McDonough County is a
county
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
of
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
. According to the
2010 census, it had a population of 32,612.
Its
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
is
Macomb.
The Macomb, IL
Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of McDonough County.
History
McDonough County is named in honor of
Thomas Macdonough
Thomas Macdonough, Jr. (December 31, 1783 – November 10, 1825) was an early-19th-century Irish-American naval officer noted for his roles in the first Barbary War and the War of 1812. He was the son of a revolutionary officer, Thomas Macdonou ...
who defeated a British squadron in the decisive naval
Battle of Lake Champlain
The Battle of Plattsburgh, also known as the Battle of Lake Champlain, ended the final British invasion of the northern states of the United States during the War of 1812. An army under Lieutenant General Sir George Prévost and a naval squadr ...
in the
War of 1812
The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...
.
McDonough County was part of the
"Military Tract" set aside by Congress for veterans of the War of 1812.
File:McDonough County Illinois 1826.png, McDonough County at the time of its creation in 1826
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 (0.1%) is water.
The county has the unusual distinction of forming a perfect square by Mercator map projection. The county seat,
Macomb, is in the center of the county, and the courthouse is almost precisely in the center of the county.
Public transit
*
Go West Transit
Go West Transit is the primary provider of mass transportation in McDonough County, Illinois with routes serving Western Illinois University and the Macomb area. The system runs 17 routes with over 100 stops and is the only fare-free transit sys ...
*
Macomb station
Major highways
*
U.S. Route 67
U.S. Route 67 is a major north–south U.S. highway which extends for 1,560 miles (2,511 km) in the Central United States. The southern terminus of the route is at the United States-Mexico border in Presidio, Texas, where it continues so ...
*
U.S. Route 136
U.S. Route 136 is an east-west U.S. highway that is a spur route of U.S. Route 36. It runs from Edison, Nebraska, at U.S. Route 6 and U.S. Route 34 to the Interstate 74/Interstate 465 interchange in Speedway, Indiana. This is a distance of . U ...
*
Illinois Route 9
Illinois Route 9 (IL 9) is a cross-state, east–west rural state highway in the central part of the U.S. state of Illinois. It travels from Niota at the Fort Madison Toll Bridge, that crosses the Mississippi River into Iowa, eastward across ce ...
*
Illinois Route 41
Illinois Route 41 (IL 41) is a north–south highway in rural west-central Illinois. It runs from U.S. Route 136 near Macomb north to U.S. Route 34 and Illinois Route 164 in Galesburg, a distance of . Illinois 41 is maintained by the Illi ...
*
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 95
Illinois Route 95 is a minor east–west state route in west central Illinois. It runs from Illinois Route 41 just west of New Philadelphia east to Illinois Route 97 just south of Cuba. This is a distance of .
Route description
Illinois ...
*
Illinois Route 110
110 may refer to:
*110 (number), natural number
*AD 110, a year
*110 BC, a year
*110 film, a cartridge-based film format used in still photography
*110 (MBTA bus), Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority bus route
*110 (song), 2019 song by Capi ...
Adjacent counties
*
Henderson County - northwest
*
Warren County Warren County is the name of fourteen counties in the USA. Some are named after General Joseph Warren, who was killed in the Battle of Bunker Hill in the American Revolutionary War:
* Warren County, Georgia
* Warren County, Illinois
* Warren County ...
- north
*
Fulton County Fulton County is the name of eight counties in the United States of America. Most are named for Robert Fulton, inventor of the first practical steamboat:
*Fulton County, Arkansas, named after Governor William Savin Fulton
*Fulton County, Georgia
*F ...
- east
*
Schuyler County - south
*
Hancock County - west
Demographics
As of the
2010 United States Census
The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...
, there were 32,612 people, 13,057 households, and 6,724 families residing in the county.
The population density was . There were 14,419 housing units at an average density of .
The racial makeup of the county was 90.4% white, 5.0% black or African American, 1.8% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.7% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.7% of the population.
In terms of ancestry, 25.0% 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 ...
, 14.7% were
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 ...
, 13.7% were
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
, 12.7% were
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
, and 5.1% were
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
.
Of the 13,057 households, 22.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.0% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 48.5% were non-families, and 33.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.80. The median age was 28.9 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $33,702 and the median income for a family was $52,390. Males had a median income of $42,297 versus $28,530 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,344. About 12.8% of families and 23.7% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 21.7% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.
Politics
McDonough County is located in
Illinois’ 18th Congressional District and is currently represented by Republican
Darin LaHood
Darin McKay LaHood (; born July 5, 1968) is an American attorney and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Illinois's 18th congressional district since 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he was the member of the Illinois Senate ...
. 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 93rd district and is currently represented by Republican
Norine Hammond
Norine K. Hammond is a member of the Illinois House of Representatives who has served in the Illinois House of Representatives since her appointment in December 2010 to replace the late Richard P. Myers. She represents the 93rd district, which i ...
. 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 ...
, and is currently represented by Republican
Jil Tracy
Jil Tracy is a Republican member of the Illinois State Senate, representing the 47th District since January 11, 2017. The district covers a large swath of west-central Illinois, including all of Adams, Brown, Cass, Hancock, Henderson, Mason, Mc ...
.
In presidential elections, McDonough County was once reliably Republican, voting for the Republican candidate in all but two elections (1912 & 1932) from 1892 to 1988. Since 1988, the county has become more competitive, with Democrats carrying the county three out of seven times and holding the Republican candidate's margin of victory to under four points three times. In 2020, however, McDonough County went for Trump by a margin of 16.5%.
Climate and weather
In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Macomb have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in February 1905 and a record high of was recorded in August 1934. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in January to in May.
Communities
Cities
*
Bushnell
*
Colchester
Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian.
Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colches ...
*
Macomb (seat)
Villages
*
Bardolph
*
Blandinsville
*
Good Hope
*
Industry
Industry may refer to:
Economics
* Industry (economics), a generally categorized branch of economic activity
* Industry (manufacturing), a specific branch of economic activity, typically in factories with machinery
* The wider industrial sector ...
*
Prairie City
*
Sciota
*
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
Census-designated places
*
Adair
*
Georgetown
Other unincorporated place
*
Colmar
Colmar (, ; Alsatian: ' ; German during 1871–1918 and 1940–1945: ') is a city and commune in the Haut-Rhin department and Grand Est region of north-eastern France. The third-largest commune in Alsace (after Strasbourg and Mulhouse), it is ...
*
Doddsville
*
Fandon
* Scottsburg
*
Walnut Grove
Townships
*
Bethel Township
*
Blandinsville Township
*
Bushnell Township
*
Chalmers Township
*
Colchester Township
*
Eldorado Township
*
Emmet Township
*
Hire Township
*
Industry Township
*
Lamoine Township
*
Macomb Township
*
Macomb City Township
*
Mound Township
*
New Salem Township
*
Prairie City Township
*
Sciota Township
*
Scotland Township
*
Tennessee Township
*
Walnut Grove Township
See also
*
National Register of Historic Places listings in McDonough County, Illinois
References
External links
*
* http://www.outfitters.com/illinois/mcdonough/
* https://web.archive.org/web/20071012114524/http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/archives/irad/mcdonough.html
McDonough County website
{{Coord, 40.46, -90.68, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-IL_source:UScensus1990
1826 establishments in Illinois
Illinois counties
Populated places established in 1826