Lee County, Illinois

Lee County
County
Lee County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Illinois
Illinois's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 41°45′N89°18′W / 41.75°N 89.3°W / 41.75; -89.3
Country	United States
State	Illinois
Founded	February 27, 1839
Named for	Henry Lee III
Seat	Dixon
Largest city	Dixon
Area
• Total	729 sq mi (1,890 km2)
• Land	725 sq mi (1,880 km2)
• Water	4.1 sq mi (11 km2)  0.6%
Population  (2020)
• Total	34,145
• Estimate  (2023)	33,654
• Density	47/sq mi (18/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	16th
Website	www.leecountyil.com

Lee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 34,145. ^[1] Its county seat is Dixon. ^[2] The Dixon, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Lee County.

History

The area's first non-native settlers were mostly from the six New England states. ^[3] The early nineteenth century saw a wave of westward movement from New England, due largely to completion of the Erie Canal and the end of the Black Hawk War. ^{[4] [5]}

The area that included present-day Lee County was delineated as St. Clair County in 1809. In 1823, a large section of northern St. Clair County was partitioned off as Fulton County. In 1825, the northwestern portion of that county was partitioned off as Putnam County. In 1831, the area was further partitioned into Jo Daviess County. A section of that county was partitioned off in 1836 as Ogle County, and in 1839 the bottom half of Ogle County was split off as Lee County. It is largely understood that the county's name honors "Lighthorse Harry" Lee, an officer in the American Revolutionary War. ^[6] An alternative theory suggests the name honors Richard Henry Lee, a member of the Continental Congress (the Declaration of Independence was adopted pursuant to the Lee Resolution).

President Ronald Reagan lived in Dixon as a boy and attended Dixon High School. ^[7]

• 
  Lee County's boundaries have remained unchanged since its creation in 1839.

Geography

According to the US Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 729 square miles (1,890 km²), of which 725 square miles (1,880 km²) is land and 4.1 square miles (11 km²) (0.6%) is water. ^[8]

Adjacent counties

• Ogle County – north
• DeKalb County – east
• LaSalle County - southeast, south
• Bureau County – south, southwest
• Whiteside County – west

Climate and weather

Dixon, Illinois
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     1.6     26 10     1.4     32 15     2.6     44 27     3.6     58 37     4.3     70 48     4.9     79 58     3.5     82 62     4.5     80 60     3.3     73 51     2.7     62 39     2.8     45 28     2.1     35 17 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches Source: The Weather Channel [9]
Metric conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     41     −3 −12     36     0 −9     65     7 −3     92     14 3     110     21 9     124     26 14     88     28 17     114     27 16     84     23 11     69     17 4     72     7 −2     54     2 −8 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Dixon have ranged from a low of 10 °F (−12 °C) in January to a high of 82 °F (28 °C) in July, although a record low of −27 °F (−33 °C) was recorded in January 1999 and a record high of 110 °F (43 °C) was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranges from 1.43 inches (36 mm) in February to 4.88 inches (124 mm) in June. ^[9]

Major highways

• Interstate 39
• Interstate 88
• U.S. Highway 30
• U.S. Highway 51
• U.S. Highway 52
• Illinois Route 2
• Illinois Route 26
• Illinois Route 38
• Illinois Route 110
• Illinois Route 251

Other features

• Green River Ordnance Plant
• Mendota Hills Wind Farm

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1840	2,035		—
1850	5,292		160.0%
1860	17,651		233.5%
1870	27,171		53.9%
1880	27,491		1.2%
1890	26,187		−4.7%
1900	29,894		14.2%
1910	27,750		−7.2%
1920	28,004		0.9%
1930	32,329		15.4%
1940	34,604		7.0%
1950	36,451		5.3%
1960	38,749		6.3%
1970	37,947		−2.1%
1980	36,328		−4.3%
1990	34,392		−5.3%
2000	36,062		4.9%
2010	36,031		−0.1%
2020	34,145		−5.2%
2023 (est.)	33,654	[10]	−1.4%
US Decennial Census [11] 1790-1960 [12] 1900-1990 [13] 1990-2000 [14] 2010 [15]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 36,031 people, 13,758 households, and 9,064 families residing in the county. ^[16] The population density was 49.7 inhabitants per square mile (19.2/km²). There were 15,049 housing units at an average density of 20.8 per square mile (8.0/km²). ^[8] The racial makeup of the county was 90.9% white, 4.8% black or African American, 0.7% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 1.9% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 5.0% of the population. ^[16] In terms of ancestry, 38.0% were German, 18.8% were Irish, 8.4% were English, and 8.2% were American. ^[17]

Of the 13,758 households, 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.2% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.1% were non-families, and 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.94. The median age was 42.0 years. ^[16]

The median income for a household in the county was $48,502 and the median income for a family was $60,759. Males had a median income of $42,114 versus $30,920 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,440. About 7.6% of families and 9.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.8% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over. ^[18]

Communities

A wind farm in southeast Lee county at Interstate 39 exit 82.

