Adams County is the westernmost county in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2020 census, the population was 65,737. Its county seat is Quincy. Adams County is part of the Quincy, IL– MO Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Adams County was formed in 1825 out of Pike County. Its name is in honor of the sixth President of the United States, John Quincy Adams. File:Adams County Illinois 1825.png, When it was created, Hancock County was temporarily attached to Adams until it could organize a county government. File:Adams County Illinois 1829.png, Adams County reduced to its current borders in 1829.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.9%) is water.

Adjacent counties

* Hancock County - north * Brown County - east * Schuyler County - east * Pike County - south * Marion County, Missouri - west * Lewis County, Missouri - west

Public transit

Quincy Transit Lines Quincy Transit Lines is the primary provider of mass transportation in Adams County, Illinois with four routes serving the region. As of 2019, the system provided 347,194 rides over 47,465 annual vehicle revenue hours with 8 buses and 8 paratran ...

Quincy station Quincy station is an Amtrak intercity train station in Quincy, Illinois, United States. The station is one of the namesake stations of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q or Burlington Route), but today serves as the western termi ...

* Burlington Trailways * List of intercity bus stops in Illinois

Major highways

Interstate 172 Interstate 172 (I-172) is a spur route from I-72 entirely within the US state of Illinois. The highway runs north from its start outside of Hannibal, Missouri, to about west of Fowler. At U.S. Route 24 (US 24), I-172 becomes I ...

* US Route 24 * US Route 36 * Illinois Route 57 *

Illinois Route 61 Illinois Route 61 (IL 61) is a rural state road in western Illinois that runs north and east from Illinois Route 96 in Ursa to the intersection of U.S. Route 136 west of Tennessee. Illinois route 61 is long. Route description Illinois&nb ...

* Illinois Route 94 * Illinois Route 96 *

Illinois Route 104 Illinois Route 104 is a state highway in central and western Illinois. It extends from Illinois Route 29 near Taylorville, west over the Illinois River at Meredosia to its western terminus in downtown Quincy. This is a distance of . Route d ...

* Illinois Route 336

National protected area

* Great River National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Quincy have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1979 and a record high of was recorded in July 2005. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in January to in May.

Demographics

As of the

2020 United States Census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 65,737 people, 27,199 households, and 17,398 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 30,235 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 89.5% white, 3.8% black or African American, 0.8% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.8% from other races, and 4.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.0% of the population. The most common reported ancestries were,

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

(35.9%), Irish (11.1%), English (8.1%), and

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

(7.4%). Of the 27,199 households, 25.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.2% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 36.0% were non-families. 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.95. In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.6% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 25.9% from 45 to 64, and 20.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.5 males. The median income for a household in the county was $55,052 and the median income for a family was $72,091. Males had a median income of $41,852 versus $29,404 for females. The per capita income for the county was $31,035. About 9.4% of families and 12.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.7% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.

2020 Census

Communities

City

* Quincy (seat)

Villages

* Camp Point * Clayton * Coatsburg *

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

Golden Golden means made of, or relating to gold. Golden may also refer to: Places United Kingdom *Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall *Golden Cap, Dorset *Golden Square, Soho, London *Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome in Gloucestershir ...

* La Prairie * Liberty * Lima * Loraine * Mendon * Payson * Plainville *

Ursa Ursa is a Latin word meaning bear. Derivatives of this word are ursine or Ursini. Ursa may also refer to: General * URSA Extracts (United States of America), a California cannabis concentrate company * Ursa (Finland), a Finnish astronomical ass ...

Unincorporated communities

* Adams * Beverly * Bigneck * Blacks * Bloomfield * Burton *

Chatton Chatton is a village in Northumberland, in England. It is roughly to the east of Wooler. History Chatton has been occupied for many centuries. There has been a church on the site since the twelfth century. There is evidence of occupation in ...

* Cliola * Country Meadows * Ewbanks * Fall Creek * Fowler * Hickory Grove * Kellerville *

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the five most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

* Marblehead * Marcelline *

Meyer Meyer may refer to: People *Meyer (surname), listing people so named * Meyer (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the name Companies * Meyer Burger, a Swiss mechanical engineering company * Meyer Corporation * Meyer Sound Labo ...

* North Quincy * Paloma * Richfield *

Rock Creek Rock Creek or Rockcreek may refer to: Streams United States * Rock Creek (California) * Rock Creek (Fountain Creek tributary), Colorado * Rock Creek (Idaho) * Rock Creek (Kankakee River tributary), Illinois * Rock Creek (Wapsipinicon River tribut ...

* Sheridan Estates * Spring Valley * Woodville

Townships

Adams County is divided into twenty-three townships: * Beverly * Burton * Camp Point * Clayton *

* Concord *

Ellington Ellington may refer to: Places United Kingdom *Ellington, Cambridgeshire * Ellington, Northumberland *Ellington High and Low, a civil parish in North Yorkshire **High Ellington **Low Ellington United States *Ellington Airport (Texas), Hous ...

* Fall Creek * Gilmer * Honey Creek * Houston * Keene * Liberty * Lima *

McKee McKee is a surname of Scottish or Irish origin. The surname is derived from the Gaelic ''Mac Aodha'' ("son of ''Aodh''") a patronymic form of an old Gaelic personal name which means "fire". Similar surnames which also are derived from the same Ga ...

