Morgan County, Illinois

Morgan County
County
Morgan County Courthouse, Jacksonville
Location within the U.S. state of Illinois
Illinois's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 39°43′N90°12′W / 39.71°N 90.2°W / 39.71; -90.2
Country	United States
State	Illinois
Founded	1823
Named for	Daniel Morgan
Seat	Jacksonville
Largest city	Jacksonville
Area
• Total	572 sq mi (1,480 km2)
• Land	569 sq mi (1,470 km2)
• Water	3.5 sq mi (9 km2)  0.6%
Population  (2020)
• Total	32,915
• Density	58/sq mi (22/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	15th

Morgan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 32,915. ^[1] Its county seat is Jacksonville. ^[2]

Morgan County is part of the Jacksonville, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Springfield–Jacksonville–Lincoln, IL Combined Statistical Area.

History

Morgan County was formed in 1823 out of Greene and Sangamon Counties. It was named in honor of General Daniel Morgan, who defeated the British at the Battle of Cowpens in the American Revolutionary War. General Morgan was serving under General Nathanael Greene at Cowpens. Jacksonville was established by European Americans on a 160-acre tract of land in the center of Morgan County in 1825, two years after the county was founded. The founders of Jacksonville, Illinois consisted entirely of settlers from New England. These so-called Yankee settlers were descended from the English Puritans who settled New England in the 1600s. They were part of a wave of New England farmers who headed west into what was then the wilds of the Northwest Territory during the early 1800s. Most of them arrived as a result of the completion of the Erie Canal and the end of the Black Hawk War. The Yankee migration to Illinois was a result of several factors, one of which was the overpopulation of New England. The old stock Yankee population had large families, often bearing up to ten children in one household. Most people were expected to have their own piece of land to farm, and due to the massive and nonstop population boom, land in New England became scarce as every son claimed his own farmstead. As a result, there was not enough land for every family to have a self-sustaining farm, and Yankee settlers began leaving New England for the Midwestern United States. When they arrived in what is now Jacksonville there was nothing but dense virgin forest and wild prairie, the New Englanders laid out farms, constructed roads, erected government buildings and established post routes. They brought with them many of their Yankee New England values, such as a passion for education, establishing many schools as well as staunch support for abolitionism. They were mostly members of the Congregationalist Church though some were Episcopalian. Due to the second Great Awakening some of them had converted to Methodism and Presbyterianism while some others became Baptist, before moving to what is now Jacksonville. Jacksonville, like some other parts of Illinois, would be culturally very continuous with early New England culture for most of its early history. ^{[3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]}

• 
  Morgan County from the time of its creation to 1837
• 
  Morgan County between 1837 and 1839, when Scott County was split off
• 
  Morgan County between 1839 and 1845
• 
  Morgan County in 1845, when its border with Cass County was moved southward, bringing both to their present borders

Geography

According to the US Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 572 square miles (1,480 km²), of which 569 square miles (1,470 km²) is land and 3.5 square miles (9.1 km²) (0.6%) is water. ^[10]

The 90th Meridian of Longitude goes through Morgan County, as seen on a road sign at mile 78 of I-72.

Climate and weather

Jacksonville, Illinois
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     1.4     34 15     1.7     40 19     3.2     52 29     3.8     64 39     4.9     74 49     4.4     83 59     3.9     87 63     3.4     85 60     3.5     79 52     2.6     68 41     3.5     52 31     2.5     39 20 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches Source: The Weather Channel [11]
Metric conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     34     1 −9     43     4 −7     81     11 −2     96     18 4     123     23 9     111     28 15     98     31 17     85     29 16     88     26 11     66     20 5     88     11 −1     65     4 −7 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm

Average temperatures in the county seat of Jacksonville range from a low of 15 °F (−9 °C) in January to a high of 87 °F (31 °C) in July; a record low of −28 °F (−33 °C) was recorded in February 1934 and a record high of 114 °F (46 °C) was recorded in July 1954. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.35 inches (34 mm) in January to 4.86 inches (123 mm) in May. ^[11]

