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Montgomery County, Illinois facts for kids

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Not to be confused with Montgomery, Illinois.
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Montgomery County
U.S. county
Montgomery County Courthouse, Hillsboro
Montgomery County Courthouse, Hillsboro
Map of Illinois highlighting Montgomery County
Location within the U.S. state of Illinois
Map of the United States highlighting Illinois
Illinois's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Illinois
Founded 1821
Named for Richard Montgomery
Seat Hillsboro
Largest city Litchfield
Area
 • Total 710 sq mi (1,800 km2)
 • Land 704 sq mi (1,820 km2)
 • Water 6.0 sq mi (16 km2)  0.8%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 28,288
 • Density 39.84/sq mi (15.38/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 15th

Montgomery County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 28,288. Its county seat is Hillsboro.

History

Montgomery County was formed in 1821 out of Bond and Madison counties. It was named in honor of Richard Montgomery, an American Revolutionary War general killed in 1775 while attempting to capture Quebec City, Canada. Perrin's 1882 History of Montgomery County relates that the county was named in honor of Gen. Montgomery, but goes on to say that "others are dubious as to whence it received its name."

  • Montgomery County Illinois 1821

    Montgomery County from the time of its creation to 1827

  • Montgomery County Illinois 1827

    Montgomery County between 1827 and 1839

  • Montgomery County Illinois 1839

    Montgomery in 1839, reduced to its present borders

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 710 square miles (1,800 km2), of which 704 square miles (1,820 km2) is land and 6.0 square miles (16 km2) (0.8%) is water.

Climate and weather

Weather chart for Hillsboro, Illinois
J F M A M J J A S O N D
 
 
2.2
 
37
21
 
 
2
 
44
26
 
 
3.6
 
56
35
 
 
4.2
 
68
45
 
 
4.3
 
78
55
 
 
4.1
 
87
64
 
 
3.5
 
91
68
 
 
3.5
 
89
66
 
 
3.2
 
82
58
 
 
2.9
 
71
47
 
 
3.8
 
55
37
 
 
3
 
42
26
temperatures in °F
precipitation totals in inches
source: The Weather Channel
Metric conversion
J F M A M J J A S O N D
 
 
55
 
3
-6
 
 
51
 
7
-3
 
 
90
 
13
2
 
 
106
 
20
7
 
 
109
 
26
13
 
 
103
 
31
18
 
 
88
 
33
20
 
 
90
 
32
19
 
 
80
 
28
14
 
 
74
 
22
8
 
 
97
 
13
3
 
 
76
 
6
-3
temperatures in °C • precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Hillsboro have ranged from a low of 21 °F (−6 °C) in January to a high of 91 °F (33 °C) in July, although a record low of −22 °F (−30 °C) was recorded in February 1905 and a record high of 114 °F (46 °C) was recorded in July 1954. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.00 inches (51 mm) in February to 4.31 inches (109 mm) in May.

Adjacent counties

Transportation

Major highways

  • I-55.svg Interstate 55
  • Illinois 16.svg Illinois Route 16
  • Illinois 48.svg Illinois Route 48
  • Illinois 108.svg Illinois Route 108
  • Illinois 127.svg Illinois Route 127
  • Illinois 185.svg Illinois Route 185

Airports

Litchfield Municipal Airport is located in Montgomery County, two nautical miles (3.7 km) southwest of the central business district of Litchfield, Illinois.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1830 2,953 —
1840 4,490 52.0%
1850 6,277 39.8%
1860 13,979 122.7%
1870 25,314 81.1%
1880 28,078 10.9%
1890 30,003 6.9%
1900 30,836 2.8%
1910 35,311 14.5%
1920 41,403 17.3%
1930 35,278 −14.8%
1940 34,499 −2.2%
1950 32,460 −5.9%
1960 31,244 −3.7%
1970 30,260 −3.1%
1980 31,686 4.7%
1990 30,728 −3.0%
2000 30,652 −0.2%
2010 30,104 −1.8%
2020 28,288 −6.0%
2023 (est.) 27,663 −8.1%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 30,104 people, 11,652 households, and 7,806 families living in the county. The population density was 42.8 inhabitants per square mile (16.5/km2). There were 13,080 housing units at an average density of 18.6 per square mile (7.2/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 95.1% white, 3.2% black or African American, 0.4% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.5% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.5% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 27.8% were German, 11.2% were Irish, 10.1% were English, and 9.8% were American.

Of the 11,652 households, 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.7% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.0% were non-families, and 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.87. The median age was 41.9 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $40,864 and the median income for a family was $56,945. Males had a median income of $40,749 versus $29,426 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,700. About 10.9% of families and 14.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.7% of those under age 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Villages

Unincorporated communities

Townships

  • Audubon Township
  • Bois D'Arc Township
  • Butler Grove Township
  • East Fork Township
  • Fillmore Township
  • Grisham Township
  • Harvel Township
  • Hillsboro Township
  • Irving Township
  • Nokomis Township
  • North Litchfield Township
  • Pitman Township
  • Raymond Township
  • Rountree Township
  • South Litchfield Township
  • Walshville Township
  • Witt Township
  • Zanesville Township

Former Townships

  • South Fillmore Township

Notable people

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Montgomery (Illinois) para niños

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