time Kendall County did not give a plurality to the GOP presidential nominee was in 1912, when the Republican Party was mortally divided and Progressive Party candidate Theodore Roosevelt won 57.56% of the county's vote against conservative incumbent President William Howard Taft. Moreover, only one Democratic presidential candidate – Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1932 and 1936 – ever cracked 40% of Kendall County's vote during this span of 38 presidential elections.

In 2008, Illinois native Barack Obama became the first Democrat to carry the county since Franklin Pierce in 1852. Obama did not repeat this feat against Mitt Romney in 2012, nor did Democrat Hillary Clinton defeat Donald Trump in 2016. Joe Biden won the county in the 2020 United States presidential election.

Kendall County is one of only thirteen counties to have voted for Obama in 2008, Romney in 2012, Trump in 2016, and Biden in 2020.

Property values
Kendall County was the fastest growing county in the US, more than doubling in population between the 2000 and 2010 censuses.

All five Kendall County communities analyzed saw their real home prices fall dramatically from 2007 to 2015, from a low of 17 percent in Montgomery to a high of 44 percent in Plano. Minooka and Oswego both saw their home values fall 34 percent. In Yorkville, they fell 36 percent.

Education

 * Lisbon Community Consolidated School District 90
 * Newark Community Consolidated School District 66
 * Newark Community High School District 18
 * Oswego Community Unit School District 308
 * Plano Community Unit School District 88
 * Yorkville Community Unit School District 115
 * School District #101
 * School District #201
 * School District #202
 * School District #429
 * School District #430 (Sandwich Community School District #430)

The northern half of the county is in Community College District 516 and is served by Waubonsee Community College in Sugar Grove, Aurora, and Plano. The southern half is in Community College District 525 and is served by Joliet Junior College in Joliet.

In popular culture
Locations within and around the City of Plano were stand-ins for Clark Kent's hometown of Smallville, Kansas, in the 2013 film Man of Steel as well as the 2016 film Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Plano has also been used in the film Witless Protection, with both films having been filmed in Plano's historic downtown area. Filming has also taken place south of Plano at the Farnsworth House, a modern architectural landmark for documentaries and commercials.

title: Kendall County, Illinois


text:
Kankakee County, Illinois

Kankakee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 107,502. Its county seat is Kankakee. Kankakee County comprises the Kankakee, IL Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History
Starting in the 1770s, if not earlier, the area that is now Kankakee County was largely populated by the Potawatomi.

French Canadian Settlers came to Kankakee County in 1834, after the federal government signed the Treaty of Camp Tippecanoe in 1832. They were soon joined by migrants from New York and Vermont, mostly locating in Momence, Illinois. In the 1840s, most of the migrants were French Canadians, and they settled in such places as Bourbonnais.

An act of the Illinois Legislature created Kankakee County out of the north part of Iroquois County and the south part of Will County in February 1853. The six original townships were Yellowhead, Rockville, Bourbonnais, Momence, Aroma Park, and Limestone. The population of the new county was about 8,000. In 1855 the two western townships (Norton and Essex) were taken from Vermilion County and added to Kankakee County. The county was named for the Kankakee River.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 681 sqmi, of which 677 sqmi (99.3%) is land and 4.8 sqmi (0.7%) is water.

Climate and weather
In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Kankakee have ranged from a low of 12 °F in January to a high of 86 °F in July, although a record low of -29 °F was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of 107 °F was recorded in August 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.62 in in February to 4.54 in in May.

Adjacent counties

 * Will County – north
 * Lake County, Indiana – northeast
 * Newton County, Indiana – east
 * Iroquois County – south
 * Ford County – southwest
 * Livingston County – west
 * Grundy County – northwest

Demographics
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 113,449 people, 41,511 households, and 28,680 families residing in the county. The population density was 167.7 PD/sqmi. There were 45,246 housing units at an average density of 66.9 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the county was 77.6% white, 15.1% black or African American, 0.9% Asian, 0.3% Native American, 4.0% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 9.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 26.5% were German, 14.2% were Irish, 7.4% were English, 6.7% were Italian, 5.8% were Polish, and 3.6% were American.

Of the 41,511 households, 35.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% were married couples living together, 14.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.9% were non-families, and 25.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.13. The median age was 36.7 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $50,484 and the median income for a family was $59,998. Males had a median income of $49,858 versus $32,247 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,888. About 10.8% of families and 15.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.6% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over.

