Carroll County, Illinois

Carroll County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2020 census, the population was 15,702.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Its county seat is Mount Carroll.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref>

History

Carroll County was formed in 1839 out of Jo Daviess County. The county is named for Charles Carroll who signed the Declaration of Independence.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Carroll, who died in 1832, was the last signer to die.

• Carroll County at the time of its creation in 1839
  Carroll County at the time of its creation in 1839

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (4.6%) is water.<ref name="census-density"/> The Mississippi Palisades State Park is in this county, just north of the city of Savanna. The Savanna Army Depot is located partly in this county.

Adjacent counties

• Stephenson County - northeast
• Ogle County - east
• Whiteside County - south
• Clinton County, Iowa - southwest
• Jackson County, Iowa - west
• Jo Daviess County - northwest

National protected area

• Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge (part)

Major highways

• File:US 52.svg US Route 52
• File:Illinois 40.svg Illinois Route 40
• File:Illinois 64.svg Illinois Route 64
• File:Illinois 72.svg Illinois Route 72
• File:Illinois 73.svg Illinois Route 73
• File:Illinois 78.svg Illinois Route 78
• File:Illinois 84.svg Illinois Route 84

Climate and weather

Template:Climate chart In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Mount Carroll have ranged from a low of Template:Convert in January to a high of Template:Convert in July, although a record low of Template:Convert was recorded in January 1910 and a record high of Template:Convert was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from Template:Convert in January to Template:Convert in June.<ref name="weather"/>

Demographics

File:USA Carroll County, Illinois age pyramid.svg

2000 census age pyramid for Carroll County.

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 15,387 people, 6,622 households, and 4,343 families residing in the county.<ref name="census-dp1">Template:Cite web</ref> The population density was Template:Convert. There were 8,437 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert.<ref name="census-density">Template:Cite web</ref> The racial makeup of the county was 96.9% white, 0.8% black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.6% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.8% of the population.<ref name="census-dp1"/> In terms of ancestry, 40.4% were German, 14.0% were Irish, 11.2% were English, and 10.6% were American.<ref name="census-dp2">Template:Cite web</ref>

Of the 6,622 households, 26.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.1% were married couples living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.4% were non-families, and 29.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.80. The median age was 46.5 years.<ref name="census-dp1"/>

The median income for a household in the county was $44,805 and the median income for a family was $55,341. Males had a median income of $42,421 versus $27,552 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,914. About 7.8% of families and 11.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.4% of those under age 18 and 5.8% of those age 65 or over.<ref name="census-dp3">Template:Cite web</ref>

Education

• Chadwick-Milledgeville Community Unit School District 399
• Eastland Community Unit School District 308
• West Carroll Community Unit School District 314

Communities

Community	Community type	Population	Total Area	Water Area	Land Area	Pop. Density
Chadwick	village	481	0.31	0.00	0.31	1,546.62
Lanark	city	1,504	1.12	0.00	1.12	1,341.66
Milledgeville	village	1,026	0.69	0.00	0.69	1,486.96
Mount Carroll (seat)	city	1,479	2.00	0.00	2.00	738.39
Savanna	city	2,783	2.71	0.09	2.62	1,063.84
Shannon	village	801	0.48	0.00	0.48	1,661.83
Thomson	village	1,610	2.22	0.00	2.22	725.55
Carroll County	county	15,702	466	22	445	34

Townships

Carroll County is divided into these twelve townships:

• Cherry Grove-Shannon
• Elkhorn Grove
• Fairhaven
• Freedom
• Mount Carroll
• Rock Creek-Lima
• Salem
• Savanna
• Washington
• Woodland
• Wysox
• York

Census designated place

• Lake Carroll

Unincorporated Communities

• Argo Fay
• Arnold
• Ashdale Junction
• Ayers
• Blackhawk
• Burke
• Center Hill
• Ebner
• Elkhorn Grove
• Fair Haven
• Georgetown
• Hazelhurst
• Hickory Grove
• Hitt
• Ideal
• Kittredge
• Marcus
• Polsgrove
• South Elkhorn
• Wacker
• Zier Cors

Notable people

• John Acker, Illinois state representative, was born on a farm near Savanna.<ref>'Illinois Blue Book 1933-1934,' Biographical Sketch of John Acker, pg. 219</ref>
• Willis J. Bailey, United States Representative from Kansas and the 16th Governor of Kansas<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Neva Burright, Illinois harness racing driver and first woman to win a Grand Circuit race
• David J. Summerville, Wisconsin State Assemblyman<ref>'Wisconsin Blue Book 1923,' Biographical Sketch of David J. Summerville, pg. 636</ref>

Politics

Template:PresHead Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresFoot As a part of Yankee-settled Northern Illinois, Carroll County became solidly Republican upon that party's formation in the 1850s. Of all the counties won by inaugural Republican Party presidential nominee John Charles Frémont in 1856, Carroll County was to maintain the longest unbroken string of supporting the GOP in subsequent elections. It would give a plurality to every subsequent Republican Presidential nominee up to George W. Bush in 2004, beating by three elections the second longest run of Indiana's Porter County which was to give a plurality to Bill Clinton in 1996.

In that 1996 election Bob Dole won Carroll County by only 1.51 percentage points – the smallest margin by a Republican to that point – and in 2008 Illinois native Barack Obama broke this last remaining GOP streak stretching back to Frémont by carrying the county by 4.80 percentage points. Obama was to repeat his win in 2012 by 1.49 percent, but a dramatic swing to Republican Donald Trump in 2016 saw him win by the largest margin since Ronald Reagan’s 1984 landslide by gaining 59.6% of the vote in Carroll County, scoring slightly higher than George H.W. Bush's victory in 1988 in which Bush won 59.4% of the vote in Carroll County.

The largest margin of victory ever in Carroll County was achieved by Warren G. Harding who won 86.7% of votes in the county during the 1920 United States presidential election.

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Carroll County, Illinois

External links

• Carroll County Government
• Visit Carroll County
• Village of Chadwick
• City of Lanark
• Village of Milledgeville
• City of Mt. Carroll
• City of Savanna
• Visit Savanna
• Village of Shannon
• Village of Thomson
• Visit Thomson
• United States Census Bureau 2007 TIGER/Line Shapefiles
• United States Board on Geographic Names (GNIS)
• United States National Atlas