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Clinton County, Illinois facts for kids

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Clinton County
Clinton County Courthouse
Clinton County Courthouse
Map of Illinois highlighting Clinton 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 1824
Named for DeWitt Clinton
Seat Carlyle
Largest city Breese
Area
 • Total 503 sq mi (1,300 km2)
 • Land 474 sq mi (1,230 km2)
 • Water 29 sq mi (80 km2)  5.8%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 36,899
 • Density 73.36/sq mi (28.324/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 12th

Clinton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. At the 2020 census, the population was 36,899. Its county seat is Carlyle.

In 1960, the United States Census Bureau placed the mean center of U.S. population in Clinton County.

Clinton County is part of the St. Louis, MO-IL Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

In 1805, prior to the establishment of the county, the territorial government established a post road from its capital (Vincennes, Indiana) to St. Louis, Missouri, passing through the county. In 1808 a wagon road was laid out through the future Clinton County. It extended from the Goshen Settlement to the Ohio salt works and crossed the Kaskaskia River at Carlyle.

Clinton County was created on December 27, 1824, from portions of Washington, Fayette, and Bond Counties. It was named for the seventh Governor of New York, DeWitt Clinton, who helped build the Erie Canal.

Crossing the Kaskaskia became much easier when the bridge now known as the General Dean Suspension Bridge was built in 1859, at a cost of $40,000. Before the bridge was constructed, crossings involved a ferry or a mud bridge. The Illinois General Assembly set aside $20,000 for bridge restoration in 1951, and in 1953 the bridge was named after William F. Dean.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 503 square miles (1,300 km2), of which 474 square miles (1,230 km2) is land and 29 square miles (75 km2) (5.8%) is water. Eldon Hazlet State Recreation Area and South Shore State Park are in Clinton County. Its southern border is the Kaskaskia River.

Climate and weather

Weather chart for Carlyle, Illinois
J F M A M J J A S O N D
 
 
2.2
 
36
19
 
 
2.4
 
43
23
 
 
3.8
 
54
33
 
 
3.9
 
65
43
 
 
4.2
 
75
53
 
 
4.4
 
84
62
 
 
3.7
 
88
67
 
 
2.8
 
86
65
 
 
3.1
 
79
57
 
 
3
 
68
45
 
 
3.8
 
54
35
 
 
3.2
 
42
24
temperatures in °F
precipitation totals in inches
source: The Weather Channel

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Carlyle have ranged from a low of 19 °F (−7 °C) in January to a high of 88 °F (31 °C) in July, although a record low of −22 °F (−30 °C) was recorded in January 1994 and a record high of 104 °F (40 °C) was recorded in July 1980. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.17 inches (55 mm) in January to 4.44 inches (113 mm) in June.

Transit

  • South Central Transit

Major highways

  • I-64.svg Interstate 64
  • US 50.svg US Route 50
  • Illinois 127.svg Illinois Route 127
  • Illinois 160.svg Illinois Route 160
  • Illinois 161.svg Illinois Route 161
  • Illinois 177.svg Illinois Route 177

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1830 2,330
1840 3,718 59.6%
1850 5,139 38.2%
1860 10,941 112.9%
1870 16,285 48.8%
1880 18,714 14.9%
1890 17,411 −7.0%
1900 19,824 13.9%
1910 22,832 15.2%
1920 22,947 0.5%
1930 21,369 −6.9%
1940 22,912 7.2%
1950 22,594 −1.4%
1960 24,029 6.4%
1970 28,315 17.8%
1980 32,617 15.2%
1990 33,944 4.1%
2000 35,535 4.7%
2010 37,762 6.3%
2020 36,899 −2.3%
2023 (est.) 36,785 −2.6%
US Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010
USA Clinton County, Illinois age pyramid
2000 census age pyramid for Clinton County

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 37,762 people, 14,005 households, and 9,760 families residing in the county. The population density was 79.7 inhabitants per square mile (30.8/km2). There were 15,311 housing units at an average density of 32.3 per square mile (12.5/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 93.4% white, 3.5% black or African American, 0.4% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 1.2% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.8% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 54.8% were German, 9.8% were Irish, 5.8% were English, and 5.6% were American.

Of the 14,005 households, 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.5% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.3% were non-families, and 25.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.02. The median age was 39.3 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $55,278 and the median income for a family was $66,682. Males had a median income of $45,119 versus $34,051 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,392. About 5.2% of families and 7.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.2% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

  • Carlyle Community Unit School District 1
  • Patoka Community Unit School District 100
  • Sandoval Community Unit School District 501
  • Wesclin Community Unit School District 3
  • Central Community High School, Breese
  • Mater Dei Catholic High School, Breese

Communities

Cities

Villages

Townships

  • Breese
  • Brookside
  • Carlyle
  • Clement
  • Germantown
  • Irishtown
  • Lake
  • Looking Glass
  • Meridian
  • Saint Rose
  • Santa Fe
  • Sugar Creek
  • Wade
  • Wheatfield

Unincorporated Communities

See also

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

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