Sangamon County is located in the center of 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 sove ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 197,465. 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 ...

and largest city is Springfield, the

state capital Below is an index of pages containing lists of capital cities. National capitals *List of national capitals * List of national capitals by latitude *List of national capitals by population * List of national capitals by area * List of capital c ...

. Sangamon County is included in the Springfield, IL

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...

History

Abraham Lincoln Tomb Springfield Illiois

Sangamon County was formed in 1821 out of Madison and

Bond Bond or bonds may refer to: Common meanings * Bond (finance), a type of debt security * Bail bond, a commercial third-party guarantor of surety bonds in the United States * Chemical bond, the attraction of atoms, ions or molecules to form chemica ...

counties. The county was named for the

Sangamon River The Sangamon River is a principal tributary of the Illinois River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed May 13, 2011 in central Illinois in the United Stat ...

, which runs through it. The origin of the name of the river is unknown; among several explanations is the theory that it comes from the

Pottawatomie The Potawatomi , also spelled Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie (among many variations), are a Native American people of the western Great Lakes region, upper Mississippi River and Great Plains. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a m ...

word ''Sain-guee-mon'' (pronounced "sang gä mun"), meaning "where there is plenty to eat." Published histories of neighboring Menard County (formed from Sangamon County) suggest that the name was first given to the river by the French explorers of the late 17th century as they passed through the region. The river was named to honor "St. Gamo", or Saint Gamo, an 8th-century French Benedictine monk. The French pronunciation "San-Gamo" is the legacy. Prior to being elected

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

represented Sangamon County in the

Illinois Legislature The Illinois General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois. It has two chambers, the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate. The General Assembly was created by the first state constitution adopted in 18 ...

. Lincoln, along with several other legislators, was instrumental in securing Springfield, the Sangamon County seat, as the state's capital. Sangamon County was also within the congressional district represented by Lincoln when he served in the

US House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

. Another legislator who represented Sangamon County was Colonel

Edmund Dick Taylor Colonel Edmund Dick Taylor (October 18, 1804 – December 4, 1891) was an American businessman, politician, and soldier from Illinois. He is remembered as the first person to suggest that the United States should issue paper currency (" gree ...

, also known as "Father of the Greenback". The prominent financiers and industrialists Jacob Bunn and John Whitfield Bunn were based in Springfield, Sangamon County, Illinois, as well as in Chicago, during the nineteenth century and the early twentieth century. The careers of these men and the people with whom they collaborated helped to shape much of the history and development of Sangamon County, Illinois. File:Sangamon County Illinois 1821.png, Sangamon County from the time of its creation to 1823 File:Sangamon County Illinois 1823.png, Sangamon County between 1823 and 1825 File:Sangamon County Illinois 1825.png, Sangamon County between 1825 and 1839 File:Sangamon County Illinois 1839.png, Sangamon in 1839, when the creation of Logan and Menard Counties reduced it to its present borders

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 (1.0%) is water.

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Springfield 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 July 1954. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in January to in May.

Major highways

Interstate 55 Interstate 55 (I-55) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, connecting the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes. The h ...

* Interstate 55 Business Loop *

Interstate 72 Interstate 72 (I-72) is an Interstate Highway in the midwestern United States. Its western terminus is in Hannibal, Missouri, at an intersection with U.S. Route 61 (US 61); its eastern terminus is at Country Fair Drive in Champ ...

* U.S. Route 36 *

Illinois Route 4 Illinois Route 4 is a major north–south highway that runs south from the Interstate 55 business loop around the state capital of Springfield, south to Illinois Route 13 just north of Murphysboro. This is a distance of . Route description Ill ...

Illinois Route 29 Illinois Route 29 (IL 29) is a two to four lane state road that runs south from U.S. Route 6/ Illinois Route 89 at Spring Valley to U.S. Route 51/ Illinois Route 16 at Pana, running through Pekin, Peoria and Springfield. The nearest major n ...

Illinois Route 54 Illinois Route 54 (IL 54) is a east–west highway in east-central Illinois. It passes through the cities of Clinton, Gibson City, and Onarga. Its western terminus is at Interstate 55 (I-55) in Springfield. Its eastern terminus is at U.S. Ro ...

Illinois Route 97 Illinois Route 97 (IL 97) is a north–south state highway in the central and western portions of the U.S. state of Illinois. It extends from I-55 Business (Business Loop I-55) in Springfield northwest to U.S. Highway 150 (US ...

* Illinois Route 104 *

Illinois Route 124 Illinois Route 124 (IL 124) is a state route in central Illinois. It has the distinction of being marked as an east–west route,Sarjeant, CharlesIllinois Highway Ends - Illinois 124. Retrieved May 10, 2006. but IL 124 runs entirely north&nda ...

Illinois Route 123 Illinois Route 123 (IL-123) is an east–west state highway in central Illinois, USA. long, it stretches from Historic Route 66 at Williamsville to Illinois Route 125 near Pleasant Plains. Route description All of IL-123's route is cont ...

Illinois Route 125 Illinois Route 125 (IL-125) is a major highway in the central portion of the U.S. state of Illinois. Illinois 125 runs east from the concurrent U.S. Route 67 and Illinois Route 100 near Beardstown to Illinois Route 97 in Farmingdale, west of S ...

Transit

* Sangamon Mass Transit District * Springfield station *

List of intercity bus stops in Illinois The following is a list of presently operating intercity bus stops in Illinois with regular service. The list excludes charter buses, local transit buses, paratransit systems, and trolleybus systems. The following companies provide intercity bus se ...

Adjacent counties

* Menard County - north *

Logan County Logan County is the name of ten current counties and one former county in the United States: * Logan County, Arkansas * Logan County, Colorado * Logan County, Idaho (1889–1895) * Logan County, Illinois * Logan County, Kansas * Logan County, ...

