Cass County, Illinois facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cass County
U.S. county
Cass County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Illinois
Illinois's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Illinois
Founded	1837
Named for	Lewis Cass
Seat	Virginia
Largest city	Beardstown
Area
• Total	384 sq mi (990 km2)
• Land	376 sq mi (970 km2)
• Water	7.9 sq mi (20 km2)  2.1%
Population  (2020)
• Total	13,042
• Density	33.96/sq mi (13.113/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	15th

Cass County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 13,042. Its county seat is Virginia. It is the home of the Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area.

History

Cass County was formed in 1837 out of Morgan County. It was named for Lewis Cass, a general in the War of 1812, Governor of the Michigan Territory, and United States Secretary of State in 1860. Cass was serving as Andrew Jackson's Secretary of War just before the County was named.

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  Cass County at the time of its creation.

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  In 1845, the county's border was adjusted southward, enlarging it to its current size.

Geography

According to the US Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 384 square miles (990 km²), of which 376 square miles (970 km²) is land and 7.9 square miles (20 km²) (2.1%) is water.

Adjacent counties

National protected area

• Meredosia National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Rivers

• Illinois River
• Little Sangamon River
• Sangamon River

Major highways

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Virginia have ranged from a low of 15 °F (−9 °C) in January to a high of 87 °F (31 °C) in July, although 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.

Demographics

2000 census age pyramid for Cass County

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 13,642 people, 5,270 households, and 3,561 families residing in the county. The population density was 36.3 inhabitants per square mile (14.0/km²). There were 5,836 housing units at an average density of 15.5 per square mile (6.0/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 86.3% white, 3.1% black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 8.7% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 16.8% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 22.6% were German, 21.0% were American, 10.6% were Irish, and 9.5% were English.

Of the 5,270 households, 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.1% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.4% were non-families, and 26.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.06. The median age was 38.7 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $41,544 and the median income for a family was $51,624. Males had a median income of $37,267 versus $26,634 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,825. About 10.1% of families and 12.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.2% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Communities

Unincorporated communities

Former communities

• Gurney
• Oak Grove (now part of Beardstown; not to be confused with community in Rock Island County)
• Sylvan

Townships

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Cass (Illinois) para niños