Sangamon 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 near 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 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 census, it had a population of 196,343. 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 ...

and largest city is Springfield, the

state capital Below is an index of pages containing lists of capital city, 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 ...

. Sangamon County is included in the Springfield, IL Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Abraham Lincoln Tomb Springfield Illiois

Sangamon County was formed in 1821 out of Madison and Bond 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 Sta ...

, 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

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

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. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

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 181 ...

. 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 is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

. 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 :''This article concerns John Whitfield Bunn, Jacob Bunn, and the entrepreneurs who were interconnected with the Bunn brothers through association or familial and genealogical connection.'' John Whitfield Bunn (June 21, 1831 – June 7, 1920)Ill ...

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, 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 (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

* ** * * * * * * * * * *

Transit

* Sangamon Mass Transit District * Springfield station *

List of intercity bus stops in Illinois A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, but ...

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 ...

– northeast * 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 – northwest

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, prior to becoming the 16th president of the United States. The presidential memorial incl ...

Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument Springfield may refer to: * Springfield (toponym), the place name in general Places and locations Australia * Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast) * Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council) * Springfield, Queensla ...

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 (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primaril ...

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, 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 ...

, 14.8% were Irish, 12.1% were

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

, 9.5% 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, p ...

, and 6.3% were

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

. 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 ...

, 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

Sangamon County has been a Republican stronghold for decades, consistently supporting GOP candidates in local, state, and national elections. Despite its relatively large population and the presence of Springfield, the state's capital and a significant urban center, the county has remained reliably conservative. In recent years, however, the county has shown signs of shifting toward the Democratic Party, reflecting changing demographics and political attitudes, although Democrats have remained unable to carry the county in most races.

Sheriff department

In 2024, sheriff deputy Sean Grayson was fired after killing Sonya Massey, an unarmed woman, within her home located in Woodside Township near

Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Illinois. Its population was 114,394 at the 2020 United States census, which makes it the state's List of cities in Illinois, seventh-most populous cit ...

following her call for assistance. Massey's father, community members, and elected officials raised strong concerns about the department, after it was revealed prior to Grayson's hiring in 2023. He had been kicked out of the U.S. Army in 2016 after being convicted of 2 DUI's, and worked at 5 different Illinois police departments between 2020 and 2023. Sheriff Jack Campbell who hired Grayson, after receiving calls to resign, including from Governor J.B Pritzker announced he would step down effective August 31, 2024.

Communities

Cities

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

Villages

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

Buffalo Buffalo most commonly refers to: * True buffalo or Bubalina, a subtribe of wild cattle, including most "Old World" buffalo, such as water buffalo * Bison, a genus of wild cattle, including the American buffalo * Buffalo, New York, a city in the n ...

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

Jerome Jerome (; ; ; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was an early Christian presbyter, priest, Confessor of the Faith, confessor, theologian, translator, and historian; he is commonly known as Saint Jerome. He is best known ...

* 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 *

Sherman Sherman most commonly refers to: *Sherman (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname ** William Tecumseh Sherman (1820–1891), American Civil War General *M4 Sherman, a World War II American tank S ...

* Southern View * Spaulding *

Thayer Thayer may refer to: Places ;United States * Thayer, Illinois * Thayer, Indiana * Thayer, Iowa * Thayer, Kansas * Thayer, Michigan * Thayer, Missouri * Thayer, Nebraska *Thayer, West Virginia * Thayer County, Nebraska * Thayer Street, Providence, ...

* Williamsville

Unincorporated communities

Andrew Andrew is the English form of the given name, common in many countries. The word is derived from the , ''Andreas'', itself related to ''aner/andros'', "man" (as opposed to "woman"), thus meaning "manly" and, as consequence, "brave", "strong", "c ...

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 modern ...

* 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 Elli ...

Berry A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples of berries in the cul ...

Bissell Bissell Inc., also known as Bissell Homecare, is an American privately owned vacuum cleaner A vacuum cleaner, also known simply as a vacuum, is a device that uses suction, and often agitation, in order to remove dirt and other debris from ca ...

* Bradfordton * Breckenridge * Buckhart * Buffalo Hart *

Cimic Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC) involves military commanders establishing connections with civilian agencies in operational theaters. Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC) activities are coordinated through the "G9" staff branch in division ...

