Randolph County, Illinois

Randolph County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 33,476.[1] Its county seat is Chester.[2]

Randolph County
U.S. county
Motto(s): 
Where Illinois Began
Location within the U.S. state of Illinois
Illinois's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 38°03′N 89°49′W
Country United States
State Illinois
Founded1795
Named forEdmund Randolph
SeatChester
Largest cityChester
Area
 • Total597 sq mi (1,550 km2)
 • Land576 sq mi (1,490 km2)
 • Water22 sq mi (60 km2)  3.6%
Population
 (2010)
 • Total33,476
 • Estimate 
(2018)
32,106
 • Density56/sq mi (22/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district12th
Websiteam.randolphco.org

Owing to its role in the state's history, the county motto is "Where Illinois Began." It contains the historically important village of Kaskaskia, Illinois's first capital.

The county is part of Southern Illinois in the southern portion of the state known locally as "Little Egypt", and includes fertile river flats, part of the American Bottom; it is near the Greater St. Louis area.

History

Randolph County was organized in 1795 out of a part of St. Clair County. It was named in honor of Edmund Randolph, Governor of Virginia. George Rogers Clark of the army of Virginia captured the area from the British on July 4, 1778, near the end of the Revolutionary War. The area then became the seat, for several years, of Illinois County, Virginia, although the Congress of the Confederation legislated the existence of the Northwest Territory on July 13, 1787. Edmund Randolph was Governor of Virginia at the time Virginia ceded the Northwest Territory to the United States. In 1809, when Illinois became a separate territory, Territorial Secretary Nathaniel Pope, in his capacity as acting governor, issued a proclamation establishing Randolph as one of the Illinois' two original counties. The county's boundaries were last changed in 1827, when land was taken to form Perry County.

The Mississippi River has played a prominent role in the county's history, altering its boundaries in 1881 when it severed the isthmus that connected Kaskaskia to the Illinois mainland, destroying the original village of Kaskaskia and forcing its historic cemetery to be relocated across the river to Fort Kaskaskia. Crains Island , southeast of Chester, is another enclave of Illinois west of the Mississippi that was created by a change in the river's course.

  • Randolph County as it was re-established in 1809. This diagonal border line had been drawn by the Indiana Territorial government in 1803.[3]
  • Randolph County between 1812 and 1813
  • Randolph County between 1813 and 1816
  • Randolph County between 1816 and 1827
  • Randolph County in 1827, reduced to its current borders

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 597 square miles (1,550 km2), of which 576 square miles (1,490 km2) is land and 22 square miles (57 km2) (3.6%) is water.[4]

The Kaskaskia River flows into the Mississippi River in Randolph County. At this point the Mississippi, which usually defines the border between Illinois and Missouri, is entirely in Illinois. The Mississippi changed its course in the late-nineteenth century, leaving Kaskaskia, the former state capital, on the west side of the river. The boundary of the State, however, follows the old course of the river, leaving Illinois with an exclave on the western shore of the Mississippi River. A smaller enclave, Crains Island, is a few miles further down the river.

Climate and weather
Chester, Illinois
Climate chart (explanation)
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
 
 
1.9
 
 
39
22
 
 
2
 
 
46
26
 
 
3.5
 
 
56
35
 
 
3.4
 
 
68
45
 
 
4.3
 
 
78
54
 
 
3.9
 
 
87
64
 
 
3.8
 
 
91
68
 
 
3.4
 
 
89
66
 
 
3.2
 
 
82
58
 
 
3.1
 
 
71
46
 
 
4.2
 
 
56
36
 
 
3.2
 
 
44
27
Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
Precipitation totals in inches
Source: The Weather Channel[5]

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Chester have ranged from a low of 22 °F (−6 °C) in January to a high of 91 °F (33 °C) in July, although a record low of −18 °F (−28 °C) was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of 113 °F (45 °C) was recorded in July 2012. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.85 inches (47 mm) in January to 4.30 inches (109 mm) in May.[5]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Randolph County is among the few counties in the United States to border two counties with the same name (Perry County in Missouri and Illinois).

