Edwards County, Illinois

Edwards County
County
Edwards County Courthouse in Albion
Location within the U.S. state of Illinois
Illinois's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 38°25′N88°04′W / 38.42°N 88.06°W / 38.42; -88.06
Country	United States
State	Illinois
Founded	1814
Named for	Ninian Edwards
Seat	Albion
Largest city	Albion
Area
• Total	223 sq mi (580 km2)
• Land	222 sq mi (570 km2)
• Water	0.3 sq mi (0.8 km2)  0.1%
Population  (2020)
• Total	6,245
• Density	28/sq mi (11/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	12th

Edwards County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,245. ^[1] Its county seat is Albion. ^[2]

History

Edwards County was named for Ninian Edwards, ^[3] the governor of the Illinois Territory, and, later, governor of Illinois.

Edwards County is subdivided into "Road Districts", rather than "Townships" as in most Illinois counties. Pursuant to the Land Ordinance of 1785, the Northwest Territory (including Illinois) was surveyed and mostly organized into townships that are six miles square; but Edwards County was settled prior to that survey, and its pre-existing Road Districts do not generally correspond with the survey's townships.

• 
  Edwards County, when it was created in 1815 from Gallatin and Madison Counties, extended north to Lake Michigan.
• 
  The county between 1816 and 1819. Clark and White Counties were created from Edwards and Gallatin Counties.
• 
  The county between 1819 and 1821. At this point Crawford County was split off from Edwards, and Wayne Counties.
• 
  Edwards between 1821 and 1824
• 
  Edwards in 1824, reduced to its current size by the creation of Wabash County

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 223 square miles (580 km²), of which 222 square miles (570 km²) is land and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km²) (0.1%) is water. ^[4] It is the fourth-smallest county in Illinois by area.

When Edwards County was formed in 1814, it comprised nearly half of the State of Illinois. New counties were formed from it until, in 1824, it assumed its present form from the creation of Wabash County. The two are the fourth and fifth smallest counties in Illinois.

Edwards County is separated from Wabash County by the Bonpas Creek.

Climate and weather

Albion, Illinois
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     2.6     37 21     2.7     44 25     4.3     55 35     5.1     66 45     4.6     76 55     4.2     86 64     3.9     89 68     3.4     88 66     2.9     81 58     3.4     70 47     4.3     54 36     3.5     42 26 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches Source: The Weather Channel [5]
Metric conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     65     3 −6     69     7 −4     109     13 2     130     19 7     117     24 13     106     30 18     98     32 20     87     31 19     73     27 14     85     21 8     109     12 2     89     6 −3 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Albion 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 −20 °F (−29 °C) was recorded in January 1982 and a record high of 109 °F (43 °C) was recorded in July 1954. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.57 inches (65 mm) in January to 5.13 inches (130 mm) in April. ^[5]

Major highways

• Illinois Route 1
• Illinois Route 15
• Illinois Route 130

Adjacent counties

• Richland County (north)
• Wabash County (east)
• White County (south)
• Wayne County (west)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1820	3,444		—
1830	1,649		−52.1%
1840	3,070		86.2%
1850	3,524		14.8%
1860	5,454		54.8%
1870	7,565		38.7%
1880	8,597		13.6%
1890	9,444		9.9%
1900	10,345		9.5%
1910	10,049		−2.9%
1920	9,431		−6.1%
1930	8,303		−12.0%
1940	8,974		8.1%
1950	9,056		0.9%
1960	7,940		−12.3%
1970	7,090		−10.7%
1980	7,961		12.3%
1990	7,440		−6.5%
2000	6,971		−6.3%
2010	6,721		−3.6%
2020	6,245		−7.1%
2023 (est.)	5,968	[6]	−4.4%
U.S. Decennial Census [7] 1790-1960 [8] 1900-1990 [9] 1990-2000 [10] 2010-2017 [11]

2000 census age pyramid for Edwards County

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 6,721 people, 2,840 households, and 1,926 families residing in the county. ^[12] The population density was 30.2 inhabitants per square mile (11.7/km²). There were 3,187 housing units at an average density of 14.3 per square mile (5.5/km²). ^[4] The racial makeup of the county was 98.0% white, 0.4% black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% American Indian, 0.3% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.9% of the population. ^[12] In terms of ancestry, 26.8% were German, 22.4% were English, 13.3% were American, and 8.4% were Irish. ^[13]

Of the 2,840 households, 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.8% were married couples living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.2% were non-families, and 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.86. The median age was 42.7 years. ^[12]

The median income for a household in the county was $40,430 and the median income for a family was $51,337. Males had a median income of $40,183 versus $27,295 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,113. About 10.6% of families and 12.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.1% of those under age 18 and 12.3% of those age 65 or over. ^[14]

Communities

Precincts of Edwards County

Cities

• Albion (seat)
• Grayville (Partially in White County)

Villages

• Bone Gap
• Browns
• West Salem

Unincorporated Communities

• Bennington
• Black
• Ellery
• Maple Grove
• Marion
• Red Top
• Samsville

Precincts

Edwards County is divided into 12 election precincts:

