Effingham County, Illinois

For other places named Effingham, see Effingham (disambiguation).

Effingham County
County
Effingham County Government Center and Jail in Effingham
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Illinois
Illinois's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 39°04′N88°35′W / 39.06°N 88.59°W / 39.06; -88.59
Country	United States
State	Illinois
Founded	1831
Named for	Thomas Howard, 3rd Earl of Effingham
Seat	Effingham
Largest city	Effingham
Area
• Total	480 sq mi (1,200 km2)
• Land	479 sq mi (1,240 km2)
• Water	1.2 sq mi (3 km2)  0.3%
Population  (2020)
• Total	34,668
• Density	72/sq mi (28/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	12th
Website	www.effinghamcountyil.gov

Effingham County is a county located in the south central part of the U.S. state Illinois. As of the 2020 census, the population was 34,668. ^[1] Its county seat and largest city is Effingham. Some other cities in Effingham County, Illinois include Altamont, Teutopolis, Beecher City, Montrose, Dieterich, Shumway, Watson, Mason, and Edgewood. Effingham County comprises the Effingham, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area. ^[2]

History

Effingham County at the time of its creation in 1831

Effingham County was formed in 1831 out of Fayette and Crawford counties. It may have been named after Thomas Howard, 3rd Earl of Effingham, who resigned his commission as general in the British army in 1775, refusing to serve in the war against the Colonies. The name is Anglo-Saxon for "Effa's house". New information suggests that the county was named after a surveyor who surveyed the area whose last name was Effingham. There is no written proof that the county was named after Lord Effingham.

Government

Effingham County Courthouse in Effingham

Effingham County is governed by a board of elected representatives. ^[3] The Effingham County Board is the legislative body of County Government. It is composed of nine elected members, each representing a geographic district within the County. Each district is currently composed on average of just under 4000 residents. The districts are adjusted every 10 years after the national census information is published. The current Effingham County Board Chairman is Joshua Douthit (Republican) elected in 2022 from District B.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 480 square miles (1,200 km²), of which 479 square miles (1,240 km²) is land and 1.2 square miles (3.1 km²) (0.3%) is water. ^[4]

Just west of Effingham on Interstate 70 there is a 198-foot (60 m) white cross; 35,000 vehicles are estimated to pass the site each day. It is one of the world's tallest crosses, and took over 200 short tons (180 t) of steel to erect.

Climate and weather

Effingham, Illinois
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     2.4     35 18     2.5     41 22     3.6     52 32     4.1     64 42     4.5     74 52     4.3     83 62     4.5     87 66     2.9     85 63     3     78 55     3     67 43     4.1     52 34     3.3     40 23 █ 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     60     2 −8     64     5 −6     92     11 0     104     18 6     113     23 11     108     28 17     115     31 19     74     29 17     77     26 13     75     19 6     103     11 1     83     4 −5 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Effingham have ranged from a low of 18 °F (−8 °C) in January to a high of 87 °F (31 °C) in July, although a record low of −29 °F (−34 °C) was recorded in January 1915 and a record high of 111 °F (44 °C) was recorded in July 1954. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.38 inches (60 mm) in January to 4.51 inches (115 mm) in July. ^[5]

Adjacent counties

• Cumberland County - northeast
• Jasper County - east
• Clay County - south
• Fayette County - west
• Shelby County - northwest

Major highways

• Interstate 57
• Interstate 70
• U.S. Route 40
• U.S. Route 45
• Illinois Route 32
• Illinois Route 33
• Illinois Route 37
• Illinois Route 128

Transit

• Effingham station
• List of intercity bus stops in Illinois

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1840	1,675		—
1850	3,799		126.8%
1860	7,816		105.7%
1870	15,653		100.3%
1880	18,920		20.9%
1890	19,358		2.3%
1900	20,465		5.7%
1910	20,055		−2.0%
1920	19,556		−2.5%
1930	19,013		−2.8%
1940	22,034		15.9%
1950	21,675		−1.6%
1960	23,107		6.6%
1970	24,608		6.5%
1980	30,944		25.7%
1990	31,704		2.5%
2000	34,264		8.1%
2010	34,242		−0.1%
2020	34,668		1.2%
2023 (est.)	34,331	[6]	−1.0%
U.S. Decennial Census [7] 1790-1960 [8] 1900-1990 [9] 1990-2000 [10] 2010-2013 [1]

2000 census age pyramid for Effingham County

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 34,242 people, 13,515 households, and 9,302 families residing in the county. ^[11] The population density was 71.5 inhabitants per square mile (27.6/km²). There were 14,570 housing units at an average density of 30.4 per square mile (11.7/km²). ^[4] The racial makeup of the county was 97.6% white, 0.4% Asian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.1% American Indian, 0.8% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.7% of the population. ^[11] In terms of ancestry, 41.6% were German, 10.0% were Irish, 9.3% were American, and 8.8% were English. ^[12]

Of the 13,515 households, 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.9% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.2% were non-families, and 26.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.03. The median age was 39.2 years. ^[11]

