Menard County, Illinois

Menard County
County
Menard County Courthouse, Petersburg, Illinois
Location within the U.S. state of Illinois
Illinois's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 40°02′N89°48′W / 40.03°N 89.8°W / 40.03; -89.8
Country	United States
State	Illinois
Founded	1839
Named for	Pierre Menard
Seat	Petersburg
Largest city	Petersburg
Area
• Total	315 sq mi (820 km2)
• Land	314 sq mi (810 km2)
• Water	1.0 sq mi (3 km2)  0.3%
Population  (2020)
• Total	12,297
• Density	39/sq mi (15/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	15th
Website	www.menardcountyil.com

Menard County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 United States Census, it had a population of 12,297. ^[1] Its county seat is Petersburg. Menard County is part of the Springfield, Illinois, IL Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Menard County was formed in 1839 out of Sangamon County. The County was named for Pierre Menard, the first lieutenant governor of Illinois. ^[2]

• 
  Menard County at the time of its creation in 1839
• 
  Menard County in 1841, reduced to its present borders

Geography

According to the US Census Bureau, the county has an area of 315 square miles (820 km²), of which 314 square miles (810 km²) is land and 1.0 square mile (2.6 km²) (0.3%) is water. ^[3]

Climate and weather

Petersburg, Illinois
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     1.6     33 17     1.8     39 22     3.2     51 32     3.4     63 42     4.1     74 53     3.8     83 62     3.5     87 66     3.4     85 64     2.8     79 55     2.6     67 44     2.9     51 34     2.5     38 23 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches Source: The Weather Channel [4]
Metric conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     41     1 −8     46     4 −6     80     11 0     85     17 6     103     23 12     96     28 17     90     31 19     87     29 18     72     26 13     67     19 7     73     11 1     65     3 −5 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Petersburg have ranged from a low of 17 °F (−8 °C) in January to a high of 87 °F (31 °C) in July, although a record low of −24 °F (−31 °C) was recorded in February 1905 and a record high of 112 °F (44 °C) was recorded in July 1954. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.62 inches (41 mm) in January to 4.06 inches (103 mm) in May. ^[4]

Major highways

• Illinois Route 29
• Illinois Route 97
• Illinois Route 123

Adjacent counties

• Mason County - north
• Logan County - east
• Sangamon County - south
• Cass County - west

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1840	4,431		—
1850	6,349		43.3%
1860	9,584		51.0%
1870	11,735		22.4%
1880	13,024		11.0%
1890	13,120		0.7%
1900	14,336		9.3%
1910	12,796		−10.7%
1920	11,694		−8.6%
1930	10,575		−9.6%
1940	10,663		0.8%
1950	9,639		−9.6%
1960	9,248		−4.1%
1970	9,685		4.7%
1980	11,700		20.8%
1990	11,164		−4.6%
2000	12,486		11.8%
2010	12,705		1.8%
2020	12,297		−3.2%
2023 (est.)	11,954	[5]	−2.8%
US Decennial Census [6] 1790-1960 [7] 1900-1990 [8] 1990-2000 [9] 2010 [10]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 12,705 people, 5,140 households, and 3,683 families living in the county. ^[11] The population density was 40.4 inhabitants per square mile (15.6/km²). There were 5,654 housing units at an average density of 18.0 per square mile (6.9/km²). ^[3] The racial makeup of the county was 97.5% white, 0.6% black or African American, 0.3% American Indian, 0.2% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.0% of the population. ^[11] In terms of ancestry, 32.5% were German, 20.8% were American, 15.6% were Irish, and 14.3% were English. ^[12]

Of the 5,140 households, 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.5% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 28.3% were non-families, and 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.87. The median age was 42.6 years. ^[11]

The median income for a household in the county was $56,230 and the median income for a family was $65,882. Males had a median income of $42,408 versus $36,735 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,281. About 6.1% of families and 7.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.4% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over. ^[13]

Communities

Cities

• Athens
• Petersburg (seat)

Villages

• Greenview
• Oakford
• Tallula

Census-designated place

• Lake Petersburg

Other unincorporated communities

• Atterberry
• Bobtown
• Croft
• Culver
• Curtis
• Fancy Prairie
• Hill Top
• Hilltop
• Hubly
• Lewisburg
• Loyd
• New Salem
• Old Salem Chautauqua
• Sweet Water
• Tice

Politics and county government

Illinois counties have the option of using or rejecting the township form of providing local services. ^[14] In Illinois, only 16 of the state's 102 counties have opted out of the township system; Menard County is one of the sixteen.