Cities

 * Kankakee
 * Momence

Villages

 * Aroma Park
 * Bonfield
 * Bourbonnais
 * Bradley
 * Buckingham
 * Chebanse
 * Essex
 * Grant Park
 * Herscher
 * Hopkins Park
 * Irwin
 * Limestone
 * Manteno
 * Reddick
 * Sammons Point
 * St. Anne
 * Sun River Terrace
 * Union Hill

Unincorporated Communities

 * Ahern
 * Altorf
 * Deselm
 * Dickeys
 * Exline
 * Garden of Eden
 * Goodrich
 * Greenwich
 * Illiana Heights
 * Illinoi (partial)
 * Indian Oaks
 * Leesville
 * Lehigh
 * Log Cabin Camp
 * Saint George
 * Sherburnville
 * Sollitt
 * Sugar Island
 * Whitaker
 * Wichert

Townships
Kankakee County is divided into seventeen townships:

 * Aroma
 * Bourbonnais
 * Essex
 * Ganeer
 * Kankakee
 * Limestone
 * Manteno
 * Momence
 * Norton
 * Otto
 * Pembroke
 * Pilot
 * Rockville
 * St. Anne
 * Salina
 * Sumner
 * Yellowhead

Politics
Kankakee County is currently considered a Republican-leaning swing county. In the 2008 Presidential Election, Kankakee County voted 52 percent in favor of Illinois native Barack Obama (D), giving 47 percent to John McCain (R). However, in the 2004 Presidential Election, Kankakee County voted 55 percent in favor of George W. Bush (R) and 44 percent for John Kerry (D).

Kankakee County is split between Illinois's 2nd congressional district, represented by Democrat Robin Kelly (D-Matteson), and Illinois's 1st congressional district, represented by Jonathan Jackson (D-Chicago). Kankakee County has produced three governors: Len Small (R), Samuel H. Shapiro (D), and George H. Ryan (R).

In December 2016, Kankakee County became the only county in Illinois to have a Libertarian county board member when Jim Byrne of Bradley left the Republican Party to join the Libertarian Party. In the 2020 general election, Byrne lost reelection to Democratic candidate Heather Bryan, while Libertarian Jacob Collins was elected unopposed on the Libertarian line continuing Kankakee County's distinction of being the only county with a Libertarian board member until Collins opted not to run for reelection in the 2022 general election.

Education
The county is home to Olivet Nazarene University and Kankakee Community College.

Transportation
Kankakee County is served by the Greater Kankakee Airport. Amtrak runs train service through the city via Kankakee station. The station serves the Illini and Saluki trains to Carbondale as well as the City of New Orleans. The city of Kankakee has local public transit service provided by the River Valley Metro Mass Transit District. Momence and rural Kankakee county are served by SHOW Bus.

Major highways

 * [[Image:I-57.svg|20px]] Interstate 57
 * [[Image:US 45.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 45
 * [[Image:US 52.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 52
 * [[Image:Illinois 1.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 1
 * [[Image:Illinois 17.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 17
 * [[Image:Illinois 50.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 50
 * [[Image:Illinois 102.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 102
 * [[Image:Illinois 113.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 113
 * [[Image:Illinois 114.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 114
 * [[Image:Illinois 115.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 115

title: Kankakee County, Illinois


text:
Kane County, Illinois

Kane County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 516,522, making it the fifth-most populous county in Illinois. Its county seat is Geneva, and its largest city is Aurora. Kane County is one of the collar counties of the metropolitan statistical area designated "Chicago–Naperville–Elgin, IL–IN–WI" by the US census.

History
Kane County was formed out of LaSalle County in 1836. The county was named in honor of Elias Kane, a United States senator and the first secretary of state of Illinois.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county's area was 524 sqmi, of which 520 sqmi is land and 4.1 sqmi (0.8%) is water. Its largest cities are along the Fox River.

Climate
In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Geneva have ranged from a low of 10 °F in January to a high of 84 °F in July, although a record low of -26 °F was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of 111 °F was recorded in July 1936. The average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.52 in in February to 4.39 in in July.

Adjacent counties

 * McHenry County (north)
 * Cook County (east)
 * DuPage County (east)
 * Will County (southeast)
 * Kendall County (south)
 * DeKalb County (west)

Parks and recreation

 * Fox River Trail
 * Great Western Trail
 * Illinois Prairie Path
 * James "Pate" Philip State Park

Forest preserves
Kane County has an extensive forest preserve program, with numerous nature preserves, historic sites, and trails.

