Jersey County, Illinois facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jersey County
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Jersey County Courthouse in Jerseyville
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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 | February 28, 1839 |
| Named for | New Jersey |
| Seat | Jerseyville |
| Largest city | Jerseyville |
| Area | |
| • Total | 377 sq mi (980 km2) |
| • Land | 369 sq mi (960 km2) |
| • Water | 7.9 sq mi (20 km2) 2.1% |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 21,512 |
| • Density | 57.06/sq mi (22.031/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 15th |
Jersey County is a place in Illinois, a state in the United States. It's called a county. In 2020, about 21,512 people lived here. The main town and biggest community is Jerseyville. It had about 8,337 people in 2010. The smallest town is Otterville, with only 87 people.
Jersey County is part of the larger St. Louis, MO-IL area. This means it's close to a big city and its many jobs.
Contents
Discovering Jersey County's Past
Jersey County is located where the big Mississippi and Illinois rivers meet. Long ago, different Native American groups lived here. These included the Kickapoo, Menomini, Potawatomi, and Illiniwek Confederation tribes.
The first European explorers came in 1673. They were Father Marquette and Louis Jolliet. They saw a scary painting of the Piasa bird. Today, Pere Marquette State Park is named after Father Marquette. You can find a monument to him there.
How Jersey County Was Formed
Jersey County was officially started on February 28, 1839. It was created from a part of Greene County. The county got its name from the state of New Jersey. Many early settlers came from there. New Jersey itself was named after the island of Jersey in Great Britain.
The area quickly grew with many small farms. As more people moved in, a county government was set up. A courthouse was built in Jerseyville, the main town. The Jersey County Courthouse was designed by Henry Elliott. He also designed other courthouses nearby. The first stone for the courthouse was laid on July 4, 1893. This beautiful building is made of limestone from Grafton.
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Jersey County when it was first created in 1839
Jersey County Today
Even now, farming is very important in Jersey County. But it's also close to jobs in St. Louis, Missouri. Many people who live here work outside the county. They like being "Near the crowd, but not in it." This is the county's official slogan.
The rivers nearby help the county's economy. They support farms and businesses that deal with farm products. The rivers also bring many tourists to the area. Education, making things, and shops are also big industries here.
Geography and Nature
Jersey County covers about 377 square miles. Most of this is land (369 square miles). About 7.9 square miles (2.1%) is water. The county has three important water bodies. The Mississippi River is to the south. The Illinois River is to the west. And Macoupin Creek is to the northwest.
Weather in Jersey County
| Weather chart for Jerseyville, Illinois | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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1.9
35
17
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2
41
22
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3.5
53
32
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4.1
64
42
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4
74
52
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3.7
83
61
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3.5
88
66
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2.9
86
63
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3.2
79
55
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2.9
68
43
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3.8
53
34
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2.8
40
23
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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 Jersey County is like much of the Midwest. It changes between two main climate types. There are no big mountains or large lakes to make the temperature more steady.
Spring is the wettest time of year. It can bring strong storms, like tornadoes, or even snow and ice. Summers are hot and humid. The humidity can make it feel much hotter than 100°F (38°C). Fall is usually mild with less humidity. Sometimes there are heavy rains. The first snow usually falls in late November. Winters can be cold with some light snow and temperatures below freezing.
In Jerseyville, January temperatures are often around 17°F (-8°C). July temperatures can reach 88°F (31°C). The coldest ever was -25°F (-32°C) in January 1977. The hottest was 112°F (44°C) in July 1954. January usually gets about 1.92 inches (4.9 cm) of rain. April gets the most, about 4.14 inches (10.5 cm).
Main Roads in Jersey County
U.S. Route 67
Illinois Route 3
Illinois Route 16
Illinois Route 100
Illinois Route 109
Illinois Route 111
Illinois Route 267
Counties Next to Jersey County
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Greene County | |
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| Calhoun County |  |
Macoupin County | ||
 Jersey County  |
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| St. Charles County, Missouri | Madison County |
Protected Natural Areas
- Mississippi River State Fish and Wildlife Area
- Pere Marquette State Park
- Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge (part of it)
People of Jersey County
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1840 | 4,535 | — | |
| 1850 | 7,354 | 62.2% | |
| 1860 | 12,051 | 63.9% | |
| 1870 | 15,054 | 24.9% | |
| 1880 | 15,542 | 3.2% | |
| 1890 | 14,810 | −4.7% | |
| 1900 | 14,612 | −1.3% | |
| 1910 | 13,954 | −4.5% | |
| 1920 | 12,682 | −9.1% | |
| 1930 | 12,556 | −1.0% | |
| 1940 | 13,636 | 8.6% | |
| 1950 | 15,264 | 11.9% | |
| 1960 | 17,023 | 11.5% | |
| 1970 | 18,492 | 8.6% | |
| 1980 | 20,538 | 11.1% | |
| 1990 | 20,539 | 0.0% | |
| 2000 | 21,668 | 5.5% | |
| 2010 | 22,985 | 6.1% | |
| 2020 | 21,512 | −6.4% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 21,091 | −8.2% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013 |
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In 2010, there were 22,985 people living in Jersey County. They lived in 8,828 homes. Most people (97.6%) were white. About 1% of the people were of Hispanic or Latino background. Many people had German (42.8%), Irish (14.7%), or English (10.6%) family roots.
About 31.9% of homes had kids under 18. The average age of people in the county was 40.5 years old.
The average income for a family was $64,773. About 8.5% of the people lived below the poverty line. This included 8.4% of kids under 18.
Towns and Villages
Cities
Villages
Town
Other Communities
Townships
Jersey County is divided into eleven smaller areas called townships:
- Elsah Township
- English Township
- Fidelity Township
- Jersey Township
- Mississippi Township
- Otter Creek Township
- Piasa Township
- Quarry Township
- Richwood Township
- Rosedale Township
- Ruyle Township
Population of Communities (2020)
This table shows how many people lived in each community in 2020.
† county seat
| Rank | Place | Type of Community | Population (2020 Census) |
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| 1 | † Jerseyville | City | 8,336 |
| 2 | Brighton (partly in Macoupin County) | Village | 2,221 |
| 3 | Grafton | City | 626 |
| 4 | Elsah | Village | 519 |
| 5 | Fieldon | Village | 176 |
| 6 | Fidelity | Village | 96 |
| 7 | Otterville | Town | 87 |
Learning in Jersey County
School Districts
- Alton Community Unit School District 11: This district serves a small part of southern Jersey County.
- Greenfield Community Unit School District 10: This district serves a small part of northeastern Jersey County.
- Jersey Community Unit School District 100: This district covers most of Jersey County.
- Southwestern Community Unit School District 9: This district serves parts of northeastern and southeastern Jersey County.
High Schools
- Jersey Community High School: This school is located in Jerseyville.
Colleges
- Principia College: This college is located near Elsah.
Famous People from Jersey County
- Jennie Florella Holmes (1842–1892): She worked to give women the right to vote.
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Jersey para niños