Cities

• Amboy
• Dixon (county seat)

Villages

• Ashton
• Compton
• Franklin Grove
• Harmon
• Lee
• Nelson
• Paw Paw
• Steward
• Sublette
• West Brooklyn

Unincorporated communities

• Binghampton
• The Burg

Townships

• Alto
• Amboy
• Ashton
• Bradford
• Brooklyn
• Dixon
• East Grove
• Franklin Grove
• Hamilton
• Harmon
• Lee Center
• Marion
• May
• Nachusa
• Nelson
• Palmyra
• Reynolds
• South Dixon
• Sublette
• Viola
• Willow Creek
• Wyoming

Politics

Lee County is, together with neighboring Ogle County, the most consistently Republican county in Illinois. It is one of very few counties in the United States to have never supported a Democrat for President since the Civil War. The only occasion when the Republican candidate did not win the county in this time was in 1912, when Theodore Roosevelt carried it while running as a member of the Progressive Party, unofficially known as the "Bull Moose" party.

As of 2018, Lee County is in the 16th congressional district, the 45th legislative district, and the 74th and 90th representative districts. ^[19]

United States presidential election results for Lee County, Illinois ^[20]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	9,645	60.27%	6,055	37.84%	303	1.89%
2020	9,630	58.58%	6,407	38.97%	403	2.45%
2016	8,612	55.60%	5,528	35.69%	1,349	8.71%
2012	8,059	52.51%	6,937	45.20%	352	2.29%
2008	8,258	50.49%	7,765	47.47%	334	2.04%
2004	9,307	58.62%	6,416	40.41%	153	0.96%
2000	8,069	55.19%	6,111	41.80%	440	3.01%
1996	6,677	47.08%	5,895	41.57%	1,610	11.35%
1992	6,652	43.15%	5,530	35.87%	3,235	20.98%
1988	8,903	65.48%	4,608	33.89%	85	0.63%
1984	11,178	73.76%	3,919	25.86%	58	0.38%
1980	11,373	73.67%	3,170	20.53%	895	5.80%
1976	8,674	57.54%	6,076	40.30%	326	2.16%
1972	10,636	68.67%	4,788	30.91%	65	0.42%
1968	9,598	62.92%	4,727	30.99%	930	6.10%
1964	8,445	53.59%	7,315	46.41%	0	0.00%
1960	10,835	64.73%	5,896	35.22%	8	0.05%
1956	11,653	71.98%	4,531	27.99%	5	0.03%
1952	11,941	71.71%	4,700	28.23%	10	0.06%
1948	9,001	66.97%	4,368	32.50%	72	0.54%
1944	10,397	67.88%	4,899	31.98%	21	0.14%
1940	11,228	64.96%	6,005	34.74%	52	0.30%
1936	8,914	54.92%	6,845	42.17%	473	2.91%
1932	7,802	51.46%	7,182	47.37%	177	1.17%
1928	9,238	67.14%	4,476	32.53%	46	0.33%
1924	8,363	69.36%	2,367	19.63%	1,327	11.01%
1920	7,615	78.94%	1,715	17.78%	316	3.28%
1916	7,985	63.95%	4,087	32.73%	414	3.32%
1912	1,482	23.03%	1,995	31.00%	2,959	45.98%
1908	4,255	63.50%	2,144	32.00%	302	4.51%
1904	4,634	69.77%	1,604	24.15%	404	6.08%
1900	4,820	63.55%	2,528	33.33%	237	3.12%
1896	4,797	64.78%	2,469	33.34%	139	1.88%
1892	3,513	54.24%	2,740	42.30%	224	3.46%

See also

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

References

1. "Lee County, Illinois". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved June 10, 2023.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. Stevens, Frank Everett. History of Lee County, Illinois, Vol. 1 p. 382
4. Holbrook, Stewart Hall. The Yankee Exodus: An Account of Migration from New England, University of Washington Press (1968)
5. Shalev, Eran. American Zion: The Old Testament as a Political Text from the Revolution to ..., Yale University Press (March 26, 2013) ISBN   9780300186925 pp. 70-71
6. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. U.S. Government Printing Office. p.  184.
7. "School House to White House: The Education of the Presidents". National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved December 30, 2007.
8. "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
9. "Monthly Averages for Dixon IL". The Weather Channel. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
10. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
11. "US Decennial Census". US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 6, 2014.
12. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 6, 2014.
13. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 6, 2014.
14. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). US Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved July 6, 2014.
15. "State & County QuickFacts". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 23, 2011. Retrieved July 6, 2014.
16. "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
17. "Selected Social Characteristics in the United States – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
18. "Selected Economic Characteristics – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
19. 2018 Election Results - Lee County IL
20. Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org.

External links

• County Name
• Alternate version of County Name
• Illinois State Archives

41°45′N89°18′W / 41.750°N 89.300°W / 41.750; -89.300