Menard County, Illinois

Menard County, Illinois
Location in the state of Illinois
Illinois's location in the U.S.
Founded	1839
Seat	Petersburg
Largest city	Petersburg
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	315.46 sq mi (817 km²) 314.44 sq mi (814 km²) 1.02 sq mi (3 km²), 0.32%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	12,705 40/sq mi (15/km²)
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5

Menard County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 12,705, which is an increase of 1.8% from 12,486 in 2000.^[1] Its county seat is Petersburg.^[2]

Menard County is part of the Springfield, Illinois, Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 315.46 square miles (817.0 km²), of which 314.44 square miles (814.4 km²) (or 99.68%) is land and 1.02 square miles (2.6 km²) (or 0.32%) is water.^[3]

Major highways

• Illinois Route 29
• Illinois Route 97
• Illinois Route 123

Adjacent counties

• Mason County - north
• Logan County - east
• Sangamon County - south
• Cass County - west

History

Menard County was formed in 1839 out of Sangamon County. The County was named for Pierre Menard, the first lieutenant governor of Illinois.

• 

  Menard County at the time of its creation in 1839

• 

  Menard County in 1841, reduced to its present borders

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1900	14,336		—
1910	12,796		−10.7%
1920	11,694		−8.6%
1930	10,575		−9.6%
1940	10,663		0.8%
1950	9,639		−9.6%
1960	9,248		−4.1%
1970	9,685		4.7%
1980	11,700		20.8%
1990	11,164		−4.6%
2000	12,486		11.8%
IL Counties 1900-1990

As of the census^[4] of 2000, there were 12,486 people, 4,873 households, and 3,552 families residing in the county. The population density was 40 people per square mile (15/km²). There were 5,285 housing units at an average density of 17 per square mile (6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.59% White, 0.38% Black or African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.25% from other races, and 0.39% from two or more races. 0.75% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 32.6% were of German, 17.4% American, 15.0% English and 10.1% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 4,873 households out of which 36.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.70% were married couples living together, 9.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.10% were non-families. 23.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the county the population was spread out with 26.50% under the age of 18, 6.80% from 18 to 24, 28.90% from 25 to 44, 24.60% from 45 to 64, and 13.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 96.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $46,596, and the median income for a family was $52,995. Males had a median income of $36,870 versus $27,010 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,584. About 6.10% of families and 8.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.50% of those under age 18 and 6.00% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

• Athens
• Greenview
• Oakford
• Petersburg
• Tallula

Unincorporated places

• Atterberry
• Fancy Prairie
• Hubly
• Sweet Water
• Tice
• Bobtown

Climate and weather

Petersburg, Illinois
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     1.6   33 17     1.8   39 22     3.2   51 32     3.4   63 42     4.1   74 53     3.8   83 62     3.5   87 66     3.4   85 64     2.8   79 55     2.6   67 44     2.9   51 34     2.5   38 23 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation totals in inches Source: The Weather Channel[5]
Metric conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     41   1 -8     46   4 -6     80   11 0     85   17 6     103   23 12     96   28 17     90   31 19     87   29 18     72   26 13     67   19 7     73   11 1     65   3 -5 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Petersburg have ranged from a low of 17 °F (−8 °C) in January to a high of 87 °F (31 °C) in July, although a record low of −24 °F (−31 °C) was recorded in February 1905 and a record high of 112 °F (44 °C) was recorded in July 1954. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.62 inches (41 mm) in January to 4.06 inches (103 mm) in May.^[5]

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Menard County, Illinois

References

1. ^ "Menard County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/17/17129.html. Retrieved 2011-11-05. 
2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
3. ^ "Census 2010 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_counties_national.txt. Retrieved 2011-11-05. 
4. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
5. ^ ^{a b} "Monthly Averages for Petersburg, Illinois". The Weather Channel. http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USIL0942. Retrieved 2011-01-27. 

External links

• Menard County Tourism Council
• Illinois Genealogy Trails

Coordinates: 40°02′N 89°48′W / 40.03°N 89.80°W / 40.03; -89.80