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Whiteside County, Illinois facts for kids

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Whiteside County
U.S. county
Whiteside County Courthouse, Morrison
Whiteside County Courthouse, Morrison
Official logo of Whiteside County
Logo
Map of Illinois highlighting Whiteside 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 1836
Named for Samuel Whiteside
Seat Morrison
Largest city Sterling
Area
 • Total 697 sq mi (1,810 km2)
 • Land 684 sq mi (1,770 km2)
 • Water 12 sq mi (30 km2)  1.8%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 55,691
 • Estimate 
(2023)
 54,498 Decrease
 • Density 79.90/sq mi (30.850/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 17th

Whiteside County is a county in the state of Illinois, USA. In 2020, about 55,691 people lived there. The main town, or county seat, is Morrison. The Mississippi River forms the western border of the county.

Whiteside County is part of a larger area around Sterling and Dixon. A famous person, U.S. President Ronald Reagan, was born in 1911 in Tampico, a small town in Whiteside County.

History of Whiteside County

Long ago, different groups of Native Americans lived in this area.

Whiteside County was officially created in 1836. It was formed from parts of Jo Daviess and Henry counties. The county was named after General Samuel Whiteside. He was an officer from Illinois who fought in the War of 1812 and the Black Hawk War.

The borders of Whiteside County have stayed the same since it was created in 1836.

Geography of Whiteside County

Whiteside County covers a total area of about 697 square miles (1,805 square kilometers). Most of this is land, about 684 square miles (1,772 square kilometers). The rest, about 12 square miles (31 square kilometers), is water.

Weather in Whiteside County

Weather chart for Morrison, Illinois
J F M A M J J A S O N D
 
 
1.5
 
29
10
 
 
1.5
 
34
15
 
 
2.8
 
47
27
 
 
3.7
 
60
37
 
 
4.4
 
72
48
 
 
4.6
 
82
58
 
 
3.7
 
85
62
 
 
4.7
 
83
59
 
 
2.9
 
76
51
 
 
2.8
 
64
39
 
 
2.9
 
47
28
 
 
2.1
 
34
16
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
 
 
39
 
-2
-12
 
 
38
 
1
-9
 
 
71
 
8
-3
 
 
94
 
16
3
 
 
112
 
22
9
 
 
116
 
28
14
 
 
94
 
29
17
 
 
119
 
28
15
 
 
73
 
24
11
 
 
72
 
18
4
 
 
74
 
8
-2
 
 
54
 
1
-9
temperatures in °C • precipitation totals in mm

In Morrison, the county seat, temperatures usually range from 10°F (-12°C) in January to 85°F (29°C) in July. The coldest temperature ever recorded was -30°F (-34°C) in February 1905. The hottest was 112°F (44°C) in July 1936.

The amount of rain and snow changes throughout the year. It can be as little as 1.51 inches (3.8 cm) in February. It can be as much as 4.69 inches (11.9 cm) in August.

Main Roads in Whiteside County

  • I-88.svg Interstate 88
  • US 30.svg U.S. Highway 30
  • Illinois 2.svg Illinois Route 2
  • Illinois 40.svg Illinois Route 40
  • Illinois 78.svg Illinois Route 78
  • Illinois 84.svg Illinois Route 84
  • Illinois 110.svg Illinois Route 110
  • Illinois 136.svg Illinois Route 136
  • Illinois 172.svg Illinois Route 172

Neighboring Counties

Protected Natural Areas

People of Whiteside County

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1840 2,514 —
1850 5,361 113.2%
1860 18,737 249.5%
1870 27,503 46.8%
1880 30,885 12.3%
1890 30,854 −0.1%
1900 34,710 12.5%
1910 34,507 −0.6%
1920 36,174 4.8%
1930 39,019 7.9%
1940 43,338 11.1%
1950 49,336 13.8%
1960 59,887 21.4%
1970 62,877 5.0%
1980 65,970 4.9%
1990 60,186 −8.8%
2000 60,653 0.8%
2010 58,498 −3.6%
2020 55,691 −4.8%
2023 (est.) 54,498 −6.8%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010

In 2010, there were 58,498 people living in Whiteside County. Most people (92.2%) were white. About 11% of the population was of Hispanic or Latino background.

Many families live in the county. About 30.4% of households had children under 18. The average age of people in the county was 41.8 years old.

The average income for a household was about $45,266. For a family, it was about $54,242. About 11.2% of all people in the county lived below the poverty line. This included 17.6% of those under 18.

Towns and Villages

Cities

Villages

Other Communities

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

Census-Designated Place

Townships

Whiteside County is divided into these local government areas called townships:

  • Albany
  • Clyde
  • Coloma
  • Erie
  • Fenton
  • Fulton
  • Garden Plain
  • Genesee
  • Hahnaman
  • Hopkins
  • Hume
  • Jordan
  • Lyndon
  • Montmorency
  • Mount Pleasant
  • Newton
  • Portland
  • Prophetstown
  • Sterling
  • Tampico
  • Union Grove
  • Ustick

Education in Whiteside County

Here are the school districts for students from kindergarten to 12th grade:

  • Bureau Valley Community Unit School District 340
  • Chadwick-Milledgeville Community Unit School District 399
  • Erie Community Unit School District 1
  • Morrison Community Unit School District 6
  • Polo Community Unit School District 222
  • Prophetstown-Lyndon-Tampico Community Unit School District 3
  • River Bend Community Unit District 2
  • Sterling Community Unit District 5

There is one high school district: Rock Falls Township High School District 301.

Here are the elementary school districts:

  • East Coloma-Nelson Consolidated Elementary School District 20
  • Montmorency Community Consolidated School District 145
  • Rock Falls Elementary School District 13

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Whiteside para niños

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