Major highways

• Interstate 72
• U.S. Route 36
• U.S. Route 67
• Illinois Route 123
• Illinois Route 78
• Illinois Route 100
• Illinois Route 104
• Illinois Route 267

Adjacent counties

• Cass County – north
• Sangamon County – east
• Macoupin County – southeast
• Greene County – south
• Pike County – west
• Scott County – southwest
• Brown County – northwest

National protected area

• Meredosia National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1830	12,714		—
1840	19,547		53.7%
1850	16,064		−17.8%
1860	22,112		37.6%
1870	28,463		28.7%
1880	31,514		10.7%
1890	32,636		3.6%
1900	35,006		7.3%
1910	34,420		−1.7%
1920	33,567		−2.5%
1930	34,240		2.0%
1940	36,378		6.2%
1950	35,568		−2.2%
1960	36,571		2.8%
1970	36,174		−1.1%
1980	37,502		3.7%
1990	36,397		−2.9%
2000	36,616		0.6%
2010	35,547		−2.9%
2020	32,915		−7.4%
2023 (est.)	32,140	[12]	−2.4%
US Decennial Census [13] 1790-1960 [14] 1900-1990 [15] 1990-2000 [16] 2010 [17]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 35,547 people, 14,104 households, and 8,851 families residing in the county. ^[18] The population density was 62.5 inhabitants per square mile (24.1/km²). There were 15,515 housing units at an average density of 27.3 per square mile (10.5/km²). ^[10] The racial makeup of the county was 90.9% white, 6.0% black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.8% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.0% of the population. ^[18] In terms of ancestry, 25.9% were German, 21.6% were American, 15.4% were Irish, and 14.5% were English. ^[19] Those citing American ancestry in Morgan County are of overwhelmingly English extraction, in many cases going back to colonial New England, however most English Americans identify simply as having American ancestry because their roots have been in North America for so long, in many cases since the early sixteen hundreds. ^{[20] [21] [22] [23]}

Of the 14,104 households, 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 37.2% were non-families, and 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.86. The median age was 40.8 years. ^[18]

The median income for a household in the county was $44,645 and the median income for a family was $59,185. Males had a median income of $43,609 versus $29,893 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,244. About 11.2% of families and 16.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.8% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over. ^[24]

Communities

Cities

• Jacksonville (seat)
• Waverly

Villages

• Chapin
• Concord
• Franklin
• Lynnville
• Meredosia
• Murrayville
• South Jacksonville
• Woodson

Unincorporated communities

• Alexander
• Arcadia
• Arnold
• Literberry
• Markham
• Pisgah

Politics

Morgan County has been reliably Republican from its beginning; the Democratic nominee has gained a plurality only 19% of the time (6 of 32 elections).

United States presidential election results for Morgan County, Illinois ^[25]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	9,950	64.89%	5,076	33.11%	307	2.00%
2016	9,076	61.32%	4,696	31.73%	1,028	6.95%
2012	7,972	56.37%	5,806	41.06%	364	2.57%
2008	7,591	49.31%	7,467	48.51%	336	2.18%
2004	9,392	61.87%	5,650	37.22%	138	0.91%
2000	8,058	56.22%	5,899	41.15%	377	2.63%
1996	6,352	44.61%	6,150	43.19%	1,736	12.19%
1992	6,566	40.29%	6,351	38.97%	3,380	20.74%
1988	8,808	59.17%	6,032	40.52%	46	0.31%
1984	10,683	66.37%	5,361	33.30%	53	0.33%
1980	10,406	61.22%	5,483	32.26%	1,108	6.52%
1976	8,885	53.88%	7,403	44.90%	201	1.22%
1972	11,103	66.13%	5,674	33.80%	12	0.07%
1968	8,902	54.52%	6,281	38.47%	1,144	7.01%
1964	7,240	43.95%	9,235	56.05%	0	0.00%
1960	9,791	57.38%	7,259	42.54%	12	0.07%
1956	10,262	61.82%	6,327	38.11%	11	0.07%
1952	10,405	61.04%	6,637	38.94%	4	0.02%
1948	8,398	55.05%	6,798	44.56%	59	0.39%
1944	8,923	56.01%	6,965	43.72%	42	0.26%
1940	10,137	52.57%	9,082	47.10%	64	0.33%
1936	8,844	47.02%	9,800	52.10%	167	0.89%
1932	7,787	42.95%	10,170	56.09%	173	0.95%
1928	10,192	63.52%	5,805	36.18%	49	0.31%
1924	8,223	55.40%	5,721	38.54%	900	6.06%
1920	8,169	62.87%	4,447	34.23%	377	2.90%
1916	7,536	50.25%	7,104	47.37%	358	2.39%
1912	2,090	27.57%	3,648	48.11%	1,844	24.32%
1908	4,019	48.06%	3,993	47.75%	351	4.20%
1904	4,248	51.65%	3,343	40.64%	634	7.71%
1900	4,341	48.66%	4,321	48.43%	260	2.91%
1896	4,317	49.28%	4,323	49.34%	121	1.38%
1892	3,471	43.68%	4,006	50.41%	470	5.91%

