Christian County, Illinois facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Christian County
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Christian County Courthouse in Taylorville
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Location within the U.S. state of Illinois
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 Illinois's location within the U.S. |
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Illinois |
| Founded | 1839 |
| Named for | Christian County, Kentucky |
| Seat | Taylorville |
| Largest city | Taylorville |
| Area | |
| • Total | 716 sq mi (1,850 km2) |
| • Land | 709 sq mi (1,840 km2) |
| • Water | 6.3 sq mi (16 km2) 0.9% |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 34,032 |
| • Density | 47.53/sq mi (18.352/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 15th |
Christian County is a place in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is called a county. In 2020, about 34,032 people lived here. The main town, or county seat, is Taylorville.
Contents
History of Christian County
Christian County was created on February 15, 1839. It was formed from parts of Sangamon, Montgomery, and Shelby counties. The county got its name from Christian County, Kentucky.
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Christian County when it was first created in 1839
Geography and Location
Christian County covers a total area of about 716 square miles. Most of this area, 709 square miles, is land. The remaining 6.3 square miles, which is about 0.9%, is water.
The Sangamon River forms the northern border of the county. The south fork of this river also flows through the county.
Neighboring Counties
Christian County shares its borders with these other counties:
- Macon County to the northeast
- Shelby County to the southeast
- Montgomery County to the southwest
- Sangamon County to the northwest
Main Roads in Christian County
Several important roads pass through Christian County:
US Route 51
Illinois Route 16
Illinois Route 29
Illinois Route 48
Illinois Route 104
Climate and Weather in Christian County
| Weather chart for Taylorville, Illinois | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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1.8
32
16
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1.8
39
21
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3
50
31
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3.5
63
41
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3.8
74
52
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3.7
83
61
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3.7
86
65
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2.8
85
63
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2.8
79
54
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2.3
67
42
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3.6
51
33
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2.4
38
22
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| temperatures in °F precipitation totals in inches source: The Weather Channel |
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Metric conversion
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The weather in Christian County changes throughout the year. In Taylorville, the county seat, average temperatures are around 16°F in January. In July, they can reach about 86°F.
The coldest temperature ever recorded was -23°F in January 1994. The hottest was 104°F in August 1988. The county gets the most rain in May, with about 3.77 inches. January usually has the least rain, with about 1.78 inches.
Who Lives in Christian County?
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1840 | 1,878 | — | |
| 1850 | 3,203 | 70.6% | |
| 1860 | 10,492 | 227.6% | |
| 1870 | 20,363 | 94.1% | |
| 1880 | 28,227 | 38.6% | |
| 1890 | 30,531 | 8.2% | |
| 1900 | 32,790 | 7.4% | |
| 1910 | 34,594 | 5.5% | |
| 1920 | 38,458 | 11.2% | |
| 1930 | 37,538 | −2.4% | |
| 1940 | 38,564 | 2.7% | |
| 1950 | 38,816 | 0.7% | |
| 1960 | 37,207 | −4.1% | |
| 1970 | 35,948 | −3.4% | |
| 1980 | 36,446 | 1.4% | |
| 1990 | 34,418 | −5.6% | |
| 2000 | 35,372 | 2.8% | |
| 2010 | 34,800 | −1.6% | |
| 2020 | 34,032 | −2.2% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 33,228 | −4.5% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010 |
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In 2010, about 34,800 people lived in Christian County. There were 14,055 homes, and 9,211 of these were families. On average, there were about 49 people per square mile.
Most people in the county were white (96.6%). About 1.4% were Black or African American, and 0.5% were Asian. About 1.4% of the population was of Hispanic or Latino background. Many people had ancestors from Germany (21.9%), Ireland (12.7%), or England (9.9%).
About 30.1% of homes had children under 18 living there. Many homes (50.1%) were married couples. The average age of people in the county was 41.6 years old.
The average income for a home in the county was about $41,712. For families, it was about $52,680. About 16.6% of all people lived below the poverty line. This included 28.6% of those under 18.
Towns and Villages
Christian County has several cities, villages, and other communities.
Cities
Villages
Census-Designated Places
Other Unincorporated Places
These are smaller communities that are not officially cities or villages:
- Clarksdale
- Dunkel
- Hewittsville
- Millersville
- Old Stonington
- Radford
- Rosamond
- Sharpsburg
- Willey Station
Townships
Christian County is divided into 17 smaller areas called townships:
- Assumption
- Bear Creek
- Buckhart
- Greenwood
- Johnson
- King
- Locust
- May
- Mosquito
- Mount Auburn
- Pana
- Prairieton
- Ricks
- Rosamond
- South Fork
- Stonington
- Taylorville
Famous People from Christian County
Many interesting people have connections to Christian County:
- Jon Corzine: A former governor of New Jersey. He used to live in Willey Station.
- Harry Forrester: A well-known basketball coach. He is in the Illinois Basketball Hall of Fame.
- Brant Hansen: A Christian radio host and author. He graduated from high school in Assumption.
- Tom Candy Ponting (1824-1916): A cattleman who made history. He was the first to drive a herd of cattle from Texas all the way to New York City.
- Frank P. Sadler (1872–1931): An Illinois state senator and lawyer. He lived on a farm near Grove City.
- John Wesley Fribley (1906–2002): A state senator for many years (1934–1952). He was born in Pana.
- Yvonne Craig (1937–2015): An American actress born in Taylorville, Illinois. She is famous for playing Batgirl in the 1960s TV show Batman.
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Christian (Illinois) para niños
