Crawford County, Illinois

Crawford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,679.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Its county seat is Robinson.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref>

History

Crawford County was formed in the Illinois Territory on December 31, 1816, out of Edwards County. At the time of its formation, it encompassed about one third of the territory, but it was reduced to its present borders by 1831 as it spawned new counties. It was named in honor of William H. Crawford,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> from Georgia, who was serving as Secretary of War and Secretary of the Treasury at the time. Crawford County was home to several battles between the settlers and Indians, and also the location of the only woman ever hanged in Illinois.

• Crawford County when it was created in 1816, extending north to Lake Superior.
  Crawford County when it was created in 1816, extending north to Lake Superior.
• Crawford County between 1819 and 1821
  Crawford County between 1819 and 1821
• Crawford between 1821 and 1824
  Crawford between 1821 and 1824
• Crawford between 1824 and 1831
  Crawford between 1824 and 1831
• In 1831, the creation of Jasper and Effingham Counties reduced Crawford to its current size.
  In 1831, the creation of Jasper and Effingham Counties reduced Crawford to its current size.

In 1818, the town of Palestine was designated as the county seat. After elections in 1843, a new site was chosen, which would become the town of Robinson.<ref>Perrin, p. 42.</ref>

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 (0.5%) is water.<ref name="census-density"/> Some of the county's eastern border is defined by the Wabash River.

Climate and weather

Template:Climate chart In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Robinson 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 December 1989 and a record high of Template:Convert was recorded in July 1954. Average monthly precipitation ranged from Template:Convert in January to Template:Convert in May.<ref name="weather"/>

Adjacent counties

• Clark County - north
• Sullivan County, Indiana - east
• Knox County, Indiana - southeast
• Lawrence County - south
• Richland County - southwest
• Jasper County - west

Transit

• Rides Mass Transit District

Major highways

• File:Illinois 1.svg Illinois Route 1
• File:Illinois 33.svg Illinois Route 33

Demographics

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 19,817 people, 7,763 households, and 5,154 families living in the county.<ref name="census-dp1">Template:Cite web</ref> The population density was Template:Convert. There were 8,661 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert.<ref name="census-density">Template:Cite web</ref> The racial makeup of the county was 92.8% white, 4.7% black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.8% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.8% of the population.<ref name="census-dp1"/> In terms of ancestry, 25.0% were German, 14.4% were American, 12.4% were Irish, and 9.9% were English.<ref name="census-dp2">Template:Cite web</ref>

Of the 7,763 households, 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.6% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.6% were non-families, and 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age was 41.7 years.<ref name="census-dp1"/>

The median income for a household in the county was $41,434 and the median income for a family was $51,218. Males had a median income of $40,050 versus $30,870 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,545. About 11.1% of families and 16.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.0% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over.<ref name="census-dp3">Template:Cite web</ref>

Communities

Cities

• Robinson (seat)

Villages

• Flat Rock
• Hutsonville
• Oblong
• Palestine
• Stoy

Census-designated places

• Annapolis
• West York

Townships

Crawford County is divided into ten townships:

• Honey Creek
• Hutsonville
• Lamotte
• Licking
• Martin
• Montgomery
• Oblong
• Prairie
• Robinson
• Southwest

Unincorporated Communities

• Bellair
• Dogwood
• Duncanville
• Gordon
• Green Brier
• Hardinville
• Heathsville
• Kibbie
• Landes
• Morea
• New Hebron
• Oil Center
• Oil Grove
• Pierceburg
• Port Jackson
• Porterville
• Richwoods
• Riddleville
• Trimble
• Villas

Politics

Although Crawford County was solidly Democratic before the Populist-backed candidacy of William Jennings Bryan in 1896, it has since become strongly Republican. The last Democrat to gain a majority in the county was Lyndon Johnson in his 1964 landslide, although Bill Clinton won a plurality in 1992. Like all the rural Upland South, Crawford County has shown dramatic swings against the Democratic Party in recent elections, with Hillary Clinton’s 22.8 percent in 2016 the worst performance ever by a Democrat.

See also

• Fort Lamotte
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Crawford County, Illinois

Sources

• Perrin, William Henry, ed.. History of Crawford and Clark Counties, Illinois Chicago, Illinois. O. L. Baskin & Co. (1883).

References

Specific

General

• United States Census Bureau 2007 TIGER/Line Shapefiles
• United States Board on Geographic Names (GNIS)
• United States National Atlas

External links

• Crawford County, Illinois History and Genealogy