Pope County, Illinois facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pope County
U.S. county
Pope County Courthouse in Golconda
Location within the U.S. state of Illinois
Illinois's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Illinois
Founded	1816
Named for	Nathaniel Pope
Seat	Golconda
Largest city	Golconda
Area
• Total	374 sq mi (970 km2)
• Land	369 sq mi (960 km2)
• Water	5.5 sq mi (14 km2)  1.5%
Population  (2020)
• Total	3,763
• Density	10/sq mi (4/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	12th

Pope County is located in the very southeastern part of Illinois. It is one of the smallest counties in the state by population. In 2020, about 3,763 people lived here. The main town and county seat is Golconda.

Pope County was created in 1816. It was formed from parts of Gallatin and Johnson counties. The county is named after Nathaniel Pope. He was an important politician and judge from the early days of Illinois.

History of Pope County

The first lasting settlement in what is now Pope County began in 1798. This was at the place we now call Golconda. Back then, it was part of the Northwest Territory. This spot was important because it was a ferry crossing point over the Ohio River.

The county was officially formed in 1816. It was made from land that used to be part of Gallatin and Johnson counties.

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  Pope County looked like this from 1816 to 1839.

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  Pope County between 1839 and 1843.

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  Pope County between 1843 and 1847.

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  In 1847, the border with Hardin County changed. This made the borders as they are today.

Nathaniel Pope was a politician and judge. Pope County is named after him.

Geography and Nature

Pope County covers about 374 square miles. Most of this area, about 369 square miles, is land. The rest, about 5.5 square miles, is water.

The whole county has many hills. When it rains, small streams flow down these hills. They create waterfalls of different sizes. The county is home to Dixon Springs State Park. This park is part of the Illinois Shawnee Hills. Much of the county is also part of the Shawnee National Forest. The Ohio River forms the southern and eastern borders of the county. This river also marks the state line with Kentucky.

Weather in Pope County

In Golconda, the main town, temperatures change throughout the year. In January, the average low is about 21°F. In July, the average high is about 87°F. The coldest temperature ever recorded was -22°F in January 1994. The hottest was 104°F in August 2007.

The amount of rain also changes each month. It usually rains the most in May, with about 5.02 inches. October is usually the driest month, with about 3.22 inches of rain.

Getting Around: Transit

• Rides Mass Transit District

Main Roads in Pope County

• Illinois Route 34
• Illinois Route 145
• Illinois Route 146
• Illinois Route 147

Neighboring Counties

Pope County shares borders with several other counties:

• Saline County - to the north
• Hardin County - to the east
• Livingston County, Kentucky - to the southeast (across the Ohio River)
• Massac County - to the southwest
• Johnson County - to the west
• Williamson County - to the northwest

Protected Natural Areas

• Shawnee National Forest (part of it is in Pope County)

People of Pope County

In 2010, there were 4,470 people living in Pope County. These people lived in 1,829 households. About 1,209 of these were families. The county had about 12 people per square mile.

Most people in the county were white (91.7%). About 6.0% were Black or African American. A small number of people were American Indian, Asian, or from other backgrounds. About 1.4% of the population was of Hispanic or Latino origin.

Many people in Pope County have German, Irish, or English roots. The average age of people in the county was about 46.6 years old.

The average yearly income for a household in the county was about $39,672. For families, it was about $51,500. About 12.4% of the people in Pope County lived below the poverty line. This included about 18.4% of those under 18 years old.

Towns and Villages

Pope County has one city and one village. It also has several smaller, unincorporated communities.

City

• Golconda

Village

• Eddyville

Unincorporated Communities

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

• Allens Spring
• Bay City
• Brownfield
• Dixon Springs
• Glendale
• Hamletsburg
• Herod
• Homberg
• Lusk's Ferry
• McCormick
• New Liberty
• Rising Sun
• Robbs

Famous People from Pope County

Many interesting people have connections to Pope County:

• James Lusk Alcorn (1816-1894) - Born near Golconda, he was a general in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War.
• John R. Hodge (1893-1963) - Born in Golconda, he was a U.S. Army general. He served as Military Governor of South Korea.
• C. L. McCormick (1919-1987) - Born in McCormick, he was an Illinois state representative and a businessman.
• Green B. Raum (1820-1909) - Born in Golconda, he was a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War.
• James A. Rose (1850-1912) - Born in Golconda, he served as the Illinois Secretary of State.
• Mason Ramsey (2006-) - Born in Golconda, he became famous as the "Walmart Kid Singing" and is now a country singer.
• Victor Belenko (1947-2023) - Born in the USSR, he was a Soviet pilot who flew a secret jet to Japan. He later became an American citizen and lived in Rosebud, Pope County.

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Pope (Illinois) para niños