Jersey County, Illinois

Jersey County, Illinois
Location in the state of Illinois
Illinois's location in the U.S.
Founded	February 28, 1839
Named for	U.S. state of New Jersey
Seat	Jerseyville
Largest city	Jerseyville
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	377.13 sq mi (977 km²) 369.27 sq mi (956 km²) 7.86 sq mi (20 km²), 2.08%
PopulationEst.  - (2010)  - Density	22,985 61.3/sq mi (23.7/km²)
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	www.jerseycounty-il.us

Jersey County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. Jersey County is part of the St. Louis Metropolitan Area. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 22,985, which is an increase of 6.1% from 21,668 in 2000.^[1] The county seat is Jerseyville.^[2]

Geography

The Jersey County Courthouse in Jerseyville

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 377.13 square miles (976.8 km²), of which 369.27 square miles (956.4 km²) (or 97.92%) is land and 7.86 square miles (20.4 km²) (or 2.08%) is water.^[3] Jersey County is bordered by three bodies of water: the Mississippi River to the south, the Illinois River to the west, and Macoupin Creek to the northwest.

Climate

Jerseyville, Illinois
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     1.9   35 17     2   41 22     3.5   53 32     4.1   64 42     4   74 52     3.7   83 61     3.5   88 66     2.9   86 63     3.2   79 55     2.9   68 43     3.8   53 34     2.8   40 23 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation totals in inches Source: The Weather Channel[4]
Metric conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     49   2 -8     51   5 -6     89   12 0     105   18 6     100   23 11     93   28 16     89   31 19     74   30 17     82   26 13     73   20 6     96   12 1     72   4 -5 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm

Typically, the county's climate reflects most Midwest areas, located in the transitional zone between the humid continental climate type and the humid subtropical climate type (Koppen Dfa and Cfa, respecively), with neither large mountains nor large bodies of water to moderate its temperature. Spring is the wettest season and produces severe weather ranging from tornadoes to snow or ice storms. Summers are hot and humid, and the humidity often makes the heat index rise to temperatures feeling well above 100 °F (38 °C). Fall is mild with lower humidity and can produce intermittent bouts of heavy rainfall with the first snow flurries usually forming in late November. Winters can be cold at times with periodic light snow and temperatures below freezing.

In recent years, average temperatures in Jerseyville have ranged from a low of 17 °F (−8 °C) in January to a high of 88 °F (31 °C) in July. The record low temperature of −25 °F (−32 °C) was recorded in January 1977 and the record high temperature of 112 °F (44 °C) was recorded in July 1954. Average monthly precipitation ranges from 1.92 inches (49 mm) in January to 4.14 inches (105 mm) in April.^[4]

Adjacent counties

• Greene County - north
• Macoupin County - east
• Madison County - southeast
• St. Charles County, Missouri - south
• Calhoun County - west

Major highways

• U.S. Route 67
• Illinois Route 3
• Illinois Route 16
• Illinois Route 100
• Illinois Route 109
• Illinois Route 111
• Illinois Route 267

State protected areas

• Mississippi River State Fish and Wildlife Area
• Pere Marquette State Park

National protected areas

• Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge (eastern portion)

History

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1840	4,535		—
1850	7,354		62.2%
1860	12,051		63.9%
1870	15,054		24.9%
1880	15,542		3.2%
1890	14,810		−4.7%
1900	14,612		−1.3%
1910	13,954		−4.5%
1920	12,682		−9.1%
1930	12,556		−1.0%
1940	13,636		8.6%
1950	15,264		11.9%
1960	17,023		11.5%
1970	18,492		8.6%
1980	20,538		11.1%
1990	20,539		0%
2000	21,668		5.5%
2010	22,985		6.1%
Decennial US Census

Jersey County lies just northeast of where the great Mississippi and Illinois rivers meet. It is the former home of the Kickapoo, Menomini, Potawatomi, and Illiniwek Confederation American Indians. The first European explorers to visit the area, Father Marquette and Louis Jolliet, arrived in 1673,^[5] where they encountered the fearsome painting of the Piasa bird. The present day Pere Marquette State Park, located near Grafton, is named in Father Marquette's honor, and a monument to him is located at the park.