In the years before World War I, Menard was a German Catholic and thus Democratic county, opposed to the pietism of Yankee Protestant Northern Illinois.^{[ citation needed ]} Theodore Roosevelt in 1904 was the only Republican to carry the county in this time span.

However, resistance against Woodrow Wilson’s participatory attitude during World War I allowed Charles Evans Hughes to carry Menard County in 1916 by a mere four votes (Hughes lost the national election). Since then, as German hostility to Wilson hardened, Menard has become a strongly Republican county. The only Democrats who have carried Menard County since 1916 have been Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932 and 1936, and Lyndon Johnson in 1964. Apart from these three 400-electoral vote Democratic landslides, George H. W. Bush in 1992 is the sole Republican candidate since 1920 to fail to win a majority in Menard County. Jimmy Carter and Illinois-bred Barack Obama are the only Democrats since 1964 to reach forty percent of Menard County’s vote. The last two elections have seen a large swing against the Democrats, common to all of rural downstate Illinois.

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

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	4,499	69.69%	1,834	28.41%	123	1.91%
2020	4,764	68.51%	2,022	29.08%	168	2.42%
2016	4,231	64.94%	1,817	27.89%	467	7.17%
2012	3,948	64.18%	2,100	34.14%	103	1.67%
2008	3,672	56.69%	2,706	41.78%	99	1.53%
2004	4,408	67.05%	2,137	32.51%	29	0.44%
2000	3,862	62.27%	2,164	34.89%	176	2.84%
1996	3,106	52.93%	2,204	37.56%	558	9.51%
1992	2,834	44.99%	2,264	35.94%	1,201	19.07%
1988	3,560	62.40%	2,103	36.86%	42	0.74%
1984	3,925	68.07%	1,826	31.67%	15	0.26%
1980	3,622	65.45%	1,589	28.71%	323	5.84%
1976	3,137	57.25%	2,301	42.00%	41	0.75%
1972	3,657	69.49%	1,587	30.15%	19	0.36%
1968	2,980	59.66%	1,640	32.83%	375	7.51%
1964	2,322	48.24%	2,491	51.76%	0	0.00%
1960	3,120	60.08%	2,068	39.82%	5	0.10%
1956	3,188	63.44%	1,833	36.48%	4	0.08%
1952	3,307	62.92%	1,946	37.02%	3	0.06%
1948	2,899	58.35%	2,043	41.12%	26	0.52%
1944	3,013	61.17%	1,888	38.33%	25	0.51%
1940	3,531	54.68%	2,894	44.81%	33	0.51%
1936	3,067	48.86%	3,152	50.22%	58	0.92%
1932	2,327	39.96%	3,453	59.30%	43	0.74%
1928	3,243	64.54%	1,742	34.67%	40	0.80%
1924	2,931	56.18%	1,954	37.45%	332	6.36%
1920	2,882	59.19%	1,864	38.28%	123	2.53%
1916	2,693	48.45%	2,689	48.38%	176	3.17%
1912	620	19.53%	1,530	48.19%	1,025	32.28%
1908	1,600	45.56%	1,748	49.77%	164	4.67%
1904	1,705	49.46%	1,506	43.69%	236	6.85%
1900	1,632	43.25%	2,078	55.08%	63	1.67%
1896	1,642	44.28%	2,018	54.42%	48	1.29%
1892	1,278	39.03%	1,748	53.39%	248	7.57%

Education

K-12 School districts include: ^[16]

• A-C Central Community Unit School District 262
• Athens Community Unit School District 213
• Greenview Community Unit School District 200
• Mount Pulaski Community Unit District 23
• Porta Community Unit School District 202
• Pleasant Plains Community Unit School District 8
• Williamsville Community Unit School District 15

There is also an elementary school district, New Holland-Middletown Elementary School District 88, and a secondary school district, Lincoln Community High School District 404. ^[16]

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Menard County IL

References

1. "Menard County, Illinois". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved June 10, 2023.
2. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 205.
3. "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
4. "Monthly Averages for Petersburg IL". The Weather Channel. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
5. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
6. "US Decennial Census". US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
7. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
8. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
9. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
10. "State & County QuickFacts". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
11. "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.
12. "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.
13. "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.
14. 60 ILCS 1/Art. 5
15. Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
16. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Menard County, IL" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau . Retrieved October 29, 2024. - Text list

External links

• Menard County Tourism Council
• Illinois Genealogy Trails

40°02′N89°48′W / 40.03°N 89.80°W / 40.03; -89.80