Edgar County, Illinois

Edgar County, Illinois
Edgar County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 16,866. Its county seat is Paris.
History
Edgar County was formed out of Clark County in 1823. It was named for John Edgar, an Irish-born officer in the Royal Navy who resigned rather than fight against the Americans in the Revolutionary War. Edgar moved to Kaskaskia, Illinois, in 1784, becoming a miller and merchant in that town.
Geography
According to the US Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.1%) is water.
There is one recreational area in the county, on the north edge of Paris. Twin Lakes Park and Reservoir began in 1895 upon completion of the dam compounding the Twin Lakes Reservoir.
Climate and weather
In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Paris have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1930 and a record high of was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in January to in July.
Adjacent counties
Vermilion County – north
Vermillion County, Indiana – northeast
Vigo County, Indiana – southeast
Clark County – south
Coles County – southwest
Douglas County – west
Champaign County – northwest
Transportation
Major highways
US Route 36
US Route 150
Illinois Route 1
Illinois Route 16
Illinois Route 49
Illinois Route 133
Rail
Three railroad lines run through the county. Two are operated by CSX Transportation and the third by the Eastern Illinois Railroad Company.
Transit
Rides Mass Transit District
Airport
The county contains one public-use airport: Edgar County Airport (PRG), six miles (10 km) north of Paris.
Demographics
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 18,576 people, 7,839 households, and 5,148 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 8,803 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 98.3% white, 0.3% black or African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% American Indian, 0.3% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 23.6% were German, 15.3% were Irish, 13.0% were English, and 12.3% were American.
Of the 7,839 households, 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.3% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.3% were non-families, and 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.84. The median age was 43.2 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $39,904 and the median income for a family was $51,588. Males had a median income of $38,945 versus $29,951 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,175. About 9.7% of families and 13.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.2% of those under age 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over.
Communities
Cities
Chrisman
Paris (seat)
Villages
Brocton
Hume
Kansas
Metcalf
Redmon
Vermilion
Unincorporated communities
Borton
Edgar
Isabel
Logan
Nevins
Oliver
Patton
Raven
Scottland
Woodyard
Former communities
Bell Ridge
Bloomfield
Catfish
Cherry Point
Clays Prairie
Conlogue
Dudley
Ferrel
Garland
Grandview
Harris
Hildreth
Horace
Huffmanville
Hughes
Illiana
Kentucky
Kidley
Logan
Mabel
Marley
Mays
McCown
Melwood
Mortimer
New Athens
Palermo
Quaker
Scotts
Warrington
West Sandford
Wetzel
Townships
Brouilletts Creek
Buck
Edgar
Elbridge
Embarrass
Grandview
Hunter
Kansas
Paris
Prairie
Ross
Shiloh
Stratton
Symmes
Young America
Notable people
Basil Bennett, Bronze Medalist in the Hammer Throw at the 1920 Olympics
Offa Neal, professional baseball player with the New York Giants
Edward Adelbert Doisy, biochemist and Nobel Prize winner
Frank Fletcher (baseball), professional baseball player with the Philadelphia Phillies
Politics
A swing county in the first eight decades after the Civil War, Edgar County has since become powerfully Republican. It has been carried by only two Democrats since 1940 – Lyndon Johnson in 1964 by just 139 votes, and Bill Clinton in 1992 by a 41.1 percent plurality. Hillary Clinton’s 22.7 percent vote share in 2016 was by 9.3 percent the worst ever by a Democrat in the county.
See also
National Register of Historic Places listings in Edgar County, Illinois
References
US Census Bureau 2007 TIGER/Line Shapefiles
US Board on Geographic Names (GNIS)
US National Atlas
External links
Edgar County Fact Sheet, Illinois State Archives
Edgar County, Illinois History and Genealogy
Illinois counties
1823 establishments in Illinois
Populated places established in 1823