Education

Here is a list of school districts with any territory in the county (all are full K-12 school districts), no matter how slight, even if the schools and/or administrative offices are located in other counties: ^[26]

• A-C Central Community Unit School District 262
• Community Unit School District 16
• Franklin Community Unit School District 1
• Greenfield Community Unit School District 10
• Jacksonville School District 117
• Meredosia-Chambersburg Community Unit School District 11
• Pleasant Plains Community Unit School District 8
• Scott-Morgan Consolidated Unit School District 2
• Triopia Community Unit School District 27
• Virginia Community Unit School District 64
• Waverly Community Unit School District 6
• Winchester Community Unit School District 1

Additionally the following state-operated schools are in Morgan County:

• Illinois School for the Deaf
• Illinois School for the Visually Impaired (School for the Blind)

Private schools:

• Routt Catholic High School

Tertiary:

• Illinois College
• Lincoln Land Community College Jacksonville Outreach Center
• MacMurray College (closed)

See also

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

References

1. "Morgan County, Illinois". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved June 10, 2023.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. The Yankee Exodus: An Account of Migration from New England by Stewart Hall Holbrook University of Washington Press, 1968
4. American Zion: The Old Testament as a Political Text from the Revolution to ... By Eran Shalev, Yale University Press, March 26, 2013 ISBN   9780300186925page 70-71
5. Recollections of a Nonagenarian of Life in New England, the Middle West, and ... By John Calvin Holbrook pg. 96
6. Jacksonville, Illinois: The Traditions Continue By Betty Carlson Kay, Gary Jack Barwick pg. 21
7. Yankee Colonies across America: Cities upon the Hills By Chaim M. Rosenberg pg. 81
8. New England in the Life of the World: A Record of Adventure and Achievement By Howard Allen Bridgman pg. 93
9. Bridgman, Howard Allen (1920). New England in the Life of the World: A Record of Adventure and Achievement. Pilgrim Press.
10. "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
11. "Monthly Averages for Jacksonville, Illinois". The Weather Channel. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
12. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
13. "US Decennial Census". US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
14. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
15. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
16. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
17. "State & County QuickFacts". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
18. "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.
19. "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.
20. Pulera, Dominic (October 20, 2004). Sharing the Dream: White Males in Multicultural America. A&C Black. p. 57. ISBN   978-0-8264-1643-8.
21. Reynolds Farley, 'The New Census Question about Ancestry: What Did It Tell Us?', Demography, Vol. 28, No. 3 (August 1991), pp. 414, 421.
22. Stanley Lieberson and Lawrence Santi, 'The Use of Nativity Data to Estimate Ethnic Characteristics and Patterns', Social Science Research, Vol. 14, No. 1 (1985), pp. 44–46.
23. Stanley Lieberson and Mary C. Waters, 'Ethnic Groups in Flux: The Changing Ethnic Responses of American Whites', Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Vol. 487, No. 79 (September 1986), pp. 82–86.
24. "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.
25. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
26. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Morgan County, IL" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau . Retrieved July 19, 2022.

External links

• Official website

39°43′N90°12′W / 39.71°N 90.20°W / 39.71; -90.20