Mercer County, Illinois

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Mercer County, Illinois
Map of Illinois highlighting Mercer County
Location in the U.S. state of Illinois
Map of the United States highlighting Illinois
Illinois's location in the U.S.
Founded January 13, 1825
Named for Hugh Mercer
Seat Aledo
Largest city Aledo
Area
 • Total 569 sq mi (1,474 km2)
 • Land 561 sq mi (1,453 km2)
 • Water 7.5 sq mi (19 km2), 1.3%
Population
 • (2010) 16,434
 • Density 29/sq mi (11/km²)
Congressional district 17th
Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5
Website www.mercercountyil.org

Mercer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 16,434.[1] Its county seat is Aledo.[2]

Mercer County is included in the Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL Metropolitan Statistical Area.[3]

History

Mercer County is named for Hugh Mercer (1726–1777), a physician and general during the American Revolution who died from wounds suffered at the Battle of Princeton.

In May 1812, Congress passed an act which set aside lands in Arkansas, Michigan, and Illinois as payment to volunteer soldiers in the War of 1812. Mercer County was part of this "Military Tract."

Seven years after Illinois became a state, Mercer County was founded. It was formed from unorganized territory near Pike County on January 13, 1825. Although the county had been created, its government was not organized for several years; for administration purposes it was attached first to Schuyler County (until 1826), then to Peoria (until 1831), and finally to Warren County. The organization of the county government was finally completed in 1835, after a large influx of settlers following the Black Hawk War.[4]

  • Mercer County at the time of its creation in 1825

  • Mercer County in 1827, reduced to its present borders

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 569 square miles (1,470 km2), of which 561 square miles (1,450 km2) is land and 7.5 square miles (19 km2) (1.3%) is water.[5]

Climate and weather

Aledo, Illinois
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D
 
 
1.3
 
 
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11
 
 
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47
26
 
 
3.7
 
 
61
37
 
 
3.9
 
 
72
48
 
 
4.4
 
 
81
59
 
 
4.2
 
 
84
62
 
 
4.3
 
 
82
60
 
 
3.3
 
 
75
51
 
 
2.7
 
 
64
40
 
 
2.5
 
 
47
28
 
 
1.9
 
 
34
17
Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
Precipitation totals in inches
Source: The Weather Channel[6]

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Aledo have ranged from a low of 11 °F (−12 °C) in January to a high of 84 °F (29 °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 July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.27 inches (32 mm) in January to 4.43 inches (113 mm) in June.[6]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1830 26 —
1840 2,352 8,946.2%
1850 5,246 123.0%
1860 15,042 186.7%
1870 18,769 24.8%
1880 19,502 3.9%
1890 18,545 −4.9%
1900 20,945 12.9%
1910 19,723 −5.8%
1920 18,800 −4.7%
1930 16,641 −11.5%
1940 17,701 6.4%
1950 17,374 −1.8%
1960 17,149 −1.3%
1970 17,294 0.8%
1980 19,286 11.5%
1990 17,290 −10.3%
2000 16,957 −1.9%
2010 16,434 −3.1%
Est. 2014 15,945 [7] −3.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]
1790-1960[9] 1900-1990[10]
1990-2000[11] 2010-2013[1]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 16,434 people, 6,734 households, and 4,724 families residing in the county.[12] The population density was 29.3 inhabitants per square mile (11.3/km2). There were 7,358 housing units at an average density of 13.1 per square mile (5.1/km2).[5] The racial makeup of the county was 98.3% white, 0.3% black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% American Indian, 0.3% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.9% of the population.[12] In terms of ancestry, 25.9% were German, 18.2% were Irish, 11.3% were English, 9.4% were Swedish, and 7.4% were American.[13]

Of the 6,734 households, 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.3% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 29.8% were non-families, and 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age was 43.7 years.[12]

The median income for a household in the county was $50,909 and the median income for a family was $62,025. Males had a median income of $46,136 versus $30,392 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,332. About 8.2% of families and 9.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.9% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.[14]

Communities

Cities

Villages

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Unincorporated communities

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Townships

Mercer County is divided into fifteen townships:

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See also

Footnotes

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  4. ↑ Mercer County Fact Sheet, Illinois State Archives. http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/archives/irad/mercer.html
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  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

Further reading

External links

 Rock Island County
Louisa County, Iowa Henry County
  Mercer County, Illinois  
Des Moines County, Iowa Henderson County and Warren County Knox County

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