Fort Towson

Johnson County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 13,308.[1] Its county seat is Vienna.[2] It is located in the southern portion of Illinois known locally as "Little Egypt".

History

Richard M. Johnson

Johnson County was organized in 1812 out of Randolph County. It was named for Richard Mentor Johnson, who was then a U.S. Congressman from Kentucky.[3] In 1813, Johnson commanded a Kentucky regiment at the Battle of the Thames, after which he claimed to have killed Tecumseh in hand-to-hand combat. Johnson went on to become Vice President of the United States.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 349 square miles (900 km2), of which 344 square miles (890 km2) is land and 4.9 square miles (13 km2) (1.4%) is water.[4]

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Vienna have ranged from a low of 25 °F (−4 °C) in January to a high of 90 °F (32 °C) in July, although a record low of −20 °F (−29 °C) was recorded in January 1977 and a record high of 103 °F (39 °C) was recorded in August 2007. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 3.16 inches (80 mm) in October to 5.16 inches (131 mm) in May.[5]

Major highways

Transit

Adjacent counties

National protected areas

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
1820843
18301,59689.3%
18403,626127.2%
18504,11413.5%
18609,342127.1%
187011,24820.4%
188013,07816.3%
189015,01314.8%
190015,6674.4%
191014,331−8.5%
192012,022−16.1%
193010,203−15.1%
194010,7275.1%
19508,729−18.6%
19606,928−20.6%
19707,5509.0%
19809,62427.5%
199011,34717.9%
200012,87813.5%
201012,582−2.3%
202013,3085.8%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]
1790-1960[7] 1900-1990[8]
1990-2000[9] 2010[10]
2000 census age pyramid for Johnson County, skewed toward male because of the Vienna Correctional Center, an Illinois State Prison for men.[11]

2010

Whereas, according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:

2010

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 12,582 people, 4,584 households, and 3,270 families residing in the county.[12] The population density was 36.6 inhabitants per square mile (14.1/km2). There were 5,598 housing units at an average density of 16.3 per square mile (6.3/km2).[4] The racial makeup of the county was 89.0% white, 8.0% black or African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 1.6% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.0% of the population.[12] In terms of ancestry, 17.6% were German, 11.5% were Irish, 10.9% were English, and 6.5% were American.[13]

Of the 4,584 households, 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.2% were married couples living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 28.7% were non-families, and 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.85. The median age was 42.2 years.[12]

The median income for a household in the county was $41,619 and the median income for a family was $47,423. Males had a median income of $48,047 versus $30,904 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,402, the lowest of all 102 counties in Illinois and 57th in the U.S. About 11.1% of families and 13.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.0% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.[14]

Communities

Cities

Villages

Unincorporated communities

Politics

In its early days Johnson County, being strongly Southern in its culture, was fiercely Democratic. In fact, in the 1860 presidential election, the county gave Illinois native and Northern Democrat Stephen A. Douglas a higher proportion of its votes than any other county in the United States.[citation needed]

However, during the Civil War, under the influence of Congressman John Logan, this region of dubious initial loyalty was to provide a number of Union soldiers rivaled on a per capita basis only by a few fiercely Unionist counties in Appalachia.[15][16] This level of Union service has meant that despite its historic hostility towards Yankee culture, Johnson County has been powerfully Republican ever since the Civil War. Douglas in 1860 remains the last Democrat to win a majority of the county's vote: the solitary Democratic victory since was by Bill Clinton in 1992, when Ross Perot's presence on the ballot likely had a spoiler effect against Republican incumbent George H. W. Bush.

United States presidential election results for Johnson County, Illinois[17]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 5,059 78.43% 1,281 19.86% 110 1.71%
2016 4,649 76.35% 1,142 18.76% 298 4.89%
2012 3,963 69.60% 1,572 27.61% 159 2.79%
2008 3,912 66.15% 1,871 31.64% 131 2.22%
2004 3,997 68.15% 1,813 30.91% 55 0.94%
2000 3,285 61.26% 1,928 35.96% 149 2.78%
1996 2,241 45.46% 2,009 40.75% 680 13.79%
1992 2,124 39.40% 2,299 42.65% 968 17.96%
1988 2,797 59.61% 1,872 39.90% 23 0.49%
1984 3,424 67.36% 1,647 32.40% 12 0.24%
1980 3,201 65.49% 1,586 32.45% 101 2.07%
1976 2,417 52.23% 2,182 47.15% 29 0.63%
1972 2,826 68.54% 1,293 31.36% 4 0.10%
1968 2,406 60.53% 1,143 28.75% 426 10.72%
1964 2,217 55.61% 1,770 44.39% 0 0.00%
1960 2,778 66.19% 1,413 33.67% 6 0.14%
1956 2,973 65.72% 1,549 34.24% 2 0.04%
1952 3,327 67.25% 1,614 32.63% 6 0.12%
1948 2,778 64.47% 1,510 35.04% 21 0.49%
1944 3,298 68.24% 1,522 31.49% 13 0.27%
1940 3,827 62.80% 2,254 36.99% 13 0.21%
1936 3,537 58.46% 2,497 41.27% 16 0.26%
1932 2,424 49.87% 2,387 49.11% 50 1.03%
1928 2,892 70.69% 1,163 28.43% 36 0.88%
1924 2,468 60.59% 1,408 34.57% 197 4.84%
1920 2,972 70.91% 1,137 27.13% 82 1.96%
1916 3,273 62.58% 1,822 34.84% 135 2.58%
1912 1,025 35.07% 952 32.57% 946 32.36%
1908 1,913 62.27% 1,055 34.34% 104 3.39%
1904 2,164 65.16% 980 29.51% 177 5.33%
1900 1,940 59.02% 1,271 38.67% 76 2.31%
1896 2,027 58.18% 1,429 41.02% 28 0.80%
1892 1,716 55.41% 854 27.58% 527 17.02%

Education

School districts include:[18]

K-12:

Secondary:

Elementary:

See also

References

  1. ^ "Johnson County, Illinois". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 9, 2015. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p. 169.
  4. ^ a b "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  5. ^ a b "Monthly Averages for Vienna, Illinois". The Weather Channel. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
  6. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 6, 2014.
  7. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 6, 2014.
  8. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 6, 2014.
  9. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved July 6, 2014.
  10. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved July 6, 2014.
  11. ^ State website Archived 2006-12-09 at the Wayback Machine
  12. ^ a b c "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  13. ^ "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  14. ^ "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  15. ^ Wells, Damon; Stephen Douglas: The Last Years, 1857–1861, p. 285 ISBN 0292776357
  16. ^ Copeland, James E.; ‘Where Were the Kentucky Unionists and Secessionists’; The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society, volume 71, no. 4 (October, 1973), pp. 344-363
  17. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org.
  18. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Johnson County, IL" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 22, 2022. Retrieved July 22, 2022. - Text list

Further reading

37°28′N 88°52′W / 37.46°N 88.87°W / 37.46; -88.87