 * Almon Underwood Prairie
 * Andersen Woods
 * Arlene Shoemaker
 * Aurora West
 * Barnes
 * Big Rock Forest Preserve & Campground
 * Binnie Forest Preserve
 * Blackberry Maples
 * Bliss Woods
 * Bolcum Road Wetlands
 * Bowes Creek Greenway Forest Preserve
 * Bowes Creek Woods Forest Preserve
 * Braeburn Marsh
 * Brewster Creek Forest Preserve
 * Brunner Family
 * Buffalo Park Forest Preserve
 * Burlington Prairie
 * Burnidge Forest Preserve/Paul Wolff Campground
 * Camp Tomo Chi-Chi Knolls
 * Campton
 * Cardinal Creek
 * Culver
 * Deer Valley Golf Course
 * Dick Young
 * Eagles Forest Preserve
 * Edgewater Greenway Forest Preserve
 * Elburn Forest Preserve
 * Elgin Shores
 * Fabyan
 * Ferson Creek
 * Fitchie Creek
 * Fox River Bluff East & Fox River Bluff West
 * Fox River Forested Fen Forest Preserve
 * Fox River Shores
 * Freeman Kame – Meagher
 * Glenwood Park Forest Preserve
 * Grunwald Farms
 * Gunnar Anderson
 * Hampshire Forest Preserve
 * Hampshire South Forest Preserve
 * Hannaford Woods/Nickels Farm
 * Helm Woods
 * Hoscheit Woods Forest Preserve
 * Hughes Creek Golf Club
 * Jack E. Cook Park & Forest Preserve
 * Jelkes Creek
 * Johnson's Mound
 * Jon J. Duerr
 * Kenyon Farm
 * Lake Run Forest Preserve
 * LeRoy Oakes
 * Les Arends
 * Lone Grove Forest Preserve
 * McLean Fen Forest Preserve
 * Meissner Prairie – Corron
 * Mill Creek
 * Muirhead Springs
 * New Haven Park
 * Oakhurst
 * Otter Creek
 * Pingree Grove Forest Preserve
 * Poplar Creek
 * Prairie Green
 * Raceway Woods
 * Raymond Street
 * Regole
 * Rutland Forest Preserve
 * Sauer Family Prairie Kame
 * Schweitzer Woods
 * Settler's Hill
 * Sleepy Hollow Ravine
 * Tekakwitha Woods
 * Tyler Creek Forest Preserve
 * Virgil Forest Preserve
 * Voyageur's Landing
 * Willoughby Farms

2020 census
As of the 2010 census, there were 515,269 people, 170,479 households, and 128,323 families residing in the county. The population density was 990.8 PD/sqmi. There were 182,047 housing units at an average density of 350.1 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the county was 74.6% white, 5.7% black or African American, 3.5% Asian, 0.6% American Indian, 13.0% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 30.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 24.3% were German, 13.0% were Irish, 7.9% were Polish, 7.4% were Italian, 7.1% were English, and 2.4% were American.

Of the 170,479 households, 42.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.2% were married couples living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 24.7% were non-families, and 19.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.98 and the average family size was 3.45. The median age was 34.5 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $67,767 and the median income for a family was $77,998. Males had a median income of $53,833 versus $39,206 for females. The per capita income for the county was $29,480. About 7.0% of families and 9.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.5% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

 * Aurora University
 * Elgin Community College
 * Judson University
 * Waubonsee Community College

Health care
There are several hospitals serving the county:
 * Advocate Sherman Hospital, Elgin
 * Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital, Geneva
 * Presence Mercy Medical Center, Aurora
 * Presence Saint Joseph Hospital, Elgin
 * Rush-Copley Medical Center, Aurora

Transit

 * Metra
 * BNSF Line
 * Milwaukee District West Line
 * Union Pacific West Line
 * Pace
 * Pace I-90 Express

Airport

 * Aurora Municipal Airport

Major highways
Kane county has an extensive county highway system that includes federal, state and county maintained routes. During the years that the county was represented by Dennis Hastert it received many federal earmarks for highway improvements to respond to population growth. In addition, the county has entered into an agreement with the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority to operate a limited access toll bridge on the Longmeadow Parkway that is not connected to any other tollway.