Jersey County was founded on February 28, 1839, and was formed out of Greene County. The county was named for the state of New Jersey, from which many of the early settlers emigrated - which was itself named for the Channel Island of Jersey in Great Britain. The area quickly evolved into several small agricultural communities. As the area soon began to flourish, a county government was established and a courthouse was built in Jerseyville, the county seat. The present courthouse is a magnificent architectural structure that was built in 1893.

Today, while the county maintains its agricultural base, it is also within commuting distance of jobs and industry in St. Louis, Missouri and the surrounding area. A large portion of the population works outside of Jersey County and benefits from being "Near the crowd, but not in it.", the official slogan of the Jersey County Business Association's advertising campaign. The bordering rivers play an important part in Jersey County's economy by supporting agricultural producers and agribusiness, and by creating a strong tourist market. Education, manufacturing, and retail are among the county's largest industries.

• 

  Jersey County at the time of its creation in 1839

Demographics

2000 census age pyramid for Jersey County.

As of the census^[6] of 2000, there were 21,668 people, 8,096 households, and 5,861 families residing in the county. The population density was 59 people per square mile (23/km²). There were 8,918 housing units at an average density of 24 per square mile (9/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.13% White, 0.53% Black or African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.15% from other races, and 0.70% from two or more races. 0.75% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 39.2% were of German, 14.5% American, 11.2% Irish and 11.1% English ancestry according to Census 2000. 98.3% spoke English and 1.1% Spanish as their first language.

There were 8,096 households, out of which 34.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.10% were married couples living together, 9.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.60% were non-families. 23.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.05.

In the county, the population was spread out with 25.40% under the age of 18, 9.90% from 18 to 24, 27.60% from 25 to 44, 22.80% from 45 to 64, and 14.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 95.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $42,065, and the median income for a family was $49,666. Males had a median income of $38,771 versus $23,086 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,581. About 5.30% of families and 7.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.70% of those under age 18 and 5.70% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Unified school districts

• Alton Community Unit School District 11 - serves a very small portion of southern Jersey County (east of Elsah), along with northwestern Madison County.
• Jersey Community Unit School District 100 - serves most of Jersey County, and a small portion of southern Greene County.
• Southwestern Community Unit School District 9 - serves the northeastern and southeastern portions of Jersey County, along with southwestern Macoupin County.

High Schools

• Jersey Community High School, located in Jerseyville.

Colleges and Universities

• Principia College, located near Elsah.

Municipalities

Incorporated communities in Jersey County

Cities

• Grafton
• Jerseyville

Villages

• Brighton
• Elsah
• Fidelity
• Fieldon

Towns

• Otterville

Townships

Jersey County is divided into eleven townships:

Townships by population

2008 estimates:^[7]

Jersey Township - 9,904 Piasa Township - 3,109 Elsah Township - 2,422 Mississippi Township - 2,037 Quarry Township - 1,228 Otter Creek Township - 953

Richwood Township - 757 Fidelity Township - 731 English Township - 548 Rosedale Township - 499 Ruyle Township - 434

Unincorporated Areas

Beltrees Chautauqua Delhi Democrat Spring Dow

East Newbern Kemper Lake Piasa Lockhaven McClusky

Newbern New Delhi Nutwood Reardon Reddish

Rosedale Spankey

See also

• Jersey County Journal
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Jersey County, Illinois

References

1. ^ "Jersey County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/17/17083.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. ^ ^{a b} "Monthly Averages for Jerseyville, Illinois". The Weather Channel. http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USIL0588. Retrieved 2011-01-27. 
5. ^ Jersey County description & history, retrieved August 24, 2007
6. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
7. ^ Illinois Subcounty population estimates (2008), (XLS format) retrieved August 4, 2009

External links

• Jersey County government website
• Jersey County Health Department website
• Jersey County fact sheet

Coordinates: 39°05′N 90°22′W / 39.09°N 90.36°W / 39.09; -90.36