McDonough County, Illinois facts for kids

Quick facts for kids McDonough County
U.S. county
McDonough County Courthouse, 2006
Flag
Location within the U.S. state of Illinois
Illinois's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Illinois
Founded	January 25, 1826
Named for	Thomas Macdonough
Seat	Macomb
Largest city	Macomb
Area
• Total	590 sq mi (1,500 km2)
• Land	589 sq mi (1,530 km2)
• Water	0.8 sq mi (2 km2)  0.1%
Population  (2020)
• Total	27,238
• Density	46.2/sq mi (17.82/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional districts	15th, 17th

McDonough County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 27,238. Its county seat is Macomb, which is also the home of Western Illinois University.

McDonough County is part of the Macomb, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

McDonough County is named in honor of Thomas Macdonough who defeated a British squadron in the decisive naval Battle of Lake Champlain in the War of 1812. McDonough County was part of the "Military Tract" set aside by Congress for veterans of the War of 1812.

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  McDonough County at the time of its creation in 1826

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 590 square miles (1,500 km²), of which 589 square miles (1,530 km²) is land and 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²) (0.1%) is water.

The county has the unusual distinction of forming a perfect square by Mercator map projection. The county seat, Macomb, is in the center of the county, and the courthouse is almost precisely in the center of the county.

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Macomb have ranged from a low of 13 °F (−11 °C) in January to a high of 87 °F (31 °C) in July, although a record low of −30 °F (−34 °C) was recorded in February 1905 and a record high of 113 °F (45 °C) was recorded in August 1934. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.47 inches (37 mm) in January to 4.58 inches (116 mm) in May.

Public transit

• Go West Transit
• Macomb Amtrak station

Major highways

• U.S. Route 67
• U.S. Route 136
• Illinois Route 9
• Illinois Route 41
• Illinois Route 61
• Illinois Route 95
• Illinois Route 110
• Illinois Route 336

Adjacent counties

• Henderson County - northwest
• Warren County - north
• Fulton County - east
• Schuyler County - south
• Hancock County - west

Demographics

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 32,612 people, 13,057 households, and 6,724 families residing in the county. The population density was 55.3 inhabitants per square mile (21.4/km²). There were 14,419 housing units at an average density of 24.5 per square mile (9.5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 90.4% white, 5.0% black or African American, 1.8% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.7% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 25.0% were German, 14.7% were American, 13.7% were Irish, 12.7% were English, and 5.1% were Italian.

Of the 13,057 households, 22.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.0% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 48.5% were non-families, and 33.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.80. The median age was 28.9 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $33,702 and the median income for a family was $52,390. Males had a median income of $42,297 versus $28,530 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,344. About 12.8% of families and 23.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.7% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

• Bushnell
• Colchester
• Macomb (seat)

Villages

Census-designated places

• Adair
• Georgetown

Other unincorporated place

• Colmar
• Doddsville
• Fandon
• Hills Grove
• New Philadelphia
• Scottsburg
• Vishnu Springs
• Walnut Grove

Townships

Education

McDonough County is served by three school districts and two colleges:

• West Prairie Community Unit School District 103
• Bushnell Prairie City Community Unit School District 170
• Macomb Community Unit School District 185
• Spoon River College, Macomb campus
• Western Illinois University

See also

In Spanish: Condado de McDonough para niños