Effingham County, Illinois

Infobox U.S. County
county = Effingham County
state = Illinois


seallink =


map size = 150
founded = 1831
seat = Effingham
largest city = Effingham
area_total_sq_mi = 480
area_total_km2 = 1243
area_land_sq_mi = 479
area_land_km2 = 1240
area_water_sq_mi = 1
area_water_km2 = 3
area percentage = 0.25%
census yr = 2000
pop = 34264
density_sq_mi = 72
density_km2 = 28
time zone = Central
UTC offset = -6
DST offset= -5
footnotes =
web = www.co.effingham.il.us|

Effingham County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of 2000, the population was 34,264. Its county seat is Effingham, IllinoisGR|6.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 480 square miles (1,243 km²), of which, 479 square miles (1,240 km²) of it is land and 1 square miles (3 km²) of it (0.25%) is water.

Townships

Banner, Bishop, Douglas, Jackson, Liberty, Lucas, Mason, Maccasin, Mound, St. Francis, Summit, Teutopolis, Union, Watson, West

Adjacent counties

*Cumberland County - northeast
*Jasper County - east
*Clay County - south
*Fayette County - west
*Shelby County - northwest

History

Effingham County was formed in 1831 out of Fayette and Crawford Counties. It is named after Edward Effingham, who resigned his commission as general in the British army in 1775, refusing to serve in the war against the Colonies. The name is Anglo-Saxon for "Effa's house". New information suggests that the county was named after a surveyor who surveyed the area whose last name was Effingham. There is no written proof that the county was named after Lord Effingham.

Giant Cross:Just west of Effingham, Illinois on Interstate 70 there is a 198 ft. White Cross. 50,000 travellers are estimated to pass the site each day. It is the world's biggest cross, and took over 200 tons of steel to erect.

Settlements

-valign="top"|

Cities

*Altamont
*Effingham

Towns

*Mason|

Villages

*Beecher City
*Dieterich
*Edgewood
*Shumway
*Teutopolis
*Watson

Demographics

USCensusPop
1900= 20465
1910= 20055
1920= 19556
1930= 19013
1940= 22034
1950= 21675
1960= 23107
1970= 24608
1980= 30944
1990= 31704
2000= 34264
footnote= [http://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/il190090.txt IL Counties 1900-1990] As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 34,264 people, 13,001 households, and 9,178 families residing in the county. The population density was 72 people per square mile (28/km²). There were 13,959 housing units at an average density of 29 per square mile (11/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.66% White, 0.16% Black or African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.22% from other races, and 0.46% from two or more races. 0.74% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 54.4% were of German, 14.5% American, 7.8% English and 6.3% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000. 97.6% spoke English and 1.2% Spanish as their first language.

There were 13,001 households out of which 36.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.80% were married couples living together, 9.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.40% were non-families. 26.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.16.

In the county the population was spread out with 28.60% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 28.20% from 25 to 44, 21.10% from 45 to 64, and 13.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 98.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $39,379, and the median income for a family was $46,895. Males had a median income of $31,442 versus $21,121 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,301. About 6.00% of families and 8.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.10% of those under age 18 and 7.10% of those age 65 or over.

External links

* [http://genealogytrails.com/ill/effingham/ Effingham County History & Genealogy]

External references

*History of Southern Illinois, George Washington Smith, 1912.