* 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 Tickmac ...

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

Salisbury Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

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

Sangamon County is divided into these

townships A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

: * Auburn *

Ball A ball is a round object (usually spherical, but sometimes ovoid) with several uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used for s ...

* Buffalo Hart *

Capital Capital and its variations may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital ** List of national capitals * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Econom ...

(Coterminous with Springfield) *

Cartwright Cartwright may refer to: * Cartwright (occupation), a tradesperson skilled in the making and repairing of carts or wagons * Cartwright (surname), including the list of people Places ; Australia * Cartwright, New South Wales ; Canada * Cart ...

* Chatham * Clear Lake *

Cooper Cooper, Cooper's, Coopers and similar may refer to: * Cooper (profession), a maker of wooden casks and other staved vessels Arts and entertainment * Cooper (producers), an alias of Dutch producers Klubbheads * "Cooper", a song by Roxette from ...

* Cotton Hill * Curran * Divernon * Fancy Creek *

Gardner Gardner may refer to: People and fictional characters *Gardner (given name) *Gardner (surname) Places United States * Gardner, Colorado *Gardner, Illinois *Gardner, Kansas *Gardner, Massachusetts * Gardner, North Dakota * Gardner, Tennessee * Ga ...

* Illiopolis * Island Grove * Lanesville * Loami *

Maxwell Maxwell may refer to: People * Maxwell (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name ** James Clerk Maxwell, mathematician and physicist * Justice Maxwell (disambiguation) * Maxwell baronets, in the Baronetage of N ...

* Mechanicsburg * New Berlin *

* Rochester *

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

Education

Here is a listing of school districts (all are full K–12) with any territory in this county, no matter how small, even if the administrative headquarters and/or schools are in other counties:
Text list
/ref> *

A-C Central Community Unit School District 262 A-C Central Community Unit School District 262 brings together students from Ashland and Chandlerville, Illinois. A small, rural district, A-C Central has an elementary school (K–4) in Chandlerville, a junior high school (5–8) in Ashland, ...

Athens Community Unit School District 213 Athens ( ) is the capital and largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica region and is the southernmost capital on the European mainland. With its urban area's popu ...

Auburn Community Unit School District 10 Auburn may refer to: Places Australia * Auburn, New South Wales * City of Auburn, the local government area *Electoral district of Auburn *Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region *Auburn, South Australia * Auburn, Tasmania *Aubu ...

* Ball-Chatham Community Unit School District 5 * Edinburg Community Unit School District 4 * Mount Pulaski Community Unit District 23 * New Berlin Community Unit School District 16 *

North Mac Community Unit School District 34 North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' is ...

Pawnee Community Unit School District 11 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 ...

Porta Community Unit School District 202 Porta can refer to: People * Porta (rapper) (born 1988), stagename of Christian Jiménez Bundo, a Spanish rap singer * Porta (surname), surname Places * La Porta, a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France on the island of Corsica * Port ...

* Pleasant Plains Community Unit School District 8 *

Riverton Community Unit School District 14 Riverton is the name of several places: ;In Australia: *Riverton, South Australia, a small town and former railway junction in the mid north of South Australia *Riverton, Western Australia, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia **Electoral district o ...

Rochester Community Unit School District 3A Rochester may refer to: Places Settlements England *Rochester, Kent *Rochester, Northumberland United States * Rochester, Illinois * Rochester, Indiana * Rochester Township, Cedar County, Iowa ** Rochester, Iowa, an unincorporated commun ...

Sangamon Valley Community Unit School District 9 Sangamon County is a county located near the center of the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 196,343. Its county seat and largest city is Springfield, the state capital. Sangamon County is include ...

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, Illi ...

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 (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It ...

Waverly Community Unit School District 6 Waverly Community Unit School District 6 is a school district in Waverly, Illinois Waverly, founded in 1836, is the second largest city in Morgan County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,194 at the 2020 census. It is part of the ...

* Williamsville Community Unit School District 15

Forts

Camp Butler Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler (or simply Butler Marine Base) is a United States Marine Corps base located in the Japanese Prefecture#Japanese sense of prefecture, prefecture of Okinawa Prefecture, Okinawa. It was named after Marine Co ...

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