* Melrose * Mendon *

Northeast The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...

* Payson * Quincy * Richfield *

Riverside Riverside may refer to: Places Australia * Riverside, Tasmania, a suburb of Launceston, Tasmania Canada * Riverside (electoral district), in the Yukon * Riverside, Calgary, a neighbourhood in Alberta * Riverside, Manitoba, a former rural m ...

Politics

Adams County, positioned in a primarily rural section of Illinois is culturally isolated from Chicago, and therefore more conservative than the state's northeastern corner. Quincy, the county seat, holds a high number of socially conservative

Catholics The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and likewise is the home to the campus of

Quincy University Quincy University (formerly known as St. Francis Solanus College, and today abbreviated as QU) is a private Franciscan university in Quincy, Illinois. It was founded in 1860 and enrolls about 1,100 students. History A small group of Franciscan ...

, a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

Catholic liberal arts college, and the Western Catholic Union. The county is part of the historic belt of German settlement extending into the Missouri Rhineland. Since it was antagonistic to the Yankee northeast of Illinois, it voted solidly Democratic until 1892. After being a swing county in the first half of the twentieth century, Adams County has been a Republican stronghold. It has gone Republican in all but five presidential elections since 1920. The county last supported a Democrat in 1964, when it voted for

Lyndon Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

. The county regularly rejects Democrats at the state level as well; it has not supported a Democrat for Governor of Illinois since Adlai Stevenson II in 1948, and there are no elected Democrats above the county level. Notably, while it voted for Barack Obama in his 2004 Senate campaign, he lost it by wide margins in both of his presidential bids. The county is part of Illinois's 18th congressional district, currently represented by Republican Darin LaHood. For the

Illinois House of Representatives The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the current constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 re ...

, the county is located in the 94th district, represented by Republican

Randy Frese Randy Frese is a Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives who represents the 94th district. The 94th district, located in Western Illinois along the Mississippi River, includes all or parts of Adams, Henderson, Hancock and Wa ...

. The county is located in the 47th district of the

Illinois Senate The Illinois Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state, State of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adop ...

, represented by Republican Jil Tracy.

Education

Unified school districts

* Central Community Unit School District 3 *

Liberty Community Unit School District 2 Liberty is a village in Adams County, Illinois, United States. The population was 543 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Quincy, IL– MO Micropolitan Statistical Area. Geography Liberty is located at (39.879948, -91.108137). Accordin ...

* Mendon Community Unit School District 4 *

Payson Community Unit School District 1 Payson Community Unit School District 1 is a unified school district composed of Seymour Elementary School and Payson-Seymour High School, and is centrally based in Payson, Illinois, a village in Adams County, Illinois, Adams County; it serves Pa ...

* Quincy Public School District 172

Private schools

* Blessed Sacrament Catholic Schoo

* Chaddock Schoo

* Quincy Christian School *

Quincy Notre Dame High School Quincy Notre Dame High School is a private, Roman Catholic co-educational high school in Quincy, Illinois, United States, founded in 1867, serving upper school students in grades 9- 12. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield ...

* St. Dominic Catholic Schoo

* St. Francis Solanus Catholic Schoo

* St. James Lutheran Schoo

* St. Peter Catholic Schoo

Colleges and universities

* Blessing-Rieman College of Nursing *

John Wood Community College John Wood Community College (JWCC) is a public community college in Quincy, Illinois. It is one of 48, two-year, open-admission colleges of the Illinois Community College System organized under the Illinois Public Community College Act. History ...

Attractions

* Adams County Fairbr>
*

Bayview Bridge The Bayview Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge bringing westbound U.S. Route 24 (US 24) over the Mississippi River. It connects the cities of West Quincy, Missouri and Quincy, Illinois. Quincy Memorial Bridge serves Eastbound US-24. The b ...

* Burton Cavebr>
* Fall Creek Scenic Park *

Golden Windmill Golden means made of, or relating to gold. Golden may also refer to: Places United Kingdom *Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall *Golden Cap, Dorset *Golden Square, Soho, London *Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome in Gloucestershir ...

br>
*

John Wood Mansion The John Wood Mansion was built between 1835 and 1838 by John Wood, who in 1860 became the 12th governor of Illinois on the death of Governor William Bissell. The Wood family moved into the Greek Revival home situated at 12th and State Streets ...

* Saukenauk Scout Reservationbr>
*

Siloam Springs State Park Siloam Springs State Park is an Illinois state park on in Adams and Brown counties, Illinois, United States. History Siloam Springs State Park land was originally part of the military tract of western Illinois set aside to be given to comb ...

Spirit Knob Winery Spirit or spirits may refer to: Liquor and other volatile liquids * Spirits, a.k.a. liquor, distilled alcoholic drinks * Spirit or tincture, an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol * Volatile (especially flammable) liquids, ...

br>
* Villa Katharinebr>
* Wavering Parkbr>

References

External links

Adams County website

Adams County GIS Website

Great River Genealogical Society

United States Board on Geographic Names (GNIS)

United States National Atlas
{{Coord, 39.99, -91.19, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-IL_source:UScensus1990 Illinois counties 1825 establishments in Illinois Illinois counties on the Mississippi River Populated places established in 1825 Quincy–Hannibal area Quincy, Illinois micropolitan area