# Taylorville, Illinois

Taylorville is a city in and the county seat of Christian County, Illinois, United States. The population was 10,506 at the 2020 census, making it the county's largest city.

## History

Taylorville was founded on May 24, 1839, and was named after John Taylor, a planning commissioner for the state of Illinois.
Taylorville was known (in the early to mid-1990s) to have had a high rate of neuroblastoma, a cancer affecting the adrenal gland and striking children. The local power company Central Illinois Public Service Company was sued and lost for contaminating the groundwater in 1994.
Taylorville is also known for its horse dragging.
Some outer homes and a business in Taylorville were damaged by an F1 tornado on April 2, 2006.
On August 11, 2012, a Beechcraft Model 18 airplane crashed into a residential area of Taylorville, killing the pilot but injuring none on the ground. A subsequent NTSB investigation into the accident concluded that an improper flap configuration and failure to maintain the correct airspeed due to pilot error, resulted in the crash.
At about 5:15 PM on December 1, 2018, as part of the December 2018 tornado outbreak, an intense tornado hit Taylorville. The tornado injured at least 26 residents and damaged more than 600 homes and businesses, 34 of which were completely destroyed. Damage surveys by the National Weather Service rated the tornado EF3 with winds over 155 mph (249 km/h).

## Geography

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Taylorville has a total area of 12.23 square miles (31.68 km$^2$), of which 10.32 square miles (26.73 km$^2$) (or 84.38%) is land and 1.91 square miles (4.95 km$^2$) (or 15.62%) is water.

## Demographics

As of the 2020 census there were 10,506 people, 5,064 households, and 2,507 families residing in the city. The population density was 859.39 inhabitants per square mile (331.81/km$^2$). There were 5,336 housing units at an average density of 436.48 per square mile (168.53/km$^2$). The racial makeup of the city was 93.81% White, 0.90% African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.94% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.52% from other races, and 3.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.65% of the population.
There were 5,064 households, out of which 25.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.45% were married couples living together, 9.72% had a female householder with no husband present, and 50.49% were non-families. 44.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.22% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.96 and the average family size was 2.07.
The city's age distribution consisted of 20.7% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 27% from 45 to 64, and 19.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $41,397, and the median income for a family was $63,885. Males had a median income of $42,474 versus $28,466 for females. The per capita income for the city was $26,513. About 9.7% of families and 13.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.5% of those under age 18 and 12.7% of those age 65 or over.

## Education

The IHSA single season boys' basketball record of 45–0 was set by Taylorville High School in 1944. Ron Bontemps and Johnny Orr were team members.
In 1911, the Taylorville Christians were a member of the Illinois–Missouri League, an American minor league baseball league. Future Baseball Hall of Famer Ray Schalk played on that team.

## Media

The town newspaper is the Breeze-Courier. The State Journal-Register, published in Springfield, Illinois, covers Taylorville and Christian County quite extensively. The Decatur, Illinois Herald & Review covers the area as well.

## Transportation

Taylorville is served by Illinois Route 29, Illinois Route 48 and Illinois Route 104. By closest major city, Illinois Route 29 connects Taylorville to Springfield, Illinois; Illinois Route 48 connects to Decatur, Illinois – including, from there, highway access to Pana, Illinois via US Highway 51 and to Champaign, Illinois via Interstate 72; and Illinois Route 104 connects Taylorville to Jacksonville, Illinois.

## Notable people

* John J. Bullington - Illinois state representative, soldier, and politician; lived and practiced law in Taylorville
* Jon Corzine - 54th Governor of New Jersey 2006–2010; United States Senator representing New Jersey 2001–2006; previously co-CEO of Goldman Sachs, and CEO and Chairman of MF Global; born outside Taylorville and graduated from Taylorville High School
* Yvonne Craig - actress who appeared in season 3 of the 1960s Batman TV series as Batgirl; born in Taylorville
* Rodney Davis - Congressman, raised in Taylorville and graduated from Taylorville High School
* James H. Forrester - Illinois state senator, judge, and lawyer; lived and practiced law in Taylorville
* Harry B. Hershey - Illinois Supreme Court justice; lived in and served as mayor of Taylorville
* Randy Hopper - Wisconsin State Senator; born in Taylorville
* Vern Mullen - professional football player
* Johnny Orr - basketball player and coach; born in Taylorville
* Pat Perry - former MLB pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs; born in Taylorville
* Doug Quick - Broadcast weatherman, author & museum curator; born in Taylorville, graduated from Taylorville High School
* Edward Mills Purcell - discovered nuclear magnetic resonance (MRI); winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics (1952); born in Taylorville
* James B. Ricks - Illinois Supreme Court justice; served as mayor of Taylorville
* Jesse J. Ricks - attorney and Union Carbide executive; son of James B. Ricks
* Ruth Robertson - photojournalist; born in Taylorville
* Nook Schreier - musician and music director, born in Taylorville
* Joyce Taylor - 1960s film and television actress; born in Taylorville
* Rolland F. Tipsword - Illinois state representative, judge, and lawyer; lived and practiced law in Taylorville
* Stuart J. Traynor - Illinois state legislator and lawyer, lived and practiced law in Taylorville.
* Clifford J. Vogelsang - Illinois state senator, judge, and lawyer; lived and practiced law in Taylorville