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McLean County, Illinois facts for kids

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McLean County
Old McLean County Courthouse
Map of Illinois highlighting McLean 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 December 25, 1830
Named for John McLean
Seat Bloomington
Largest city Bloomington
Area
 • Total 1,186 sq mi (3,070 km2)
 • Land 1,183 sq mi (3,060 km2)
 • Water 2.9 sq mi (8 km2)  0.2%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 170,954
 • Density 144.14/sq mi (55.654/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional districts 16th, 17th

McLean County is the largest county by land area in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 Census, it had a population of 170,954. Its county seat is Bloomington. McLean County is included in the Bloomington–Normal, IL Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Pronunciation

Locally, the second syllable of McLean is pronounced with a 'long a' (ā, IPA /ei/) sound (i.e. "muh-KLAIN") (as with native son McLean Stevenson), not with a 'long e' (ē, IPA /i/) sound ("muh-KLEEN").

History

The first white settlers in what became McLean County arrived around 1821. The first settlement was Blooming Grove, established in 1822 near present-day Bloomington. McLean County was formed on December 25, 1830, out of Tazewell County. It was named for John McLean, United States Senator for Illinois, who died in 1830.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,186 square miles (3,070 km2), of which 1,183 square miles (3,060 km2) is land and 2.9 square miles (7.5 km2) (0.2%) is water. It is the largest county in Illinois by land area and third-largest by total area after Cook and Lake Counties, which have large portions of their areas on Lake Michigan. McLean County is actually larger than the land area of Rhode Island (1045 sq mi).

Climate and weather

Weather chart for Bloomington, Illinois
J F M A M J J A S O N D
 
 
1.7
 
31
14
 
 
1.7
 
37
18
 
 
2.9
 
48
29
 
 
3.8
 
61
40
 
 
4.5
 
73
51
 
 
3.9
 
83
61
 
 
4
 
86
65
 
 
3.8
 
84
63
 
 
3
 
77
54
 
 
2.7
 
65
42
 
 
3.1
 
49
31
 
 
2.4
 
36
20
temperatures in °F
precipitation totals in inches
source: The Weather Channel

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Bloomington have ranged from a low of 14 °F (−10 °C) in January to a high of 86 °F (30 °C) in July, although a record low of −23 °F (−31 °C) was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of 103 °F (39 °C) was recorded in June 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.71 inches (43 mm) in February to 4.52 inches (115 mm) in May.

Adjacent counties

Major highways

Transit

  • Connect Transit
  • SHOW Bus
  • Uptown Station
  • List of intercity bus stops in Illinois

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1840 6,565
1850 10,163 54.8%
1860 28,772 183.1%
1870 53,988 87.6%
1880 60,100 11.3%
1890 63,036 4.9%
1900 67,843 7.6%
1910 68,008 0.2%
1920 70,107 3.1%
1930 73,117 4.3%
1940 73,930 1.1%
1950 76,577 3.6%
1960 83,877 9.5%
1970 104,389 24.5%
1980 119,149 14.1%
1990 129,180 8.4%
2000 150,433 16.5%
2010 169,572 12.7%
2020 170,954 0.8%
2023 (est.) 170,441 0.5%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2019

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 169,572 people, 65,104 households, and 40,124 families residing in the county. The population density was 143.3 inhabitants per square mile (55.3/km2). There were 69,656 housing units at an average density of 58.9 per square mile (22.7/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 84.3% white, 7.3% black or African American, 4.3% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 1.5% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 31.2% were German, 15.4% were Irish, 11.4% were American, and 11.0% were English.

Of the 65,104 households, 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.5% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 38.4% were non-families, and 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.02. The median age was 32.1 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $57,642 and the median income for a family was $77,093. Males had a median income of $52,271 versus $39,685 for females. The per capita income for the county was $28,167. About 6.2% of families and 12.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.4% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Town

Villages

Map of McLean County Illinois
Map of McLean County, Illinois

Census-designated place

Other unincorporated communities

Townships

McLean County is divided into these townships:

  • Allin
  • Anchor
  • Arrowsmith
  • Bellflower
  • Bloomington
  • Bloomington City
  • Blue Mound
  • Cheney's Grove
  • Chenoa
  • Cropsey
  • Dale
  • Danvers
  • Dawson
  • Downs
  • Dry Grove
  • Empire
  • Funk's Grove
  • Gridley
  • Hudson
  • Lawndale
  • Lexington
  • Martin
  • Money Creek
  • Mount Hope
  • Normal
  • Old Town
  • Randolph
  • Towanda
  • West
  • White Oak
  • Yates

Ghost towns

Education

Here is a list of school districts (all fully K-12) with territory in the county, no matter how slight, even if the district's schools and/or administrative offices are not in the county:

  • Blue Ridge Community Unit School District 18
  • Bloomington School District 87
  • El Paso-Gridley Community Unit School District 11
  • Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley Community Unit School District 5
  • Heyworth Community Unit School District 4
  • Le Roy Community Unit School District 2
  • Lexington Community Unit School District 7
  • McLean County Unit School District 5
  • Olympia Community Unit School District 16
  • Prairie Central Community Unit School District 8
  • Ridgeview Community Unit School District 19
  • Tri-Valley Community Unit School District 3

Illinois State University is in the county.

Notable persons

  • George J. Mecherle, founder of State Farm
  • Adlai Stevenson II, Governor of Illinois (1949–53), two-time Democratic nominee for the U.S. presidency, and Ambassador to the United Nations (1961–65)
  • Pokey LaFarge, musician and songwriter
  • Bonnie Lou, recording artist and television celebrity
  • William H. Rowe, farmer, businessman, and politician
  • Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, host of popular 1950/60 T.V. program Life is Worth Living and Catholic Archbishop of the Diocese of Rochester, New York

See also

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

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