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
18203,492—
18304,42926.8%
18407,94479.4%
185011,07939.5%
186017,20555.3%
187020,85921.2%
188025,69023.2%
189025,049−2.5%
190028,00111.8%
191029,1204.0%
192029,1090.0%
193029,3130.7%
194033,60814.7%
195031,673−5.8%
196029,988−5.3%
197031,3794.6%
198035,65213.6%
199034,583−3.0%
200033,893−2.0%
201033,476−1.2%
2018 (est.)32,106[6]−4.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]
1790-1960[8] 1900-1990[9]
1990-2000[10] 2010-2013[1]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 33,476 people, 12,314 households, and 8,188 families residing in the county.[11] The population density was 58.2 inhabitants per square mile (22.5/km2). There were 13,707 housing units at an average density of 23.8 per square mile (9.2/km2).[4] The racial makeup of the county was 87.6% white, 9.7% black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 1.2% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.6% of the population.[11] In terms of ancestry, 40.3% were German, 11.3% were Irish, 9.4% were English, and 5.7% were American.[12]

Of the 12,314 households, 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.5% were non-families, and 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.90. The median age was 41.0 years.[11]

The median income for a household in the county was $45,020 and the median income for a family was $55,113. Males had a median income of $43,359 versus $28,376 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,950. About 7.0% of families and 10.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.9% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.[13]

Government and infrastructure

The Illinois Department of Corrections Menard Correctional Center is located in Chester.[14][15] Prior to the January 11, 2003 commutation of death row sentences, male death row inmates were housed in Menard, Tamms, and Pontiac correctional centers. After that date, only Pontiac continued to host the male death row.[16]

Politics

Randolph is a rural conservative county in southern Illinois that has trended Republican in recent presidential elections. Historically, the county was dominated by organized labor and family farms. This put it into the Democratic column. The area might be described as economically populist and socially conservative.

Presidential elections results
Presidential elections results[17]
Year Republican Democratic Third parties
2016 70.6% 10,023 24.2% 3,439 5.2% 732
2012 57.4% 8,290 39.9% 5,759 2.7% 389
2008 49.6% 7,538 48.6% 7,395 1.8% 269
2004 54.0% 8,076 45.3% 6,771 0.7% 109
2000 49.9% 7,127 47.6% 6,794 2.6% 366
1996 37.0% 5,422 50.7% 7,419 12.3% 1,806
1992 29.6% 4,899 51.5% 8,529 18.9% 3,137
1988 48.3% 7,396 51.2% 7,844 0.5% 78
1984 59.5% 9,415 40.2% 6,355 0.4% 59
1980 56.9% 8,810 39.1% 6,052 4.1% 632
1976 48.1% 8,190 51.0% 8,693 0.9% 155
1972 60.2% 9,761 39.7% 6,440 0.1% 14
1968 50.4% 7,681 39.0% 5,953 10.6% 1,616
1964 38.7% 5,803 61.3% 9,199 0.0% 0
1960 52.1% 7,988 47.9% 7,344 0.1% 15
1956 55.4% 8,439 44.5% 6,778 0.0% 4
1952 54.6% 8,427 45.3% 6,998 0.1% 13
1948 49.8% 6,867 49.7% 6,852 0.5% 62
1944 54.7% 7,518 45.1% 6,199 0.3% 39
1940 54.2% 9,333 45.3% 7,802 0.5% 80
1936 45.0% 7,057 52.5% 8,247 2.5% 397
1932 34.8% 4,747 63.3% 8,634 2.0% 266
1928 47.5% 5,739 51.7% 6,251 0.9% 103
1924 41.6% 4,527 34.3% 3,734 24.1% 2,619
1920 62.5% 6,180 32.2% 3,181 5.3% 521
1916 49.1% 5,517 48.0% 5,403 2.9% 326
1912 18.3% 1,169 50.4% 3,217 31.3% 2,000
1908 47.0% 3,045 49.0% 3,172 4.0% 256
1904 52.2% 3,238 40.6% 2,518 7.3% 451
1900 47.1% 3,045 50.7% 3,278 2.3% 146
1896 48.6% 3,024 49.5% 3,081 2.0% 124
1892 43.9% 2,425 48.9% 2,702 7.3% 401

Media

There are two AM radio stations licensed in the county — WHCO 1230AM in Sparta and KSGM 980AM in Chester.

Weekly newspapers in the county are The Randolph County Herald Tribune located in Chester, The County Journal, which is based in Percy and also covers Perry and Jackson Counties, the North County News in Red Bud, and the Sparta News-Plaindealer.

The area is also served by the on-line newspaper based in Chester which is SunTimesNews.com

Communities

Cities

Villages

Unincorporated communities

See also

References
  1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
  2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. White, Jesse. Origin and Evolution of Illinois Counties. State of Illinois, March 2010.
  4. "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  5. "Monthly Averages for Chester, Illinois". The Weather Channel. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
  6. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved November 2, 2019.
  7. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
  8. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
  9. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
  10. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
  11. "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  12. "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  13. "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  14. "Menard Correctional Center." Illinois Department of Corrections. Retrieved on September 1, 2010.
  15. "Chester city, Illinois Archived 2011-07-28 at the Wayback Machine." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on September 1, 2010.
  16. "DOC Report Online." Illinois Department of Corrections. Retrieved on September 1, 2010.
  17. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 7, 2018.

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