JEFFERSON COUNTY, ILLINOIS

'Jefferson County' is a county located in the southern part of the U.S. state of Illinois. As of 2000, the population was 40,045 people. The county seat is Mt. Vernon⁶.

Contents

Geography

Adjacent Counties

History

Demographics

Cities and towns

Census designated places

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,512 km² (584 mi²). 1,479 km² (571 mi²) of it is land and 33 km² (13 mi²) of it (2.19%) is water.

Adjacent Counties

★ Marion County - north

★ Wayne County - northeast

★ Hamilton County - southeast

★ Franklin County - south

★ Perry County - southwest

★ Washington County - west

History

The first settler in Jefferson County is believed to have been Andrew Moore. In 1810, he settled near the southeast corner of the county, near where the Goshen Road emerges from the forest of Hamilton County into what is now known as Moore's Prairie. It is interesting that Moore arrived from the Goshen Settlement, near Edwardsville. His migration was therefore retrograde, from the west toward the interior of the State.
In 1814 Andrew Moore departed with his eight-year old son for Jordan's settlement, a journey from which he never returned. A skull that was believed to have been Moore's was found several years later about two miles from his cabin. Jordan's Settlement, also called Jordan's Fort, was southeast of modern Thompsonville, Illinois, about twenty miles south of Moore's cabin. This episode occurred during the War of 1812 when many of the Indian tribes were allied with the British.
In 1816, Carter Wilkey, Daniel Crenshaw and Robert Cook settled in Moore's Prairie. Daniel Crenshaw moved into Moore's cabin. This settlement is believed to be the first permanent settlement in the County.
Jefferson County was organized in 1819, out of parts of White, Edwards and Franklin Counties. It was named in honor of Thomas Jefferson, principle draftsman of the Northwest Ordinance, among other things. The baseline along the northern border of the County crosses the Third Principal Meridian at the northwest corner of the County.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 40,045 people, 15,374 households, and 10,561 families residing in the county. The population density was 27/km² (70/mi²). There were 16,990 housing units at an average density of 11/km² (30/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 89.87% White, 7.83% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.45% from other races, and 1.16% from two or more races. 1.33% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 15,374 households out of which 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.3% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.30% were non-families. 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 persons and the average family size was 2.96 persons.
In the county the population was spread out with 24.2% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 104.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.1 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $33,555 and the median income for a family was $41,141. Males had a median income of $34,089 versus $21,015 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,644. About 9.1% of families and 12.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.0% of those under age 18 and 11.8% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

★ Belle Rive

★ Bluford

★ Bonnie

★ Centralia (part)

★ Dix

★ Ina

★ Mount Vernon

★ Nason

★ Opdyke

★ Scheller

★ Texico

★ Waltonville

★ Woodlawn

Census designated places

★ Bakerville

★ Boyd

★ Camp Ground

★ Divide

★ Drivers

★ Idlewood

★ Marcoe

★ Marlow

★ Miller Lake

★ Roaches

★ Summersville