Piatt County, Illinois

Piatt County, Illinois
Piatt County is a county in Illinois. According to the 2020 United States Census, it had a population of 16,673. Its county seat is Monticello.
Piatt County is part of the Champaign–Urbana, IL Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
The first settler was George Haworth, a Quaker, followed by James Martin, Abraham Hanline, Solomon Carter and William Cordell.
Piatt County was formed in 1841 from Macon and DeWitt counties. Two local residents, James A. Piatt and Jesse Warner, were instrumental in forming the county. It was named after James A. Piatt after winning a coin flip against Jesse Warner.
Abraham Lincoln practiced law in Piatt County as a circuit lawyer. Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas planned their presidential debates in Piatt County in 1858, one of which is ornamented by a marker just south of Monticello.
The first courthouse was built in 1843. It was replaced by the current courthouse in 1904.
Geography
According to the US Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.06%) is water.
Climate and weather
In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Monticello have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1999 and a record high of was recorded in July 1966. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in January to in August.
Major highways
Interstate 72
Interstate 74
U.S. Route 36
U.S. Route 150
Illinois Route 10
Illinois Route 32
Illinois Route 48
Illinois Route 105
Adjacent counties
McLean County - north
Champaign County - east
Douglas County - southeast
Moultrie County - south
Macon County - southwest
De Witt County - west
Demographics
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 16,729 people, 6,782 households, and 4,823 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 7,269 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 98.0% white, 0.3% black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.2% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 26.1% were German, 21.9% were American, 15.2% were English, and 13.4% were Irish.
Of the 6,782 households, 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.4% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 28.9% were non-families, and 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.92. The median age was 42.6 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $55,752 and the median income for a family was $65,850. Males had a median income of $50,425 versus $32,304 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,492. About 5.1% of families and 7.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.8% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.
Communities
City
Monticello (seat)
Villages
Atwood (partial)
Bement
Cerro Gordo
Cisco
De Land
Hammond
Mansfield
Census-designated places
La Place
White Heath
Other unincorporated communities
Amenia
Galesville
Lodge
Milmine
Pierson
Voorhies
Former places
Blue Ridge
Townships
Bement
Blue Ridge
Cerro Gordo
Goose Creek
Monticello
Sangamon
Unity
Willow Branch
Politics
See also
National Register of Historic Places listings in Piatt County
References
Illinois counties
1841 establishments in Illinois
Populated places established in 1841