Mount Carroll, Illinois facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mount Carroll, Illinois
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| Motto(s):
Where we take the time to care
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Location of Mount Carroll in Carroll County, Illinois
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| Country | United States |
| State | Illinois |
| County | Carroll |
| Named for | Charles Carroll of Carrollton |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2 sq mi (5.19 km2) |
| • Land | 2 sq mi (5.19 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Elevation | 810 ft (250 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 1,479 |
| • Density | 738.39/sq mi (285.04/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP Code(s) |
61053
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| Area code(s) | 815 |
| FIPS code | 17-50881 |
| Wikimedia Commons | Mount Carroll, Illinois |
Mount Carroll is a city in Carroll County, Illinois, United States. It is the county seat, which means it's where the main government offices for the county are located. In 2020, about 1,479 people lived there.
Contents
Discovering Mount Carroll's Past
Mount Carroll started as a small mill town around 1841. A mill is a building where grain is ground into flour. In 1843, people voted to move the county seat from a nearby town called Savanna to Mount Carroll.
The town officially became a city in 1867. Its first mayor was Nathaniel Halderman. He was a well-known local businessman who helped start the mill.
Shimer College and Historic Preservation
A college called Shimer College opened in Mount Carroll in 1853. However, due to money problems, the college moved away in 1979. Today, the old campus is home to the Campbell Center for Historic Preservation Studies. This center teaches people how to protect and restore old buildings and historical sites.
Where is Mount Carroll?
Mount Carroll is located in the northwest part of Carroll County. U.S. Route 52 runs through the southern part of the city. This road can take you about 7 miles east to Lanark or 10 miles west to Savanna, which is on the Mississippi River.
The city covers an area of about 2 square miles (5.19 square kilometers). All of this area is land.
Mount Carroll's Climate and Weather
Mount Carroll has a climate with four distinct seasons. Winters are cold, and summers are hot. The city gets about 40 inches of rain each year.
Because of its location and elevation, Mount Carroll can get very cold in winter. It holds the record for the lowest temperature ever recorded in Illinois! On January 31, 2019, during a very cold period, the temperature dropped to -38 degrees Fahrenheit (-38.9 degrees Celsius). That's super chilly!
| Climate data for Mount Carroll, Illinois (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1897–present) | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 61 (16) |
73 (23) |
85 (29) |
92 (33) |
104 (40) |
104 (40) |
108 (42) |
103 (39) |
99 (37) |
91 (33) |
79 (26) |
69 (21) |
108 (42) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 30.7 (−0.7) |
35.3 (1.8) |
47.5 (8.6) |
60.6 (15.9) |
72.3 (22.4) |
81.7 (27.6) |
84.9 (29.4) |
83.3 (28.5) |
76.9 (24.9) |
63.9 (17.7) |
48.5 (9.2) |
35.8 (2.1) |
60.1 (15.6) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 20.8 (−6.2) |
24.8 (−4.0) |
36.6 (2.6) |
48.2 (9.0) |
59.8 (15.4) |
69.4 (20.8) |
72.6 (22.6) |
70.7 (21.5) |
63.3 (17.4) |
51.1 (10.6) |
38 (3) |
26.4 (−3.1) |
48.5 (9.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 10.9 (−11.7) |
14.3 (−9.8) |
25.7 (−3.5) |
35.8 (2.1) |
47.3 (8.5) |
57 (14) |
60.4 (15.8) |
58.1 (14.5) |
49.6 (9.8) |
38.3 (3.5) |
27.4 (−2.6) |
17.1 (−8.3) |
36.8 (2.7) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −38 (−39) |
−36 (−38) |
−16 (−27) |
2 (−17) |
15 (−9) |
31 (−1) |
35 (2) |
32 (0) |
14 (−10) |
4 (−16) |
−15 (−26) |
−28 (−33) |
−38 (−39) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 1.66 (42) |
1.83 (46) |
2.51 (64) |
3.9 (99) |
4.57 (116) |
5.49 (139) |
4.89 (124) |
3.91 (99) |
3.71 (94) |
3.02 (77) |
2.6 (66) |
2.21 (56) |
40.3 (1,020) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 10.2 (26) |
7.9 (20) |
3.6 (9.1) |
0.8 (2.0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0.4 (1.0) |
1.7 (4.3) |
8.8 (22) |
33.4 (85) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 8.9 | 7.6 | 8.9 | 11.4 | 12.7 | 11.6 | 8.9 | 8.7 | 8.6 | 8.7 | 8.1 | 9.2 | 113.3 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 5.2 | 4.2 | 1.9 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 4.7 | 17.3 |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
Who Lives in Mount Carroll?
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1850 | 462 | — | |
| 1860 | 1,323 | 186.4% | |
| 1870 | 1,756 | 32.7% | |
| 1890 | 1,836 | — | |
| 1900 | 1,965 | 7.0% | |
| 1910 | 1,759 | −10.5% | |
| 1920 | 1,806 | 2.7% | |
| 1930 | 1,775 | −1.7% | |
| 1940 | 1,845 | 3.9% | |
| 1950 | 1,950 | 5.7% | |
| 1960 | 2,056 | 5.4% | |
| 1970 | 2,143 | 4.2% | |
| 1980 | 1,936 | −9.7% | |
| 1990 | 1,726 | −10.8% | |
| 2000 | 1,832 | 6.1% | |
| 2010 | 1,717 | −6.3% | |
| 2020 | 1,479 | −13.9% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
In 2020, there were 1,479 people living in Mount Carroll. They lived in 667 households. Most of the people (95.2%) were White. A small number of people were African American, Asian, or from other backgrounds. About 2.84% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.
About 19.6% of the people living in Mount Carroll were under 18 years old. The average age in the city was 46.5 years.
Arts and Culture in Mount Carroll
Mount Carroll has many old and beautiful buildings. The downtown area and older homes are part of the Mount Carroll Historic District. This district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. This means these buildings are important to history and are protected.
Just outside of town, you can find the Timber Lake Playhouse. This is the oldest professional summer theater company in Illinois. It's a great place to watch plays and musicals!
The Mount Carroll post office has a special painting inside. It's a mural called Rural Scene - Wakarusa Valley. It was painted in 1941 as part of a government project to create art during that time.
Getting Around Mount Carroll
Several important roads pass through or near Mount Carroll:
U.S. Route 52 and Illinois Route 64 go east towards Lanark and west towards Savanna.
Illinois Route 40 goes south towards Chadwick, Milledgeville, and the cities of Sterling and Rock Falls.
Illinois Route 78 goes north towards Stockton and south towards Morrison.
Famous People from Mount Carroll
Many interesting people have connections to Mount Carroll:
- Neva Burright: A famous harness racing driver. She was the first woman to win a major race called a Grand Circuit race.
- Samuel James Campbell: A banker and generous person who was born in Mount Carroll.
- John L. Griffith: A college coach and the first leader of the Big Ten Conference, a group of sports teams.
- Dr. Blanche Moore Haines: A doctor who worked for women's right to vote. She graduated from Mount Carroll High School.
- Howard Kyle: A well-known actor.
- Suzanna W. Miles: An archaeologist who studied ancient Mayan cultures. She was born in Mount Carroll.
- Ward Miller: A baseball player who played for several Major League Baseball teams. He was born in Mount Carroll.
- Neta Snook: A brave female pilot and flight instructor.
Images for kids
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Downtown Market Street
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Downtown Market Street
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Downtown hotel
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Downtown Main Street
See also
In Spanish: Mount Carroll (Illinois) para niños
