Moultrie County, Illinois Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Moultrie County

U.S. county

Moultrie County Courthouse in Sullivan

Flag

Location within the U.S. state of Illinois

Illinois's location within the U.S.

Country

United States

State

Illinois

Founded

February 16, 1843

Largest city

Sullivan

Area

• Total

344 sq mi (890 km²)

• Land

336 sq mi (870 km²)

• Water

8.5 sq mi (22 km²) 2.5%

Population

(2020)

• Total

14,526

• Estimate

(2021)

14,510

• Density

42.23/sq mi (16.304/km²)

Time zone

UTC−6 (Central)

• Summer (DST)

UTC−5 (CDT)

Congressional district

15th

Moultrie County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 United States Census, its population was 14,526. Its county seat is Sullivan. The name is pronounced as in "mole tree", unlike the pronunciation of its namesake, the South Carolinian Revolutionary War hero William Moultrie.

History
Geography
Demographics
Communities
Education
See also

History

Moultrie County was formed in 1843 with areas taken from Shelby and Macon counties. It is named for South Carolina General, and later Governor, William Moultrie. General Moultrie defended Sullivan's Island, South Carolina from British attack in 1776. The site was later renamed Fort Moultrie. Nearby Jasper County was named for Sgt. William Jasper, another hero of the defense of Sullivan's Island.

The official flag of the county is the Moultrie Flag, which was flown over the new fortress on Sullivan's Island, when Moultrie defended it, and was designed by Moultrie. It went on to become iconic of liberty in the South.

When Abraham Kellar of Lovington, John Cook of Marrowbone, and John Fleming of Nelson proposed the formation of a new county from Macon, Shelby, and Coles counties, Macon gave up a strip of “worthless swamp” that is now among the most fertile land in the world, but Shelby and Coles voters refused to give up any land. Finally, Shelby County gave up some of its land to make a zig-zag border with Moultrie County.

Moultrie County at the time of its creation in 1843
The Moultrie Flag being raised by Sergeant William Jasper

Geography

According to the US Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 344 square miles (890 km²), of which 336 square miles (870 km²) is land and 8.5 square miles (22 km²) (2.5%) is water.

Climate and weather

Weather chart for Sullivan, Illinois

1.9

3.3

3.7

4.1

3.3

3.1

3.9

temperatures in °F
precipitation totals in inches
source: The Weather Channel

Metric conversion

J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
51 1 -7	48 5 -4	84 11 1	94 18 6	101 24 12	103 28 17	102 31 19	83 29 17	77 27 13	78 20 7	98 11 2	76 4 -4
temperatures in °C • precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Sullivan have ranged from a low of 19 °F (−7 °C) in January to a high of 87 °F (31 °C) in July, although a record low of −26 °F (−32 °C) was recorded in January 1915 and a record high of 111 °F (44 °C) was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.89 inches (48 mm) in February to 4.05 inches (103 mm) in June.

Major highways

U.S. Route 36
Illinois Route 16
Illinois Route 32
Illinois Route 121
Illinois Route 133

Adjacent counties

Piatt County - north
Douglas County - east
Coles County - southeast
Shelby County - south
Macon County - northwest

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1850	3,234	—
1860	6,385	97.4%
1870	10,385	62.6%
1880	13,699	31.9%
1890	14,481	5.7%
1900	15,224	5.1%
1910	14,630	−3.9%
1920	14,839	1.4%
1930	13,247	−10.7%
1940	13,477	1.7%
1950	13,171	−2.3%
1960	13,635	3.5%
1970	13,263	−2.7%
1980	14,546	9.7%
1990	13,930	−4.2%
2000	14,287	2.6%
2010	14,846	3.9%
2020	14,526	−2.2%
2023 (est.)	14,342	−3.4%
US Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013 2020

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 14,846 people, 5,758 households, and 4,053 families living in the county. The population density was 44.2 inhabitants per square mile (17.1/km²). There were 6,260 housing units at an average density of 18.6 per square mile (7.2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.5% white, 0.3% black or African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.2% from other races, and 0.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.9% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 23.8% were German, 12.0% were Irish, 11.4% were American, and 10.9% were English.

Of the 5,758 households, 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.6% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 29.6% were non-families, and 25.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.01. The median age was 40.3 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $46,364 and the median income for a family was $54,494. Males had a median income of $42,581 versus $26,799 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,954. About 6.2% of families and 11.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.2% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Map of Moultrie County, Illinois

City

Sullivan (seat)

Villages

Unincorporated Communities

Townships

Dora
East Nelson
Jonathan Creek
Lovington
Lowe
Marrowbone
Sullivan
Whitley

Education

Moultrie County is served by three school districts.

Sullivan Community Unit School District 300
Okaw Valley Community Unit School District 302
Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond Community Unit School District 305

Moultrie County, Illinois facts for kids

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