Henderson County, Illinois

Henderson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 United States census, it has a population of 6,387.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Its county seat is Oquawka.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Henderson County is part of the Burlington, IA–IL Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Henderson County was formed in 1841 from a portion of Warren County. It was named for Henderson County, Kentucky, which was named for Richard Henderson,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> founder of the Transylvania Company, an early attempt to organize what later became Kentucky around 1775.

• Henderson County at the time of its creation in 1841
  Henderson County at the time of its creation in 1841

Geography

According to the US Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (4.1%) is water.<ref name="census-density"/>

Climate and weather

Template:Climate chart In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Oquawka 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 February 1996 and a record high of Template:Convert was recorded in August 1983. Average monthly precipitation ranged from Template:Convert in January to Template:Convert in July.<ref name="weather"/>

Major highways

• File:US 34.svg U.S. Highway 34
• File:Illinois 94.svg Illinois Route 94
• File:Illinois 96.svg Illinois Route 96
• File:Illinois 116.svg Illinois Route 116
• File:Illinois 164.svg Illinois Route 164

Adjacent counties

• Mercer County - north
• Warren County - east
• McDonough County - southeast
• Hancock County - south
• Lee County, Iowa - southwest
• Des Moines County, Iowa - west

Demographics

Template:US Census populationAs of the 2010 United States census, there were 7,331 people, 3,149 households, and 2,127 families residing in the county.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The population density was Template:Convert. There were 3,827 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert.<ref name="census-density">Template:Cite web</ref> The racial makeup of the county was 98.2% white, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.1% Pacific islander, 0.2% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.1% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 24.4% were German, 14.5% were Irish, 11.9% were English, 5.9% were Swedish, and 5.0% were American.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Of the 3,149 households, 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.9% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.5% were non-families, and 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.78. The median age was 47.2 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $43,450 and the median income for a family was $55,154. Males had a median income of $41,052 versus $27,426 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,492. About 7.8% of families and 11.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.3% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Government and politics

Government

County Board

Office<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>		Name	Party
	County Board at-large	Kim Gullberg	Republican
	County Board at-large	Bill Knupp	Republican
	County Board at-large	Kurt McChesney	Republican
	County Board at-large	Todd Miller	Republican
	County Board at-large	Janet Stubbs	Republican

County Officials

Office<ref name=":0" />		Name	Party
	Circuit Clerk	Sandra Keane	Republican
	Coroner	John Fedler	Republican
	State's Attorney	Susan Maxwell-Schneider	Republican

Courts

Judicial Court

Office<ref name=":0" />		Name	Party
	9th Circuit Court	Bruce Beal	Independent
	9th Circuit Court	James Standard	Independent
	9th Circuit Court	Nigel Graham	Republican
	9th Circuit Court	Rodney Clark	Independent

As part of Yankee-settled Northern Illinois, Henderson County was solidly Whig in its first three elections and then equally Republican from that party's formation until the Great Depression. Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932 was the first Democrat to win it, but the county returned to Republican Alf Landon in 1936 and was not won by a Democrat until the GOP nominated the southern-oriented conservative Barry Goldwater in 1964.

After that, like many Yankee counties, it returned to its Republican roots between 1968 and 1984, but turned reliably Democratic in presidential elections from 1988 to 2012. Republican Donald Trump carried the county with over 61 percent of the vote in 2016; the highest percentage won by any Republican candidate since Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956, and for then Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton, it was the lowest by a Democrat since Al Smith in 1928. Republican margins have continued to improve in each subsequent election as rural Illinois shifts sharply to the right and native son Barack Obama is no longer on the ballot, with Trump's 68% in 2024 marking the best Republican result since 1928. The county's new Republican dominance has extended to the local level as well, with Republicans going entirely unchallenged for county office.<ref name=":0" />

Henderson County is located in Illinois's 17th Congressional District and is currently represented by Democrat Eric Sorensen. For the Illinois House of Representatives, the county is located in the 94th district and is currently represented by Republican Randy Frese. The county is located in the 47th district of the Illinois Senate, and is currently represented by Republican Jil Tracy. Along with five other counties,Template:Efn Henderson County makes up Illinois's 9th Judicial Circuit Court.

Communities

City

• Dallas City (partly in Hancock County)

Villages

• Biggsville
• Gladstone
• Gulfport
• Lomax
• Media
• Oquawka
• Raritan
• Stronghurst

Unincorporated communities

• Bald Bluff
• Carman
• Carthage Lake
• Decorra
• Hopper
• Olena
• Shokonon
• Terre Haute

Townships

Henderson County is divided into eleven townships:

• Bald Bluff
• Biggsville
• Carman
• Gladstone
• Lomax
• Media
• Oquawka
• Raritan
• Rozetta
• Stronghurst
• Terre Haute

State and Federal facilities

• Big River State Forest - 2,900 acre preserve adjacent to the Mississippi River (1925)
• Delabar State Park - 89 acre preserve adjacent to the Mississippi River (1960)
• Oquawka State Wildlife Refuge<ref>Oquawka State Wildlife Refuge Illinois State Parks (accessed 19 December 2018)</ref>

Education

K-12 school districts include:<ref>Template:Cite map</ref>

• Mercer County School District 404
• United Community School District 304
• West Central Community Unit School District 235
• West Prairie Community Unit School District 103

There is one secondary school district that extends into the county, Illini West High School District 307, as well as two elementary school districts: Dallas Elementary School District 327 and La Harpe Community School District 347.<ref name=SDMap2020>Template:Cite map</ref>

See also

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

Further reading

• History of Mercer and Henderson Counties, Together with Biographical Matter, Statistics, Etc. Chicago: H.H. Hill and Company, 1882.

External links

• Henderson County Public Library District
• Henderson County Economic Development Corporation Template:Webarchive
• Henderson County Genealogy
• Henderson County Tombstone Project