• Albion No. 1
• Albion No. 2
• Albion No. 3
• Bone Gap
• Browns
• Dixon
• Ellery
• French Creek
• Salem No. 1
• Salem No. 2
• Shelby No. 1
• Shelby No. 2

Politics

Edwards County is one of the most consistently Republican counties in the nation. It has voted for the Republican candidate in all Presidential elections from 1856 to present, except in 1912 when the party was divided and Theodore Roosevelt won the county as the “Bull Moose” Progressive candidate. ^[15] In the last five Presidential elections no Democratic candidate has reached 34 percent of the county's vote. ^[16] Edwards County also holds the distinction of having the lowest percentage of any Illinois county of votes for governor Pat Quinn, a Democrat, in his failed 2014 reelection bid. Quinn lost 101 of the 102 counties in Illinois, capturing only 13.7% of the vote in Edwards County. ^[17] Hillary Clinton fared even worse in 2016 with only 13.1 percent of the county's ballots. The last Democrat to win the county was Andrew Jackson in 1832.

United States presidential election results for Edwards County, Illinois ^[18]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	2,794	84.95%	457	13.89%	38	1.16%
2020	2,833	84.12%	488	14.49%	47	1.40%
2016	2,778	83.57%	434	13.06%	112	3.37%
2012	2,405	74.50%	754	23.36%	69	2.14%
2008	2,137	63.56%	1,140	33.91%	85	2.53%
2004	2,412	71.70%	930	27.65%	22	0.65%
2000	2,212	67.85%	978	30.00%	70	2.15%
1996	1,613	51.98%	1,089	35.10%	401	12.92%
1992	1,601	45.07%	1,299	36.57%	652	18.36%
1988	2,212	64.12%	1,218	35.30%	20	0.58%
1984	2,778	72.25%	1,057	27.49%	10	0.26%
1980	2,556	68.14%	1,041	27.75%	154	4.11%
1976	2,379	58.51%	1,648	40.53%	39	0.96%
1972	3,017	73.93%	1,055	25.85%	9	0.22%
1968	2,633	63.68%	1,095	26.48%	407	9.84%
1964	2,262	53.19%	1,991	46.81%	0	0.00%
1960	3,291	69.36%	1,446	30.47%	8	0.17%
1956	3,339	73.38%	1,210	26.59%	1	0.02%
1952	3,502	75.01%	1,162	24.89%	5	0.11%
1948	2,491	66.07%	1,206	31.99%	73	1.94%
1944	3,016	70.96%	1,197	28.16%	37	0.87%
1940	3,361	64.86%	1,770	34.16%	51	0.98%
1936	2,813	55.16%	2,211	43.35%	76	1.49%
1932	2,203	52.25%	1,956	46.39%	57	1.35%
1928	2,861	74.78%	950	24.83%	15	0.39%
1924	2,750	69.59%	1,047	26.49%	155	3.92%
1920	3,002	79.21%	742	19.58%	46	1.21%
1916	2,885	65.39%	1,389	31.48%	138	3.13%
1912	817	34.00%	650	27.05%	936	38.95%
1908	1,614	64.48%	747	29.84%	142	5.67%
1904	1,610	67.28%	595	24.86%	188	7.86%
1900	1,577	64.18%	823	33.50%	57	2.32%
1896	1,572	63.95%	852	34.66%	34	1.38%
1892	1,350	62.59%	677	31.39%	130	6.03%

In other positions the county has been not been consistently Republican for as long, but nevertheless has been so for many years. The last Democratic Senatorial candidate it backed was Alan J. Dixon in 1986 ^[19] and the last Democratic gubernatorial candidate it supported was Glenn Poshard, who carried all of Southern Illinois in his failed 1998 bid. ^[20] Edwards County lies in Illinois's 15th congressional district, which has Cook Partisan Voting Index of R+21 and has been represented by Republican Mike Bost since 2023.

Edwards County is a dry county, with multiple referendums to allow alcohol sales failing in the mid-1990s. The portion of Grayville, Illinois that lies within Edwards County does allow alcohol sales per Grayville city ordinance. ^[21]

See also

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

References

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

1. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on July 4, 2012. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp.  115.
4. "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
5. "Monthly Averages for Albion, Illinois". The Weather Channel. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
6. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
7. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
8. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
9. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
10. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
11. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
12. "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.
13. "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.
14. "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.
15. Kestenbaum, Lawrence. "Edwards County, Illinois". politicalgraveyard.com. The Political Graveyard . Retrieved June 15, 2022.
16. "President Map - Election Results 2008 - The New York Times". elections.nytimes.com.
17. "WJBD - Local News - Quinn Loses Hardest in Edwards County". wjbdradio.com.
18. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org.
19. "David Leip's Election Atlas (Maps for Illinois Senate by election)". uselectionatlas.org.
20. "David Leip's Election Atlas (Maps for Illinois Governor by election)". uselectionatlas.org.
21. "Illinois Liquor Control Commission Home" (PDF). www.state.il.us. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 23, 2013.

External links

• Edwards County precincts and their boundaries

38°25′N88°04′W / 38.42°N 88.06°W / 38.42; -88.06