- north * Macon County - east *

Christian County Christian County is the name of several counties in the United States: * Christian County, Illinois * Christian County, Kentucky * Christian County, Missouri Christian County is located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Missouri. ...

- southeast * Montgomery County - south * Macoupin County - south * Morgan County - west * Cass County - west

National protected areas

Lincoln Home National Historic Site Lincoln Home National Historic Site preserves the Springfield, Illinois home and related historic district where Abraham Lincoln lived from 1844 to 1861, before becoming the 16th president of the United States. The presidential memorial inclu ...

State protected areas

Sangchris Lake State Recreation Area Sangchris Lake State Recreation Area is an Illinois state park on in Christian and Sangamon Counties, Illinois, United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, ...

Demographics

As of the 2010 census, there were 197,465 people, 82,986 households, and 51,376 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 89,901 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 83.6% white, 11.8% black or African American, 1.6% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.5% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.8% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 29.4% 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 **Ge ...

, 14.8% 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 ...

, 12.1% 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 ...

, 9.5% were American, and 6.3% 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 82,986 households, 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.4% were married couples living together, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 38.1% were non-families, and 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.94. The median age was 39.2 years. The median income for a household in the county was $52,232 and the median income for a family was $66,917. Males had a median income of $48,324 versus $36,691 for females. The per capita income for the county was $28,394. About 9.9% of families and 13.4% 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 19.7% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Sangamon County is governed by a 29-member board. Each member of the board is elected from a separate district. Other elected officials include:

Politics

Like much of Central Illinois, Sangamon County tilts Republican. It is rather conservative for a county with an urban state capital, but is not nearly as conservative as the surrounding counties. Only six Democrats have carried it since 1896. It is slowly moving towards the Democratic camp, having shifted 8.7 points to the left since 2000 (as of 2020).

Communities

Cities

* Auburn * Leland Grove * Springfield (county seat and largest municipality) * Virden

Villages

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

* Buffalo * Cantrall * Chatham * Clear Lake * Curran * Dawson * Divernon * Grandview * Illiopolis *

Jerome Jerome (; la, Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος Σωφρόνιος Ἱερώνυμος; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was a Christian priest, confessor, theologian, and historian; he is co ...

* Loami * Mechanicsburg * New Berlin *

Pawnee Pawnee initially refers to a Native American people and its language: * Pawnee people * Pawnee language Pawnee is also the name of several places in the United States: * Pawnee, Illinois * Pawnee, Kansas * Pawnee, Missouri * Pawnee City, Nebraska ...

* Pleasant Plains * Riverton *

Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...

* Sherman * Southern View * Spaulding * Thayer * Williamsville

Unincorporated communities

Andrew Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in List of countries where English is an official language, English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is freq ...

Archer Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In m ...

* Barclay *

Barr Barr may refer to: Places * Barr (placename element), element of place names meaning 'wooded hill', 'natural barrier' * Barr, Ayrshire, a village in Scotland * Barr Building (Washington, DC), listed on the US National Register of Historic Places ...

Bates Bates may refer to: Places * Bates, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Bates, Illinois. an unincorporated community in Sangamon County * Bates, Michigan, a community in Grand Traverse County * Bates, New York, a hamlet in the town of Ell ...

* Berry * Bissell * Bradfordton * Breckenridge * Buckhart * Buffalo Hart * Cimic * Clayville * Farmingdale *

Glenarm Glenarm () is a village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It lies on the North Channel coast north of the town of Larne and the village of Ballygalley, and south of the village of Carnlough. It is situated in the civil parish of Tickmacreva ...

* Island Grove * Lowder * New City * Riddle Hill *

Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

Zenobia Septimia Zenobia ( Palmyrene Aramaic: , , vocalized as ; AD 240 – c. 274) was a third-century queen of the Palmyrene Empire in Syria. Many legends surround her ancestry; she was probably not a commoner and she married the ruler of the city ...

Townships

Sangamon County is divided into these

townships A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, C ...

: * Auburn * Ball * Buffalo Hart * Capital * Cartwright * Chatham * Clear Lake * Cooper *

Cotton Hill Cotton Lyndal Hill (September 1, 1927—November 11, 2007) was a fictional character in the Fox animated series ''King of the Hill'' voiced by Toby Huss. He was the father of Hank Hill, Good Hank Hill (or "G.H."), Junichiro (his illegitimate h ...

* Curran * Divernon * Fancy Creek * Gardner * Illiopolis * Island Grove * Lanesville * Loami * Maxwell * Mechanicsburg * New Berlin *

(former, now defunct) * Springfield * Talkington * Williams * Woodside

Education

Rochester Community Unit School District 3A Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom * Rochester, Kent **City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area **History of Rochester, Kent **HM Prison R ...

* Sangamon Valley Community Unit School District 9 *

Springfield School District 186 Springfield School District No. 186, known as Springfield Public Schools (SPS), is a unit school district in Sangamon County, Illinois. Its territory includes most of the city of Springfield, Illinois, its four inner suburbs of Grandview, Lel ...

Tri-City Community Unit School District 1 Tri-City Community Unit School District 1 a unit school district in Buffalo, Illinois, United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental Unite ...

Waverly Community Unit School District 6 Waverly may refer to: Education ;United States * Waverly Community Schools, a school district located in Lansing, Michigan * Waverly School District 145, Nebraska * Waverly Central School District, New York * Waverly High School (disambiguatio ...

* Williamsville Community Unit School District 15

Forts

* Camp Butler

References

External links

County of Sangamon
{{Coord, 39.76, -89.66, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-IL_source:UScensus1990 Illinois counties Illinois placenames of Native American origin 1821 establishments in Illinois Populated places established in 1821 Springfield metropolitan area, Illinois