Stephenson County, Illinois facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Stephenson County
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Stephenson County Courthouse
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Location within the U.S. state of Illinois
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 Illinois's location within the U.S. |
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Illinois |
| Founded | 1837 |
| Named for | Benjamin Stephenson |
| Seat | Freeport |
| Largest city | Freeport |
| Area | |
| • Total | 565 sq mi (1,460 km2) |
| • Land | 565 sq mi (1,460 km2) |
| • Water | 0.5 sq mi (1 km2) 0.09% |
| Population
(2010)
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| • Total | 47,711 |
| • Estimate
(2018)
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44,753 |
| • Density | 84.44/sq mi (32.604/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 17th |
Stephenson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 United States Census, it had a population of 47,711. Its county seat is Freeport.
Stephenson County is included in the Freeport, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Rockford-Freeport-Rochelle, IL Combined Statistical Area.
Contents
History
The land that became Stephenson County was first settled by William Waddams in 1832, who founded Waddams Grove. Five years later in 1837, Stephenson County was formed out of Jo Daviess and Winnebago counties. The county was named for Colonel Benjamin Stephenson, an official of the Illinois Territory.
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Today, this marker denotes the location of Waddams' first settlement in Stephenson County
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Stephenson County at the time of its creation in 1837
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 565 square miles (1,460 km2), of which 565 square miles (1,460 km2) is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km2) (0.09%) is water.
Climate and weather
| Weather chart for Freeport, Illinois | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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1.3
25
9
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1.3
31
14
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2.1
43
25
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3.2
57
36
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4
69
47
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4.5
78
57
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3.6
82
62
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4.1
80
59
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3.7
73
50
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2.6
61
39
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2.7
44
28
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1.7
30
16
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| temperatures in °F precipitation totals in inches source: The Weather Channel |
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Metric conversion
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In recent years the average temperatures in the county seat of Freeport, have ranged from a low of 9 °F (−13 °C) in January to a high of 82 °F (28 °C) in July, although a record low of −27 °F (−33 °C) was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of 101 °F (38 °C) was recorded in July 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.33 inches (34 mm) in January to 4.46 inches (113 mm) in June.
Adjacent counties
- Green County, Wisconsin (north)
- Winnebago County (east)
- Ogle County (southeast)
- Carroll County (southwest)
- Jo Daviess County (west)
- Lafayette County, Wisconsin (northwest)
Major highways
U.S. Highway 20
Illinois Route 26
Illinois Route 73
Illinois Route 75
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1840 | 2,800 | — | |
| 1850 | 11,666 | 316.6% | |
| 1860 | 25,112 | 115.3% | |
| 1870 | 30,608 | 21.9% | |
| 1880 | 31,963 | 4.4% | |
| 1890 | 31,338 | −2.0% | |
| 1900 | 34,933 | 11.5% | |
| 1910 | 36,821 | 5.4% | |
| 1920 | 37,743 | 2.5% | |
| 1930 | 40,064 | 6.1% | |
| 1940 | 40,646 | 1.5% | |
| 1950 | 41,595 | 2.3% | |
| 1960 | 46,207 | 11.1% | |
| 1970 | 48,861 | 5.7% | |
| 1980 | 49,536 | 1.4% | |
| 1990 | 48,052 | −3.0% | |
| 2000 | 48,979 | 1.9% | |
| 2010 | 47,711 | −2.6% | |
| 2018 (est.) | 44,753 | −6.2% | |
| US Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013 |
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As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 47,711 people, 19,845 households, and 13,015 families residing in the county. The population density was 84.5 inhabitants per square mile (32.6/km2). There were 22,081 housing units at an average density of 39.1 per square mile (15.1/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 86.5% white, 9.0% black or African American, 0.6% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 1.2% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.9% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 46.6% were German, 12.5% were Irish, 10.0% were English, and 8.0% were American.
Of the 19,845 households, 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.3% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.4% were non-families, and 29.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.90. The median age was 43.1 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $43,304 and the median income for a family was $54,224. Males had a median income of $41,672 versus $29,510 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,608. About 12.3% of families and 14.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.1% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over.
Communities
City
Town
Villages
Census-designated place
Unincorporated communities
- Afolkey
- Bolton
- Buckhorn Corners
- Buena Vista
- Damascus
- Eleroy
- Evarts
- Florence
- Kent
- Loran
- McConnell
- Oneco
- Red Oak
- Rock Grove
- Scioto Mills
- Waddams Grove
- Winneshiek
Townships
- Buckeye
- Dakota
- Erin
- Florence
- Freeport
- Harlem
- Jefferson
- Kent
- Lancaster
- Loran
- Oneco
- Ridott
- Rock Grove
- Rock Run
- Silver Creek
- Waddams
- West Point
- Winslow
Education
There are five public high schools and one private high Schools in the county: (approximate enrollment included)
Public high schools
- Freeport High 1,254
- Lena-Winslow High 299
- Dakota High 254
- Pearl City High 150
- Orangeville High 142
Private high school
- Aquin Catholic High 93
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Stephenson para niños
