Lee County, Illinois

Lee County, Illinois
Location in the state of Illinois
Illinois's location in the U.S.
Founded	February 27, 1839
Seat	Dixon
Largest city	Dixon
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	728.95 sq mi (1,888 km²) 724.90 sq mi (1,877 km²) 4.06 sq mi (11 km²), 0.56%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	36,031 50/sq mi (19/km²)
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	www.countyoflee.org

Lee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 36,031, which is a decrease of 0.1% from 36,062 in 2000.^[1] Its county seat is Dixon.^[2]

The Dixon Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Lee County.

History

Lee County was formed in 1839 out of Ogle County. The County is named in honor of Lighthorse Harry Lee, officer in the Revolutionary War, or Richard Henry Lee, member of the Continental Congress. The Declaration of Independence was adopted pursuant to Lee's Resolution.

• 

  Lee County at the time of its creation in 1839

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 728.95 square miles (1,888.0 km²), of which 724.90 square miles (1,877.5 km²) (or 99.44%) is land and 4.06 square miles (10.5 km²) (or 0.56%) is water.^[3]

Cities and towns

A wind farm in southeast Lee county just west of Interstate 39 exit 82.

• Amboy
• Ashton
• Compton
• Dixon
• Franklin Grove
• Harmon
• Henkel
• Nelson
• Paw Paw
• Steward
• Sublette
• Walton
• West Brooklyn

Townships

Lee County is divided into twenty-two townships:

Alto Amboy Ashton Bradford Brooklyn

Dixon East Grove Franklin Grove Hamilton Harmon

Lee Center Marion May Nachusa Nelson

Palmyra Reynolds South Dixon Sublette Viola

Willow Creek Wyoming

Major highways

• Interstate 39
• Interstate 88
• U.S. Highway 30
• U.S. Highway 51
• U.S. Highway 52
• Illinois Route 2
• Illinois Route 26
• Illinois Route 38
• Illinois Route 251

Other features

• Green River Ordnance Plant
• Mendota Hills Wind Farm

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1900	29,894		—
1910	27,750		−7.2%
1920	28,004		0.9%
1930	32,329		15.4%
1940	34,604		7.0%
1950	36,451		5.3%
1960	38,749		6.3%
1970	37,947		−2.1%
1980	36,328		−4.3%
1990	34,392		−5.3%
2000	36,062		4.9%
2010	36,031		−0.1%
IL Counties 1900-1990

As of the census^[4] of 2000, there were 36,062 people, 13,253 households, and 9,144 families residing in the county. The population density was 50 people per square mile (19/km²). There were 14,310 housing units at an average density of 20 per square mile (8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 92.68% White, 4.91% Black or African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.56% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.77% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. 3.18% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 33.9% were of German, 14.9% Irish, 8.9% American and 8.4% English ancestry according to Census 2000. 97.1% spoke English and 1.7% Spanish as their first language.

2000 census age pyramid for Lee County.

There were 13,253 households out of which 32.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.90% were married couples living together, 9.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.00% were non-families. 26.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the county the population was spread out with 24.20% under the age of 18, 7.80% from 18 to 24, 30.30% from 25 to 44, 23.10% from 45 to 64, and 14.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 105.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $40,967, and the median income for a family was $48,730. Males had a median income of $35,754 versus $22,305 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,650. About 4.90% of families and 7.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.40% of those under age 18 and 8.90% of those age 65 or over.

Climate and weather

Dixon, Illinois
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     1.6   26 10     1.4   32 15     2.6   44 27     3.6   58 37     4.3   70 48     4.9   79 58     3.5   82 62     4.5   80 60     3.3   73 51     2.7   62 39     2.8   45 28     2.1   31 17 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   -3 -12     36   0 -9     65   7 -3     92   14 3     110   21 9     124   26 14     88   28 17     114   27 16     84   23 11     69   17 4     72   7 -2     54   -1 -8 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Dixon have ranged from a low of 10 °F (−12 °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 1999 and a record high of 110 °F (43 °C) was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.43 inches (36 mm) in February to 4.88 inches (124 mm) in June.^[5]

See also

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

References

1. ^ "Lee County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/17/17103.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 Dixon, Illinois". The Weather Channel. http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USIL0316. Retrieved 2011-01-27. 

External links

• County Name
• Alternate version of County Name
• Illinois State Archives

Coordinates: 41°44′50″N 89°17′58″W / 41.74722°N 89.29944°W / 41.74722; -89.29944