 * I-88.svg Interstate 88
 * I-90.svg Interstate 90
 * US 20.svg U.S. Highway 20
 * US 30.svg U.S. Highway 30
 * US 34.svg U.S. Highway 34
 * Illinois 19.svg Illinois Route 19
 * Illinois 25.svg Illinois Route 25
 * Illinois 31.svg Illinois Route 31
 * Illinois 38.svg Illinois Route 38
 * Illinois 47.svg Illinois Route 47
 * Illinois 56.svg Illinois Route 56
 * Illinois 58.svg Illinois Route 58
 * Illinois 62.svg Illinois Route 62
 * Illinois 64.svg Illinois Route 64
 * Illinois 68.svg Illinois Route 68
 * Illinois 72.svg Illinois Route 72
 * Illinois 110.svg Illinois Route 110
 * Kane County 20.svg Army Trail Road
 * Kane County 34.svg Randall Road
 * Kane County 86.svg Longmeadow Parkway
 * Kane County Route 37
 * Lake Cook Road

Cities

 * Aurora (mostly)
 * Batavia (mostly)
 * Elgin (mostly)
 * Geneva (mostly)
 * St. Charles (mostly)

Villages

 * Algonquin (part)
 * Barrington Hills (part)
 * Bartlett (part)
 * Big Rock
 * Burlington
 * Campton Hills
 * Carpentersville
 * East Dundee (mostly)
 * Elburn
 * Gilberts
 * Hampshire
 * Hoffman Estates (part)
 * Huntley (part)
 * Kaneville
 * Lily Lake
 * Maple Park (part)
 * Montgomery (mostly)
 * North Aurora
 * Pingree Grove
 * Sleepy Hollow
 * South Elgin
 * Sugar Grove
 * Virgil
 * Wayne (part)
 * West Dundee

Census-designated place

 * Prestbury

Other unincorporated communities

 * Allens Corners
 * Almora
 * Bald Mound
 * Bowes
 * Five Island Park
 * Freeman
 * La Fox
 * Mooseheart
 * North Plato
 * Nottingham Woods
 * Plato Center
 * Rainbow Hills
 * Starks
 * Thornwood
 * Udina
 * Valley View
 * Wasco

Townships

 * Aurora Township
 * Batavia Township
 * Big Rock Township
 * Blackberry Township
 * Burlington Township
 * Campton Township
 * Dundee Township
 * Elgin Township
 * Geneva Township
 * Hampshire Township
 * Kaneville Township
 * Plato Township
 * Rutland Township
 * St. Charles Township
 * Sugar Grove Township
 * Virgil Township

Kane County Board
Kane County services are overseen by a 24 member Board which is elected every two years. The Board's chair is elected every four years. The Board sets the County's budget. Corrine Michelle Pierog is the current County Board Chair. There are currently 16 Democrats and 8 Republicans on the Board.

In addition to the Board chair, there are nine county officeholders elected countywide every four years. These positions are the Auditor, Circuit Clerk, County Clerk, Coroner, Recorder, Regional Office of Education Superintendent, Sheriff, State's Attorney, and Treasurer.

16th Circuit
Kane County is coterminous with the 16th Judicial Circuit. The 16th Judicial Circuit is divided into four subcircuits. The first subcircuit consists of the majority of Aurora Township. The second subcircuit consists of most of Elgin and Dundee townships. The fourth subcircuit consists the tri-cities area of Batavia, Geneva, and Saint Charles. The third subcircuit consists of all territory not included in the other three subcircuits, which corresponds to an area of roughly the western two thirds of the county.

Politics
As one of the Yankee-settled and prosperous suburban "collar counties", Kane County was a stronghold of the Free Soil Party in its first few elections, being one of nine Illinois counties to give a plurality to Martin van Buren in 1848. Kane County then unsurprisingly became solidly Republican for the century and a half following that party's formation. It voted for the GOP presidential nominee in every election between 1856 and 2004 except that of 1912 when the Republican Party was mortally divided and Progressive candidate Theodore Roosevelt carried the county with a majority of the vote over conservative incumbent William Howard Taft.

The gradual shift of the GOP towards white Southern Evangelicals, however, has led the generally moderate electorate of Kane and the other "collar counties" to trend towards the Democratic Party. In 2008, Senator Barack Obama became the first Democrat to carry Kane County since Franklin Pierce in 1852, and the first ever to win an absolute majority of the county's vote (the previous two Democratic winners, Pierce and James K. Polk in 1844 had both gained only pluralities due to strong Free Soil votes). Obama won a plurality in 2012, and Hillary Clinton improved upon Obama's showing to become the second Democrat to win a majority in 2016. In 2020, Joe Biden had the best performance ever by a Democrat in the county, even besting Obama's 2008 victory.

Kane County is represented in the United States House of Representatives by Democrats Bill Foster (11th District), Raja Krishnamoorthi (8th District), and Lauren Underwood (14th District).

