Hancock County, Illinois facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hancock County
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Hancock County Courthouse in Carthage
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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 | 1825 |
| Named for | John Hancock |
| Seat | Carthage |
| Largest city | Hamilton |
| Area | |
| • Total | 814 sq mi (2,110 km2) |
| • Land | 794 sq mi (2,060 km2) |
| • Water | 21 sq mi (50 km2) 2.5% |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 17,620 |
| • Density | 21.646/sq mi (8.358/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 15th |
Hancock County is a county in the state of Illinois, USA. In 2020, about 17,620 people lived there. The main town, called the county seat, is Carthage. The biggest city in the county is Hamilton. Hancock County has many small, farming towns. It is part of the Fort Madison-Keokuk area, which includes parts of IA, IL, and MO.
Contents
History of Hancock County
Hancock County was once part of a special area called the "Military Tract." This land was set aside by the government to reward soldiers who fought in the War of 1812. People didn't settle much in the middle of the county at first. They were worried about conflicts with Native American tribes. After the Blackhawk War in 1832, these concerns lessened. Then, many new settlers quickly moved into the area.
Hancock County was officially formed on January 13, 1825. It was created from a larger area called Pike County. The county was named after John Hancock. He was a very important person who signed the Declaration of Independence.
For a short time in the 1840s, Hancock County had one of Illinois's largest cities. This city was Nauvoo. It was the main center for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The founder of this religious movement, Joseph Smith, was killed in Carthage in 1844. Most members of the Latter Day Saint movement left Hancock County soon after. Today, many Latter Day Saints visit important historical sites in Hancock County. They come for both vacations and religious trips.
The first courthouse was in a place called Montebello. Montebello no longer exists. It was located between Nauvoo and Hamilton. In 1833, the state decided to make Carthage the county seat. Carthage was in the middle of the county but was not very developed. A small log cabin was built to be the courthouse. It was used until 1839. That's when the second Carthage Courthouse was built. The log cabin was then used as a school and for other things until 1945.
The second courthouse cost $3,700 to build. It was used from 1839 until 1906. Famous politicians like Stephen A. Douglas and Abraham Lincoln spoke there. They gave speeches to the people in 1858. They were running against each other for the U.S. Senate. In 1906, this courthouse was taken down. This made room for the current courthouse.
The current courthouse was officially opened on October 21, 1908.
Geography of Hancock County
The U.S. Census Bureau says that Hancock County covers about 814 square miles (2,108 square kilometers). Most of this area, about 794 square miles (2,056 square kilometers), is land. The remaining 21 square miles (54 square kilometers), or 2.5%, is water.
Climate and Weather
| Weather chart for Carthage, Illinois | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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1.5
32
13
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1.7
38
18
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2.9
50
29
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3.8
62
39
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4.6
73
50
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4.4
83
60
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4.5
87
64
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3.5
85
62
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4
77
54
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2.9
66
42
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3.2
50
31
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2.3
36
19
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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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In recent years, the average temperatures in Carthage have varied. In January, the low temperature is around 13°F (-11°C). In July, the high temperature is about 87°F (31°C). However, the coldest temperature ever recorded was -30°F (-34°C) in February 1905. The hottest was 113°F (45°C) in August 1934. The amount of rain and snow changes throughout the year. January usually gets about 1.47 inches (3.7 cm) of precipitation. May gets the most, with about 4.58 inches (11.6 cm).
Major Roads
U.S. Highway 136
Illinois Route 9
Illinois Route 61
Illinois Route 94
Illinois Route 96
Illinois Route 336
Neighboring Counties
- Lee County, Iowa - to the northwest
- Henderson County - to the northeast
- McDonough County - to the east
- Schuyler County - to the southeast
- Adams County - to the south
- Lewis County, Missouri - to the southwest
- Clark County, Missouri - to the west
Population Information
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1830 | 483 | — | |
| 1840 | 9,946 | 1,959.2% | |
| 1850 | 14,652 | 47.3% | |
| 1860 | 29,061 | 98.3% | |
| 1870 | 35,935 | 23.7% | |
| 1880 | 35,337 | −1.7% | |
| 1890 | 31,907 | −9.7% | |
| 1900 | 32,215 | 1.0% | |
| 1910 | 30,638 | −4.9% | |
| 1920 | 28,523 | −6.9% | |
| 1930 | 26,420 | −7.4% | |
| 1940 | 26,297 | −0.5% | |
| 1950 | 25,790 | −1.9% | |
| 1960 | 24,574 | −4.7% | |
| 1970 | 23,645 | −3.8% | |
| 1980 | 23,877 | 1.0% | |
| 1990 | 21,373 | −10.5% | |
| 2000 | 20,121 | −5.9% | |
| 2010 | 19,104 | −5.1% | |
| 2020 | 17,620 | −7.8% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 17,186 | −10.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013 |
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In 2010, there were 19,104 people living in Hancock County. There were 8,040 households and 5,427 families. The county had about 24 people per square mile. Most people (98.0%) were white. Other groups included Black or African American (0.3%), Asian (0.2%), and American Indian (0.2%). About 1.0% of the population was of Hispanic or Latino origin.
Many people in Hancock County have German (34.7%), English (13.8%), American (13.2%), or Irish (12.1%) backgrounds. About 27.5% of households had children under 18. The average household had 2.35 people. The average family had 2.85 people. The median age in the county was 44.6 years old.
The median income for a household was $42,857. For a family, it was $55,162. This means half of the households earned more than this amount, and half earned less.
Towns and Cities
Cities
- Carthage (county seat)
- Dallas City (partly in Henderson County)
- Hamilton
- La Harpe
- Nauvoo
- Warsaw
Town
Villages
Unincorporated Communities
Forts
- Fort Johnson
- Fort Edwards
Townships
Hancock County is divided into 24 smaller areas called townships:
- Appanoose
- Augusta
- Bear Creek
- Carthage
- Chili
- Dallas City
- Durham
- Fountain Green
- Hancock
- Harmony
- La Harpe
- Montebello
- Nauvoo
- Pilot Grove
- Pontoosuc
- Prairie
- Rock Creek
- Rocky Run-Wilcox
- St. Albans
- St. Mary
- Sonora
- Walker
- Warsaw
- Wythe
Education
Here are the school districts that serve Hancock County. Some of these districts might also have schools in other counties.
K-12 School Districts
These districts offer education from kindergarten through 12th grade:
- Community Unit School District 4
- Hamilton Community Consolidated School District 328
- Nauvoo-Colusa Community Unit School District 325 (High school students attend Warsaw district schools, and Warsaw junior high students attend Nauvoo-Colusa schools.)
- Southeastern Community Unit School District 337
- Warsaw Community Unit School District 316 (Junior high students attend Nauvoo-Colusa district schools, and Nauvoo-Colusa high school students attend Warsaw schools.)
- West Prairie Community Unit School District 103
Secondary School Districts (High School)
- Illini West High School District 307
Elementary School Districts
These districts serve younger students:
- Carthage Elementary School District 317
- Dallas Elementary School District 327
- La Harpe Community School District 347
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Hancock (Illinois) para niños
