Williamson County, Illinois
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Williamson County, Illinois | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Illinois |
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 Illinois's location in the U.S. |
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| Statistics | |
| Founded | 1839 |
|---|---|
| Seat | Marion |
| Largest city | Marion |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
444 sq mi (1,151 km²) 423 sq mi (1,097 km²) 21 sq mi (54 km²), 4.72% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
61,296 145/sq mi (56/km²) |
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
Williamson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of 2000, the population was 61,296. Its county seat is Marion, Illinois[1]. Williamson is a rapidly growing county in the Metro Lakeland area and is located 88 air miles (120 miles by interstate) southeast of St. Louis, MO at the intersection of Interstate 57, Interstate 24, and Illinois Route 13, a main east-west 4-lane expressway connecting the major communities of Murphysboro, Carbondale, Carterville, Herrin, Marion, and Harrisburg, IL. Although the Williamson County population is only 61,296, it is located in the heart of the Metro Lakeland area of Jackson-Williamson Counties where 120,000 citizens of Illinois make their home. Carbondale (14 miles west), Herrin and Marion, IL are the key urban areas in Metro Lakeland with a combined population of over 57,000. Over 235,000 people live within 35 miles.
Contents |
[edit] Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 444 square miles (1,151 km²), of which, 423 square miles (1,097 km²) of it is land and 21 square miles (54 km²) of it (4.72%) is water.
[edit] Township map
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[edit] Adjacent counties
- Franklin County (north)
- Saline County (east)
- Pope County (southeast)
- Johnson County (south)
- Union County (southwest)
- Jackson County (west)
[edit] Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1840 | 4,457 |
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| 1850 | 7,216 | 61.9% | |
| 1860 | 12,205 | 69.1% | |
| 1870 | 17,329 | 42.0% | |
| 1880 | 19,324 | 11.5% | |
| 1890 | 22,226 | 15.0% | |
| 1900 | 27,796 | 25.1% | |
| 1910 | 45,098 | 62.2% | |
| 1920 | 61,092 | 35.5% | |
| 1930 | 53,880 | -11.8% | |
| 1940 | 51,424 | -4.6% | |
| 1950 | 48,621 | -5.5% | |
| 1960 | 46,117 | -5.2% | |
| 1970 | 49,021 | 6.3% | |
| 1980 | 56,538 | 15.3% | |
| 1990 | 57,733 | 2.1% | |
| 2000 | 61,296 | 6.2% | |
| UVa Census Browser 1840-1890[2] Illinois Counties 1900-1990[3] |
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As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 61,296 people, 25,358 households, and 16,964 families residing in the county. The population density was 145 people per square mile (56/km²). There were 27,703 housing units at an average density of 65 per square mile (25/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.34% White, 2.49% Black or African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.50% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.38% from other races, and 0.98% from two or more races. 1.24% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 18.1% were of German, 18.1% American, 13.7% English, 12.9% Irish and 6.6% Italian ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 25,358 households out of which 29.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.40% were married couples living together, 10.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.10% were non-families. 28.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.89.
In the county the population was spread out with 22.90% under the age of 18, 8.60% from 18 to 24, 27.90% from 25 to 44, 24.10% from 45 to 64, and 16.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 93.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $31,991, and the median income for a family was $40,692. Males had a median income of $32,386 versus $21,570 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,779. About 11.40% of families and 14.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.60% of those under age 18 and 10.60% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Political subdivisions
[edit] Cities and towns
[edit] Townships
- Blairsville
- Carterville
- Corinth
- Crab Orchard
- Creal Springs
- East Marion
- Grassy
- Herrin
- Lake Creek
- Southern
- Stonefort
- West Marion
[edit] History
Williamson County was formed out of Franklin County on February 28, 1839, and was named for Williamson County, Tennessee.[5]
Williamson County is often referred to as "Bloody Williamson" due to several outbreaks of violence that have few parallels in American history.[6] These include the following: the Bloody Vendetta, 1876; the Carterville Massacre, 1899; Coal Strike, 1906; The Herrin Massacre, 1922; the Klan War, 1924; the Birger/Shelton War, 1927.
The Illinois National Guard was deployed repeatedly during the 1920's to separate the warring parties and attempt to keep order.
Williamson County was struck by 2 tornadoes on May 29, 1982 killing 10 people in the Marion, Illinois tornado outbreak.
[edit] References
- ^ Find a County. National Association of Counties. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ Historial Census Browser, University of Virginia, Geospacial and Statistical Data Center, 2004, <http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/collections/stats/histcensus/index.html>
- ^ Illinois Counties 1900-1990, U.S. Census Bureau, <http://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/il190090.txt>
- ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ Adams, James N. (compiler), Keller, William E., ed., Illinois Place Names, Springfield: Illinois State Historical Society, 1989, pp. 609, ISBN 0912226242
- ^ Angle, Paul M. (1992). Bloody Williamson - A Chapter in American Lawlessness. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0-252-06233-7.
[edit] See also
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