Crawford County, Illinois

Crawford County
County
Crawford County Courthouse in Robinson
Location within the U.S. state of Illinois
Illinois's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 39°00′N87°46′W / 39°N 87.76°W / 39; -87.76
Country	United States
State	Illinois
Founded	1816
Named for	William H. Crawford
Seat	Robinson
Largest city	Robinson
Area
• Total	446 sq mi (1,160 km2)
• Land	444 sq mi (1,150 km2)
• Water	2.2 sq mi (6 km2)  0.5%
Population  (2020)
• Total	18,679
• Density	42/sq mi (16/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	12th
Website	crawfordcountyil.org

Crawford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,679. ^[1] Its county seat is Robinson. ^[2]

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, ^[3] 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 between 1819 and 1821
• 
  Crawford between 1821 and 1824
• 
  Crawford between 1824 and 1831
• 
  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. ^[4]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 446 square miles (1,160 km²), of which 444 square miles (1,150 km²) is land and 2.2 square miles (5.7 km²) (0.5%) is water. ^[5] Some of the county's eastern border is defined by the Wabash River.

Climate and weather

Robinson, Illinois
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     2.5     37 21     2.6     44 26     3.8     55 35     4     66 44     4.7     77 54     3.8     85 64     4.2     89 67     3.8     87 65     3.5     81 57     3     69 45     3.9     54 37     3.2     42 26 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches Source: The Weather Channel [6]
Metric conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     62     3 −6     66     7 −3     97     13 2     102     19 7     119     25 12     97     29 18     108     32 19     96     31 18     89     27 14     77     21 7     98     12 3     80     6 −3 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Robinson have ranged from a low of 21 °F (−6 °C) in January to a high of 89 °F (32 °C) in July, although a record low of −23 °F (−31 °C) was recorded in December 1989 and a record high of 114 °F (46 °C) was recorded in July 1954. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.45 inches (62 mm) in January to 4.67 inches (119 mm) in May. ^[6]

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

• Illinois Route 1
• Illinois Route 33

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1820	3,022		—
1830	3,117		3.1%
1840	4,422		41.9%
1850	7,135		61.4%
1860	11,551		61.9%
1870	13,889		20.2%
1880	16,197		16.6%
1890	17,283		6.7%
1900	19,240		11.3%
1910	26,281		36.6%
1920	22,771		−13.4%
1930	21,085		−7.4%
1940	21,294		1.0%
1950	21,137		−0.7%
1960	20,751		−1.8%
1970	19,824		−4.5%
1980	20,818		5.0%
1990	19,464		−6.5%
2000	20,452		5.1%
2010	19,817		−3.1%
2020	18,679		−5.7%
2023 (est.)	18,300	[7]	−2.0%
U.S. Decennial Census [8] 1790-1960 [9] 1900-1990 [10] 1990-2000 [11] 2010 [12]

2000 census age pyramid for Crawford County

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 19,817 people, 7,763 households, and 5,154 families living in the county. ^[13] The population density was 44.7 inhabitants per square mile (17.3/km²). There were 8,661 housing units at an average density of 19.5 per square mile (7.5/km²). ^[5] 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. ^[13] In terms of ancestry, 25.0% were German, 14.4% were American, 12.4% were Irish, and 9.9% were English. ^[14]

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. ^[13]

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. ^[15]

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.

United States presidential election results for Crawford County, Illinois ^[16]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	7,043	74.60%	2,202	23.32%	196	2.08%
2016	6,277	71.83%	1,992	22.79%	470	5.38%
2012	5,585	64.69%	2,858	33.11%	190	2.20%
2008	5,070	55.39%	3,883	42.42%	200	2.19%
2004	6,083	65.18%	3,194	34.23%	55	0.59%
2000	4,974	58.52%	3,333	39.21%	193	2.27%
1996	3,965	45.61%	3,627	41.72%	1,101	12.67%
1992	3,606	37.29%	3,964	40.99%	2,101	21.72%
1988	4,951	57.76%	3,555	41.48%	65	0.76%
1984	6,261	66.44%	3,130	33.21%	33	0.35%
1980	5,894	60.70%	3,372	34.73%	444	4.57%
1976	5,522	51.99%	5,007	47.14%	93	0.88%
1972	6,568	65.32%	3,477	34.58%	10	0.10%
1968	5,870	58.13%	3,383	33.50%	845	8.37%
1964	4,834	46.22%	5,624	53.78%	0	0.00%
1960	6,809	61.58%	4,245	38.39%	4	0.04%
1956	6,747	63.28%	3,906	36.63%	9	0.08%
1952	6,768	63.11%	3,947	36.81%	9	0.08%
1948	5,111	54.58%	4,150	44.32%	103	1.10%
1944	6,056	57.04%	4,482	42.22%	79	0.74%
1940	7,036	54.95%	5,703	44.54%	66	0.52%
1936	5,823	48.13%	6,164	50.95%	112	0.93%
1932	4,550	42.13%	6,081	56.31%	169	1.56%
1928	5,989	62.90%	3,495	36.70%	38	0.40%
1924	4,830	51.25%	4,223	44.81%	372	3.95%
1920	5,188	55.02%	4,092	43.39%	150	1.59%
1916	5,084	46.28%	5,570	50.71%	331	3.01%
1912	1,266	22.30%	2,691	47.41%	1,719	30.29%
1908	3,090	49.42%	2,890	46.23%	272	4.35%
1904	2,296	51.85%	1,850	41.78%	282	6.37%
1900	2,301	49.11%	2,299	49.07%	85	1.81%
1896	2,172	47.66%	2,342	51.39%	43	0.94%
1892	1,790	45.44%	1,875	47.60%	274	6.96%

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

1. "Crawford County, Illinois". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved June 8, 2023.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp.  95.
4. Perrin, p. 42.
5. "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
6. "Monthly Averages for Robinson, Illinois". The Weather Channel. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
7. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
8. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
9. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Archived from the original on August 11, 2012. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
10. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on April 24, 2014. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
11. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 18, 2014. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
12. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
13. "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
14. "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
15. "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
16. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Archived from the original on March 23, 2018.

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

39°00′N87°46′W / 39.00°N 87.76°W / 39.00; -87.76