Lee County, Illinois facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lee County
U.S. county
Lee County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Illinois
Illinois's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Illinois
Founded	February 27, 1839
Named for	Henry Lee III
Seat	Dixon
Largest city	Dixon
Area
• Total	729 sq mi (1,890 km2)
• Land	725 sq mi (1,880 km2)
• Water	4.1 sq mi (11 km2)  0.6%
Population  (2020)
• Total	34,145
• Estimate  (2023)	33,654
• Density	46.84/sq mi (18.084/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	16th

Lee County is a place in Illinois, a state in the United States. It's like a big neighborhood or district. In 2020, about 34,145 people lived here. The main town, or "county seat," is Dixon. The whole county is part of the Dixon area, which is a place where many towns are connected.

History of Lee County

The first non-native settlers in this area mostly came from the six New England states. In the early 1800s, many people moved west. This happened a lot after the Erie Canal was finished and the Black Hawk War ended.

The land that is now Lee County was first part of St. Clair County in 1809. Over time, this large area was split into smaller counties. In 1839, the southern part of Ogle County became Lee County.

Most people believe the county was named after "Lighthorse Harry" Lee. He was a brave officer in the American Revolutionary War. Another idea is that it was named for Richard Henry Lee. He was a member of the group that helped create the Declaration of Independence.

A famous person, President Ronald Reagan, lived in Dixon when he was a boy. He also went to Dixon High School there.

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  Lee County's borders haven't changed since it was created in 1839.

Geography and Nature

According to the US Census Bureau, Lee County covers about 729 square miles. Most of this area, about 725 square miles, is land. The rest, about 4.1 square miles, is water.

Neighboring Counties

Lee County shares borders with these other counties:

• Ogle County – to the north
• DeKalb County – to the east
• LaSalle County – to the southeast and south
• Bureau County – to the south and southwest
• Whiteside County – to the west

Weather and Climate

In Dixon, the main town, temperatures usually range from 10°F in January to 82°F in July. However, it can get much colder or hotter. The coldest ever was -27°F in January 1999. The hottest ever was 110°F in July 1936. The county gets about 1.43 inches of rain in February and up to 4.88 inches in June.

Main Roads

Many important roads run through Lee County:

Other Interesting Places

• Green River Ordnance Plant
• Mendota Hills Wind Farm

People of Lee County

In 2010, there were about 36,031 people living in Lee County. Most people (90.9%) were white. About 4.8% were black or African American. People of Hispanic or Latino background made up 5.0% of the population. Many families in Lee County have German, Irish, or English roots.

The average age of people in Lee County was 42 years old. About 30% of households had children under 18 living with them. The average household had about 2.4 people.

Communities in Lee County

A wind farm in southeast Lee county at Interstate 39 exit 82.

Lee County has several cities, villages, and other communities.

Cities

• Amboy
• Dixon (This is the county seat, meaning it's the main town where the county government is.)

Villages

Unincorporated Communities

These are smaller places that are not officially cities or villages.

Townships

Townships are smaller areas within the county, often used for local government.

Schools and Education

Lee County has many school districts for students from kindergarten to 12th grade.

K-12 School Districts

High School Districts

• Mendota Township High School District 280
• Ohio Community High School District 505
• Rochelle Township High School District 212
• Rock Falls Township High School District 301

Elementary School Districts

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Lee (Illinois) para niños