The median income for a household in the county was $49,509 and the median income for a family was $61,373. Males had a median income of $40,951 versus $28,209 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,843. About 7.8% of families and 10.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.1% of those under age 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 or over. ^[13]

Communities

Cities

• Altamont
• Effingham (seat)

Town

• Mason

Villages

• Beecher City
• Dieterich
• Edgewood
• Montrose
• Shumway
• Teutopolis
• Watson

Townships

Effingham County is divided into fifteen townships:

• Banner
• Bishop
• Douglas
• Jackson
• Liberty
• Lucas
• Mason
• Moccasin
• Mound
• St. Francis
• Summit
• Teutopolis
• Union
• Watson
• West

Unincorporated Communities

• Dexter
• Elliottstown
• Funkhouser
• Gilmore
• Heartville
• Moccasin

Politics

In its early years Effingham County was owing to its anti-Civil War German-American population powerfully Democratic. Until Woodrow Wilson’s harsh policies towards Germany following World War I drove many voters to the GOP’s Warren G. Harding, it had voted an absolute majority to the Democratic presidential candidate in every election since the county’s formation. Opposition to the New Deal caused a considerable swing away from Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1936, and combined with local opposition to Roosevelt’s war policies in 1940 to cause FDR to only win the county by forty-seven votes from Wendell Willkie.

Since that election, the county has voted Republican in every election except 1948 and 1964, and no Democrat since Jimmy Carter in 1976 has reached 35 percent of the county’s vote. Currently Effingham County is one of Illinois’ most Republican counties, rivalled by a number of southern counties like Edwards. In the 2008 U.S. presidential election, John McCain carried the county by a 36% margin over Barack Obama, making it McCain's strongest county in the state, with Obama carrying his home state by a 25.1% margin over McCain. ^[14]

Currently all elected officials holding major offices in Effingham County are Republican with 8 of 9 elected County Board Representatives being Republican.

United States presidential election results for Effingham County, Illinois ^[15]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	15,124	78.96%	3,617	18.88%	413	2.16%
2020	15,006	78.64%	3,716	19.47%	361	1.89%
2016	13,635	77.43%	3,083	17.51%	891	5.06%
2012	12,501	75.25%	3,861	23.24%	251	1.51%
2008	11,323	67.08%	5,262	31.17%	295	1.75%
2004	11,774	72.33%	4,388	26.96%	116	0.71%
2000	9,855	68.04%	4,225	29.17%	405	2.80%
1996	7,696	54.18%	4,825	33.97%	1,683	11.85%
1992	6,329	42.25%	5,221	34.85%	3,431	22.90%
1988	8,431	64.53%	4,553	34.85%	82	0.63%
1984	9,617	71.22%	3,841	28.44%	46	0.34%
1980	9,104	65.93%	4,229	30.63%	475	3.44%
1976	7,194	53.72%	5,952	44.45%	245	1.83%
1972	8,752	66.34%	4,431	33.59%	10	0.08%
1968	6,698	55.95%	4,496	37.55%	778	6.50%
1964	5,044	42.65%	6,782	57.35%	0	0.00%
1960	6,410	53.01%	5,676	46.94%	6	0.05%
1956	6,904	60.67%	4,455	39.15%	21	0.18%
1952	6,530	57.79%	4,745	41.99%	25	0.22%
1948	4,823	48.92%	4,940	50.11%	96	0.97%
1944	5,441	53.77%	4,587	45.33%	91	0.90%
1940	5,941	49.48%	5,988	49.88%	77	0.64%
1936	4,293	40.57%	6,030	56.98%	260	2.46%
1932	2,933	30.65%	6,503	67.96%	133	1.39%
1928	3,882	47.26%	4,239	51.61%	93	1.13%
1924	3,159	39.18%	3,814	47.30%	1,090	13.52%
1920	4,176	57.47%	2,985	41.08%	106	1.46%
1916	3,207	40.36%	4,529	57.00%	210	2.64%
1912	1,002	23.25%	2,575	59.76%	732	16.99%
1908	1,877	38.86%	2,826	58.51%	127	2.63%
1904	1,863	42.68%	2,303	52.76%	199	4.56%
1900	1,853	37.95%	2,979	61.01%	51	1.04%
1896	1,895	38.57%	2,953	60.11%	65	1.32%
1892	1,472	32.92%	2,744	61.37%	255	5.70%

See also

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

References

Specific

1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. "Board | Effingham County, Illinois (IL)". www.co.effingham.il.us. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
4. "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
5. "Monthly Averages for Effingham, 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. "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.
12. "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.
13. "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.
14. U.S. Election Atlas
15. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved November 1, 2018.

General

• History of Southern Illinois, George Washington Smith, 1912.
• United States Census Bureau 2007 TIGER/Line Shapefiles
• United States Board on Geographic Names (GNIS)
• United States National Atlas

External links

• Effingham County History & Genealogy

39°04′N88°35′W / 39.06°N 88.59°W / 39.06; -88.59