Christian County, Illinois

Christian County, Illinois
Christian County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2020 census, the population was 34,032. Its county seat is Taylorville.
History
Christian County was formed February 15, 1839, out of Sangamon, Montgomery and Shelby counties. It was named for Christian County, Kentucky. It was originally named Dane County and was called Dane County until 1840.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.9%) is water.
The county is bounded on the north by Sangamon River, and intersected by the south fork of that stream.
Adjacent counties
Macon County (northeast)
Shelby County (southeast)
Montgomery County (southwest)
Sangamon County (northwest)
Major highways
US Route 51
Illinois Route 16
Illinois Route 29
Illinois Route 48
Illinois Route 104
Climate and weather
In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Taylorville have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1994 and a record high of was recorded in August 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in January to in May.
Demographics
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 34,800 people, 14,055 households, and 9,211 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 15,563 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 96.6% white, 1.4% black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% American Indian, 0.4% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 21.9% were German, 12.7% were Irish, 10.6% were American, and 9.9% were English.
Of the 14,055 households, 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.1% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.5% were non-families, and 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.90. The median age was 41.6 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $41,712 and the median income for a family was $52,680. Males had a median income of $42,897 versus $30,027 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,519. About 12.7% of families and 16.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.6% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.
Communities
Cities
Assumption
Pana
Taylorville
Villages
Bulpitt
Edinburg
Harvel
Jeisyville
Kincaid
Morrisonville
Mount Auburn
Moweaqua
Owaneco
Palmer
Stonington
Tovey
Census-designated places
Langleyville
Other unincorporated places
Bolivia
Clarksdale
Dunkel
Ellis
Grove City
Hewittsville
Midway
Millersville
Old Stonington
Osbernville
Radford
Roby
Rosamond
Sharpsburg
Sicily
Vanderville
Velma
Willey Station
Zenobia
Townships
Christian County is divided into these seventeen townships:
Assumption
Bear Creek
Buckhart
Greenwood
Johnson
King
Locust
May
Mosquito
Mount Auburn
Pana
Prairieton
Ricks
Rosamond
South Fork
Stonington
Taylorville
Notable people
Jon Corzine, Former governor of New Jersey, former resident of Willey Station.
Roy A. Corzine (1882-1957), Illinois state representative and farmer, was born in Stonington.
Harry Forrester, member of the Illinois Basketball Hall of Fame and Quincy University Hall of Fame.
Brant Hansen, Christian radio host and author, graduated from high school in Assumption.
Tom Candy Ponting (1824-1916), cattleman who drove the first herd of cattle from Texas to New York City
Frank P. Sadler (1872–1931), Illinois state senator and lawyer, lived on a farm near Grove City.
John Wesley Fribley (1906–2002), state senate (1934–1952), born in Pana
Yvonne Joyce Craig (1937–2015) was born in Taylorville, Illinois American actress renowned for her role as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl in the 1960s television series .
Politics
Like most of German-settled Central Illinois, Christian County was solidly Democratic until Woodrow Wilson’s response to German defeat in World War I turned the county over to the Republican Party in its 1920, 1924 and 1928 landslides. The county remained Democratic-leaning through the rest of the twentieth century, only voting Republican in landslide wins. However, since 2000 Christian County has become reliably Republican.
See also
National Register of Historic Places listings in Christian County, Illinois
List of counties in Illinois
References
Specific
General
United States Census Bureau 2007 TIGER/Line Shapefiles
United States Board on Geographic Names (GNIS)
United States National Atlas
1839 establishments in Illinois
Illinois counties
Populated places established in 1839