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Carroll County, Illinois facts for kids

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Carroll County
U.S. county
Carroll County Courthouse
Carroll County Courthouse
Map of Illinois highlighting Carroll County
Location within the U.S. state of Illinois
Map of the United States highlighting Illinois
Illinois's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Illinois
Founded 1839
Named for Charles Carroll
Seat Mount Carroll
Largest city Savanna
Area
 • Total 466 sq mi (1,210 km2)
 • Land 445 sq mi (1,150 km2)
 • Water 22 sq mi (60 km2)  4.6%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 15,702
 • Estimate 
(2023)
 15,526 Decrease
 • Density 33.70/sq mi (13.010/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 17th

Carroll County is a county located in the state of Illinois, in the United States. It's a place where about 15,702 people lived in 2020. The main town, or county seat, where the county government is located, is Mount Carroll.

History of Carroll County

Carroll County was created in 1839. It was formed from a part of Jo Daviess County. The county got its name from Charles Carroll of Carrollton. He was a very important person who signed the Declaration of Independence. Charles Carroll was the last person who signed this famous document to pass away, in 1832.

  • Carroll County Illinois 1839

    Carroll County looked like this when it was first created in 1839.

Geography and Nature

Carroll County covers a total area of about 466 square miles. Most of this area, 445 square miles, is land. The remaining 22 square miles (about 4.6%) is water.

You can find some cool natural spots here! The Mississippi Palisades State Park is in Carroll County, just north of the city of Savanna. Part of the Savanna Army Depot is also located in this county.

Neighboring Counties

Carroll County shares its borders with several other counties:

Protected Natural Areas

A part of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge is located in Carroll County. This refuge helps protect wildlife and fish along the Mississippi River.

Main Roads

Several important highways run through Carroll County, making it easy to travel around:

  • US 52.svg US Route 52
  • Illinois 40.svg Illinois Route 40
  • Illinois 64.svg Illinois Route 64
  • Illinois 72.svg Illinois Route 72
  • Illinois 73.svg Illinois Route 73
  • Illinois 78.svg Illinois Route 78
  • Illinois 84.svg Illinois Route 84

Climate and Weather

Weather chart for Mount Carroll, Illinois
J F M A M J J A S O N D
 
 
1.4
 
29
7
 
 
1.5
 
35
13
 
 
2.6
 
47
25
 
 
3.7
 
60
35
 
 
4.3
 
72
46
 
 
4.8
 
82
54
 
 
3.8
 
85
59
 
 
4.5
 
83
56
 
 
3.5
 
76
47
 
 
2.7
 
64
36
 
 
2.8
 
47
26
 
 
2
 
34
14
temperatures in °F
precipitation totals in inches
source: The Weather Channel
Metric conversion
J F M A M J J A S O N D
 
 
36
 
-2
-14
 
 
39
 
2
-11
 
 
67
 
8
-4
 
 
93
 
16
2
 
 
110
 
22
8
 
 
121
 
28
12
 
 
97
 
29
15
 
 
115
 
28
13
 
 
88
 
24
8
 
 
69
 
18
2
 
 
72
 
8
-3
 
 
51
 
1
-10
temperatures in °C • precipitation totals in mm

The weather in Mount Carroll, the county seat, changes a lot throughout the year. In January, the average low temperature is about 7°F (about -14°C). In July, the average high temperature reaches about 85°F (about 29°C).

The coldest temperature ever recorded was -31°F (-35°C) in January 1910. The hottest was 108°F (42°C) in July 1936. The amount of rain and snow also varies. June usually gets the most precipitation, with about 4.77 inches. January gets the least, with about 1.43 inches.

People and Population

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1840 1,023 —
1850 4,586 348.3%
1860 11,733 155.8%
1870 16,705 42.4%
1880 16,976 1.6%
1890 18,320 7.9%
1900 18,963 3.5%
1910 18,035 −4.9%
1920 19,345 7.3%
1930 18,433 −4.7%
1940 17,987 −2.4%
1950 18,976 5.5%
1960 19,507 2.8%
1970 19,276 −1.2%
1980 18,779 −2.6%
1990 16,805 −10.5%
2000 16,674 −0.8%
2010 15,387 −7.7%
2020 15,702 2.0%
2023 (est.) 15,526 0.9%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010

In 2010, there were 15,387 people living in Carroll County. There were 6,622 households and 4,343 families. A household is a group of people living together in one home. A family is a group of related people living together.

Most people in the county, about 96.9%, were white. About 2.8% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino background. Many people had German (40.4%), Irish (14.0%), or English (11.2%) ancestry.

The average age of people in the county was 46.5 years old. About 26.3% of households had children under 18 living with them.

The median income for a household was $44,805. This means half of the households earned more than this, and half earned less. For families, the median income was $55,341. About 11.7% of all people in the county lived below the poverty line. This means their income was below a certain level set by the government.

Education

Carroll County has several school districts that help students learn and grow:

  • Chadwick-Milledgeville Community Unit School District 399
  • Eastland Community Unit School District 308
  • West Carroll Community Unit School District 314

Communities in Carroll County

Carroll County has several cities and villages, each with its own population and area. The table below shows some of these communities.

Community
 Community
type		 Population Total
Area		 Water
Area		 Land
Area		 Pop.
Density
Chadwick village 481 0.31 0.00 0.31 1,546.62
Lanark city 1,504 1.12 0.00 1.12 1,341.66
Milledgeville village 1,026 0.69 0.00 0.69 1,486.96
Mount Carroll (seat) city 1,479 2.00 0.00 2.00 738.39
Savanna city 2,783 2.71 0.09 2.62 1,063.84
Shannon village 801 0.48 0.00 0.48 1,661.83
Thomson village 1,610 2.22 0.00 2.22 725.55
Carroll County county 15,702 466 22 445 34

Townships

Carroll County is also divided into smaller areas called townships. These are local government areas. There are twelve townships in Carroll County:

  • Cherry Grove-Shannon
  • Elkhorn Grove
  • Fairhaven
  • Freedom
  • Mount Carroll
  • Rock Creek-Lima
  • Salem
  • Savanna
  • Washington
  • Woodland
  • Wysox
  • York

Other Places

  • Lake Carroll is a "census designated place." This means it's a community that is counted in the census but isn't officially a city or village.

There are also many smaller, "unincorporated communities" in Carroll County. These are places where people live, but they don't have their own local government like a city or village. Some of these include:

Notable People from Carroll County

Some interesting people have connections to Carroll County:

  • John Acker: An Illinois state representative who was born near Savanna.
  • Willis J. Bailey: A U.S. Representative from Kansas and the 16th Governor of Kansas.
  • Neva Burright: An Illinois harness racing driver. She was the first woman to win a Grand Circuit race.
  • David J. Summerville: A Wisconsin State Assemblyman.

Images for kids

  • USA Carroll County, Illinois age pyramid

    This chart shows the age groups of people in Carroll County from the 2000 census.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Carroll (Illinois) para niños

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