Shelby County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located in the U.S. state of

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 20,990. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is Shelbyville.

History

Shelby County was established in 1827 out of Fayette County. It was named in honor of Isaac Shelby, governor of

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

and participant in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. File:Shelby County Illinois 1827.png, Shelby county from the time of its creation to 1829, including a large tract of unorganized territory temporarily attached to it, whose precise border was not defined.White, Jesse. ''Origin and Evolution of Illinois Counties.'' State of Illinois, March 2010.

/ref> File:Shelby County Illinois 1829.png, Shelby County between 1829 and 1839 File:Shelby County Illinois 1839.png, Shelby County between 1839 and 1843 File:Shelby County Illinois 1843.png, Shelby County in 1843, reduced to its present borders

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.2%) is water.

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Shelbyville have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1915 and a record high of was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in February to in June.

Major highways

* Interstate 57 * U.S. Highway 45 * U.S. Highway 51 * Illinois Route 16 * Illinois Route 32 * Illinois Route 128

Adjacent counties

* Macon County - north * Moultrie County - northeast * Coles County - east * Cumberland County - east * Effingham County - south * Fayette County - south * Montgomery County - southwest * Christian County - west

Demographics

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 22,363 people, 9,216 households, and 6,376 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 10,396 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 98.6% white, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.2% from other races, and 0.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.8% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 25.5% were German, 9.9% were English, 9.8% were American, and 8.8% were Irish. Of the 9,216 households, 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.1% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.8% were non-families, and 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.90. The median age was 43.5 years. The median income for a household in the county was $44,627 and the median income for a family was $55,655. Males had a median income of $40,119 versus $27,860 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,891. About 7.8% of families and 11.3% 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 ...

, including 16.7% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over.

Census-designated place

The Census Bureau has defined one

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) in Shelby County. * Westervelt

Government

Townships

Shelby County is divided into these townships: * Ash Grove * Big Spring * Clarksburg * Cold Spring * Dry Point * Flat Branch * Herrick *

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former provinces of the Netherlands, province on the western coast of the Netherland ...

* Lakewood * Moweaqua * Oconee * Okaw * Penn * Pickaway *

Prairie Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...

* Richland *

Ridge A ridge is a long, narrow, elevated geomorphologic landform, structural feature, or a combination of both separated from the surrounding terrain by steep sides. The sides of a ridge slope away from a narrow top, the crest or ridgecrest, wi ...

Rose A rose is either a woody perennial plant, perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred Rose species, species and Garden roses, tens of thousands of cultivar ...

Rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry are typically desc ...

* Shelbyville * Sigel * Todds Point * Tower Hill * Windsor