Montgomery 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 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 so ...

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 United States census, it had a population of 28,288. 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 Hillsboro.

History

Montgomery County was formed in 1821 out of Bond and Madison counties. It was named in honor of

Richard Montgomery Richard Montgomery (2 December 1738 – 31 December 1775) was an Irish-born American military officer who first served in the British Army. He later became a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, and ...

, an

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 ...

general killed in 1775 while attempting to capture

Quebec City Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

.Allan H. Keith
''Historical Stories: About Greenville and Bond County, IL''
Consulted on August 15, 2007. Perrin's 1882 ''History of Montgomery County'' relates that the county was named in honor of Gen. Montgomery, but goes on to say that "others are dubious as to whence it received its name." File:Montgomery County Illinois 1821.png, Montgomery County from the time of its creation to 1827 File:Montgomery County Illinois 1827.png, Montgomery County between 1827 and 1839 File:Montgomery County Illinois 1839.png, Montgomery in 1839, reduced to its present borders

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.8%) is water.

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Hillsboro 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 February to in May.

Adjacent counties

* Sangamon County - north *

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. ...

- northeast * Shelby County - east * Fayette County - southeast * Bond County - south * Madison County - southwest * Macoupin County - west

Transportation

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 ...

Illinois Route 16 Illinois Route 16 (IL 16) is an east–west highway in central Illinois. Its western terminus is at the Joe Page Bridge over the Illinois River in Hardin, Illinois, Hardin, while its eastern terminus is at Paris, Illinois, Paris at Illinoi ...

Illinois Route 48 Illinois Route 48 (IL 48) is an north–south state highway with its southern terminus at Interstate 55 (I-55) and IL 127 in Raymond and its northern terminus at IL 54 east of Clinton. Route description IL 48 ...

Illinois Route 108 Illinois Route 108 is an east–west highway in western Illinois. Its western terminus is at Illinois Route 100 in Kampsville, Illinois, Kampsville, and its eastern terminus is at Interstate 55 in Zanesville Township near Raymond, Illinois, ...

Illinois Route 127 Illinois Route 127 is a north–south highway in central and southern Illinois. Its southern terminus is at Illinois Route 3 near Olive Branch and its northern terminus at Interstate 55, along with the southern terminus of Illinois Route 4 ...

Illinois Route 185 Illinois Route 185 is an east–west state road in the south-central portion of the U.S. state of Illinois. Its western terminus is in Taylor Springs at Illinois Route 127, and the eastern terminus is at Farina at Illinois Route 37. This ...

Airports

Litchfield Municipal Airport is located in Montgomery County, two nautical miles (3.7 km) southwest of the

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides wit ...

Litchfield, Illinois Litchfield is a city in Montgomery County, Illinois, Montgomery County, Illinois, United States. The population was 6,605 at the 2020 census. It is located in South Central Illinois, south of Springfield, Illinois, Springfield, the state capital ...

Demographics

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 30,104 people, 11,652 households, and 7,806 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 13,080 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 95.1% white, 3.2% black or African American, 0.4% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.5% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.5% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 27.8% were

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, 11.2% were Irish, 10.1% were English, and 9.8% were American. Of the 11,652 households, 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.7% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.0% were non-families, and 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.87. The median age was 41.9 years. The median income for a household in the county was $40,864 and the median income for a family was $56,945. Males had a median income of $40,749 versus $29,426 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,700. About 10.9% of families and 14.0% 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 22.7% of those under age 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

* Coffeen * Hillsboro * Litchfield * Nokomis * Witt

Villages

Butler A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments, with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantries, pantr ...

* Coalton * Donnellson * Farmersville * Fillmore * Harvel * Irving * Ohlman *

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

Raymond Raymond is a male given name of Germanic origin. It was borrowed into English from French (older French spellings were Reimund and Raimund, whereas the modern English and French spellings are identical). It originated as the Germanic ᚱᚨᚷ� ...

* Schram City * Taylor Springs * Waggoner * Walshville * Wenonah

Unincorporated communities

* Chapman * Honey Bend * Van Burensburg *

Zanesville Zanesville is a city in Muskingum County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Located at the confluence of the Licking and Muskingum rivers, the city is approximately east of Columbus and had a population of 24,765 as of the 2020 cen ...

Zenobia Septimia Zenobia (Greek: Ζηνοβία, Palmyrene Aramaic: , ; 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 ...

Townships

* Audubon Township * Bois D'Arc Township * Butler Grove Township * East Fork Township * Fillmore Township * Grisham Township * Harvel Township * Hillsboro Township * Irving Township * Nokomis Township * North Litchfield Township * Pitman Township * Raymond Township * Rountree Township * South Litchfield Township * Walshville Township * Witt Township * Zanesville Township

Former Townships

* South Fillmore Township

Notable people

* Donald T. Barry, nurse, businessman, and politician * Avery Bourne, member of 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 constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 representativ ...

* Buddy Cole, jazz musician and composer * Mortimer A. Cullen, politician in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

* Harry Forrester, basketball and baseball coach * Otto Funk (1868–1934), violinist * John A. Graham, member of the

Illinois Senate The Illinois Senate is the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the State of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. Under the ...

* Betsy Hannig, member of the

* Mary Hartline, actress *

Glen Hobbie Glen Frederick Hobbie (April 24, 1936 – August 9, 2013) was an American professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1957 to 1964. A right-hander, he stood tall and weighed . Born in Witt, Illinois, Hobbie attended a ...

, baseball player * Matt Hughes, UFC fighter * Calvin Hultman, member of the

Iowa House of Representatives The Iowa House of Representatives is the lower house of the Iowa General Assembly, the upper house being the Iowa Senate. There are 100 seats in the Iowa House of Representatives, representing 100 single-member districts across the state, formed ...

* Harold Osborn, track athlete * Ray Richmond, baseball pitcher *

Red Ruffing Charles Herbert "Red" Ruffing (May 3, 1905 – February 17, 1986) was an American professional baseball player. A pitcher, he played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1924 through 1947. He played for the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, ...

, baseball player * Walter Short, military officer

Politics

References

External links

*
Historical Society of Montgomery County Illinois
{{Coord, 39.23, -89.48, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-IL_source:UScensus1990 Illinois counties 1821 establishments in Illinois Populated places established in 1821