Tazewell County, Illinois

Tazewell County, Illinois
Tazewell County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 131,343. Its county seat and largest city is Pekin. It is pronounced with a short "a", to rhyme with "razz" rather than "raze."
Tazewell County is part of the Peoria, IL Metropolitan Statistical Area. The majority of the population lives along the county's western border.
History
Tazewell County was formed out of Peoria County in 1827. The consensus appears to be that it was named in honor of Littleton Tazewell, who served in the U.S. Senate, and who became Governor of Virginia in 1834. It is, however, possible that it was named after Littleton's father, prominent Virginia politician Henry Tazewell, after whom Tazewell County, Virginia, was named.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.4%) is water.
Climate and weather
In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Pekin have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1884 and a record high of was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in January to in May.
Adjacent counties
Peoria County (northwest)
Woodford County (north)
McLean County (east)
Logan County (south)
Mason County (southwest)
Fulton County (west)
Transportation
Major highways
Interstate 74
Interstate 155
Interstate 474
U.S. Highway 24
U.S. Highway 150
Illinois Route 8
Illinois Route 9
Illinois Route 29
Illinois Route 40
Illinois Route 98
Illinois Route 116
Illinois Route 122
Airports
The following public-use airports are located in Tazewell County:
Pekin Municipal Airport (C15) - serves Pekin (Located by the Village of South Pekin, Illinois)
Manito Mitchell Airport (C45) - serves Manito, a village in Mason County
Public Transportation
Bus and paratransit service in Tazewell County is provided by Peoria's “CityLink” system, operating six routes (four originating from Peoria) seven days a week.
Demographics
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 135,394 people, 54,146 households, and 37,163 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 57,516 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 96.2% white, 1.0% black or African American, 0.7% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.5% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.9% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 35.6% were German, 15.6% were American, 14.4% were Irish, and 12.0% were English.
Of the 54,146 households, 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.4% were non-families, and 26.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.94. The median age was 39.8 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $54,232 and the median income for a family was $66,764. Males had a median income of $50,372 versus $34,747 for females. The per capita income for the county was $27,036. About 6.3% of families and 7.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.2% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.
Communities
Cities
Delavan
East Peoria
Marquette Heights
Pekin (seat)
Washington
Villages
Creve Coeur
Hopedale
Mackinaw
Minier
Morton
North Pekin
Tremont
Census-designated place
Heritage Lake
Other unincorporated communities
Groveland
Townships
Tazewell County is divided into these townships:
Deer Creek
Delavan
Hopedale
Mackinaw
Morton
Pekin
Tremont
Washington
Politics
Tazewell County has been solidly Republican on the national level, voting for the Republican candidate for U.S. president since 1996.
See also
National Register of Historic Places listings in Tazewell County, Illinois
Notable people
Charles "Buffalo" Jones, cowboy and naturalist
References
Illinois counties
Peoria metropolitan area, Illinois
1827 establishments in Illinois
Populated places established in 1827