Notable people

 * Geneva, Illinois§Notable people
 * Batavia, Illinois§Notable people
 * St. Charles, Illinois§Notable people
 * List of people from Elgin, Illinois
 * List of people from Aurora, Illinois
 * Carpentersville, Illinois§Notable residents
 * East Dundee, Illinois§Notable residents
 * Hampshire, Illinois§Notable people
 * Kaneville, Illinois§Notable natives
 * Montgomery, Illinois§Notable people
 * Sugar Grove, Illinois§Notable people
 * West Dundee, Illinois§Notable resident

title: Kane County, Illinois


text:
Johnson County, Illinois

Johnson County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 13,308. Its county seat is Vienna. It is located in the southern portion of Illinois known locally as "Little Egypt".

History
Johnson County was organized in 1812 out of Randolph County. It was named for Richard Mentor Johnson, who was then a U.S. Congressman from Kentucky. In 1813, Johnson commanded a Kentucky regiment at the Battle of the Thames, after which he claimed to have killed Tecumseh in hand-to-hand combat. Johnson went on to become Vice President of the United States.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 349 sqmi, of which 344 sqmi is land and 4.9 sqmi (1.4%) is water.

Climate and weather
In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Vienna have ranged from a low of 25 °F in January to a high of 90 °F in July, although a record low of -20 °F was recorded in January 1977 and a record high of 103 °F was recorded in August 2007. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 3.16 in in October to 5.16 in in May.

Major highways

 * [[Image:I-24.svg|20px]] Interstate 24
 * [[Image:I-57.svg|20px]] Interstate 57
 * [[Image:US 45.svg|20px]] U.S. Route 45
 * [[Image:Illinois 37.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 37
 * [[Image:Illinois 146.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 146
 * [[Image:Illinois 147.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 147
 * [[Image:Illinois 166.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 166

Transit

 * List of intercity bus stops in Illinois

Adjacent counties

 * Williamson County - north
 * Saline County - northeast
 * Pope County - east
 * Massac County - southeast
 * Pulaski County - southwest
 * Union County - west

National protected areas

 * Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge (part)
 * Shawnee National Forest (part)

2010
Whereas, according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:
 * 89.0% White
 * 8.0% Black
 * 0.2% Native American
 * 0.2% Asian
 * 0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
 * 1.0% Two or more races
 * 1.6% Other races
 * 3.0% Hispanic or Latino (of any race)

2010
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 12,582 people, 4,584 households, and 3,270 families residing in the county. The population density was 36.6 PD/sqmi. There were 5,598 housing units at an average density of 16.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the county was 89.0% white, 8.0% black or African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 1.6% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 17.6% were German, 11.5% were Irish, 10.9% were English, and 6.5% were American.

Of the 4,584 households, 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.2% were married couples living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 28.7% were non-families, and 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.85. The median age was 42.2 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $41,619 and the median income for a family was $47,423. Males had a median income of $48,047 versus $30,904 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,402, the lowest of all 102 counties in Illinois and 57th in the U.S. About 11.1% of families and 13.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.0% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.

Cities

 * Marion (mostly in Williamson County)
 * Vienna

Villages

 * Belknap
 * Buncombe
 * Cypress
 * Goreville
 * New Burnside
 * Simpson

Unincorporated communities

 * Bloomfield
 * Crossroads
 * Dixon Springs
 * Elvira
 * Ganntown
 * Grantsburg
 * Ozark
 * Parker City
 * Pleasant Grove
 * Pond
 * Reevesville
 * Reynoldsburg
 * Tunnel Hill
 * West Vienna
 * White Hill

Politics
In its early days Johnson County, being strongly Southern in its culture, was fiercely Democratic. In fact, in the 1860 presidential election, the county gave Illinois native and Northern Democrat Stephen A. Douglas a higher proportion of its votes than any other county in the United States.

However, during the Civil War, under the influence of Congressman John Logan, this region of dubious initial loyalty was to provide a number of Union soldiers rivaled on a per capita basis only by a few fiercely Unionist counties in Appalachia. This level of Union service has meant that despite its historic hostility towards Yankee culture, Johnson County has been powerfully Republican ever since the Civil War. Douglas in 1860 remains the last Democrat to win a majority of the county's vote: the solitary Democratic victory since was when Bill Clinton won a plurality against Republican George H. W. Bush and independent Ross Perot.

Education
School districts include:

K-12:
 * Century Community Unit School District 100
 * Goreville Community Unit School District 1
 * Marion Community Unit School District 2

Secondary:
 * Vienna High School District 133

Elementary:
 * Buncombe Consolidated School District 43
 * Cypress School District 64
 * New Simpson Hill Consolidated District 32
 * Vienna School District 55

title: Johnson County, Illinois