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Taylorville is a city in and the
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 ...
of
Christian County, Illinois Christian County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2020 census, the population was 34,032. Its county seat is Taylorville. History Christian County was formed February 15, 1839, out of Sangamon, Montgomery and ...
, United States. The population was 10,506 at the 2020 census, making it the county's largest city.


History

Taylorville was founded on May 24, 1839, and was named after John Taylor, a planning commissioner for the state of Illinois. Taylorville was known (in the early to mid-1990s) to have had a high rate of
neuroblastoma Neuroblastoma (NB) is a type of cancer that forms in certain types of nerve tissue. It most frequently starts from one of the adrenal glands but can also develop in the head, neck, chest, abdomen, or Vertebral column, spine. Symptoms may include ...
, a
cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...
affecting the adrenal gland and striking children. The local power company Central Illinois Public Service Company was sued and lost for contaminating the groundwater in 1994. Taylorville is also known for its horse dragging. Some outer homes and a business in Taylorville were damaged by an F1
tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...
on April 2, 2006. On August 11, 2012, a
Beechcraft Model 18 The Beechcraft Model 18 (or "Twin Beech", as it is also known) is a 6- to 11-seat, twin-engined, low-wing, tailwheel light aircraft manufactured by the Beechcraft, Beech Aircraft Corporation of Wichita, Kansas. Continuously produced from 1937 ...
airplane crashed into a residential area of Taylorville, killing the pilot but injuring none on the ground. A subsequent
NTSB The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and inc ...
investigation into the accident concluded that an improper flap configuration and failure to maintain the correct airspeed due to
pilot error In aviation, pilot error generally refers to an action or decision made by a Aircraft pilot#Airline, pilot that is a substantial contributing factor leading to an Aviation accidents and incidents, aviation accident. It also includes a pilot ...
, resulted in the crash. At about 5:15 PM on December 1, 2018, as part of the December 2018 tornado outbreak, an intense tornado hit Taylorville. The tornado injured at least 26 residents and damaged more than 600 homes and businesses, 34 of which were completely destroyed. Damage surveys by the
National Weather Service The National Weather Service (NWS) is an Government agency, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that is tasked with providing weather forecasts, warnings of hazardous weather, and other weathe ...
rated the tornado EF3 with winds over .


Geography

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Taylorville has a total area of , of which (or 84.38%) is land and (or 15.62%) is water.


Demographics

As of the 2020 census there were 10,506 people, 5,064 households, and 2,507 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 5,336 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.81%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.90%
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.24% Native American, 0.94% Asian, 0.02%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 0.52% from other races, and 3.56% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino of any race were 1.65% of the population. There were 5,064 households, out of which 25.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.45% were married couples living together, 9.72% had a female householder with no husband present, and 50.49% were non-families. 44.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.22% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.96 and the average family size was 2.07. The city's age distribution consisted of 20.7% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 27% from 45 to 64, and 19.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $41,397, and the median income for a family was $63,885. Males had a median income of $42,474 versus $28,466 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the city was $26,513. About 9.7% of families and 13.1% 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 13.5% of those under age 18 and 12.7% of those age 65 or over.


Education

The IHSA single season boys' basketball record of 45–0 was set by Taylorville High School in 1944. Ron Bontemps and Johnny Orr were team members. In 1911, the Taylorville Christians were a member of the Illinois–Missouri League, an American minor league baseball league. Future
Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United S ...
r Ray Schalk played on that team.


Media

The town newspaper is the ''Breeze-Courier''. ''
The State Journal-Register ''The State Journal-Register'' is the only local daily newspaper for Springfield, Illinois, and its surrounding area. History The newspaper was founded in 1831 as the ''Sangamo Journal'' by William Bailhache and Edward Baker, and describes it ...
'', published in
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 ...
, covers Taylorville and Christian County quite extensively. The
Decatur, Illinois Decatur ( ) is the largest city in Macon County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The city was founded in 1829 and is situated along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in Central Illinois. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...
''
Herald & Review The ''Herald & Review'' is a daily newspaper based in Decatur, Illinois. It is owned by Lee Enterprises. The Herald & Review was named one of Editor & Publisher's "10 Newspapers That Do It Right" in 2019 for its use of government documents and ...
'' covers the area as well.


Transportation

Taylorville is served by Illinois Route 29, Illinois Route 48 and Illinois Route 104. By closest major city, Illinois Route 29 connects Taylorville to
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 ...
; Illinois Route 48 connects to
Decatur, Illinois Decatur ( ) is the largest city in Macon County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The city was founded in 1829 and is situated along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in Central Illinois. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...
– including, from there, highway access to
Pana, Illinois Pana is a small town in Christian County, Illinois, United States. A small portion is in Shelby County. The population was 5,199 at the 2020 census. History The area around Pana was first organized as Stone Coal Precinct in 1845. The count ...
via US Highway 51 and to
Champaign, Illinois Champaign ( ) is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 88,302 at the 2020 census. It is the List of municipalities in Illinois, tenth-most populous municipality in Illinois and the fourth most populous city in ...
via
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 Champa ...
; and Illinois Route 104 connects Taylorville to
Jacksonville, Illinois Jacksonville is a city and the county seat of Morgan County, Illinois, United States. The population was 17,616 at the 2020 census, down from 19,446 in 2010. It is home to Illinois College, Illinois School for the Deaf, and the Illinois Sc ...
.


Notable people

* John J. Bullington - Illinois state representative, soldier, and politician; lived and practiced law in Taylorville *
Jon Corzine Jon Stevens Corzine ( ; born January 1, 1947) is an American financial executive and retired politician who served as a United States Senator from New Jersey from 2001 to 2006, and the 54th governor of New Jersey from 2006 to 2010. Corzine ran f ...
- 54th
Governor of New Jersey The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The ...
2006–2010;
United States Senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...
representing New Jersey 2001–2006; previously co-CEO of
Goldman Sachs The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company. Founded in 1869, Goldman Sachs is headquartered in Lower Manhattan in New York City, with regional headquarters in many internationa ...
, and CEO and Chairman of
MF Global MF Global Holdings Ltd., formerly known as Man Financial, was a major global financial derivatives broker, or commodities brokerage firm that went bankrupt in 2011. MF Global provided exchange-traded derivatives, such as futures and options ...
; born outside Taylorville and graduated from Taylorville High School *
Yvonne Craig Yvonne Joyce Craig (May 16, 1937 – August 17, 2015) was an American actress who is best known for her role as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl in the 1960s television series ''Batman (TV series), Batman''. Other notable roles in her career include Dorot ...
- actress who appeared in season 3 of the '' 1960s Batman'' TV series as
Batgirl Batgirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, depicted as female counterparts and allies to the superhero Batman. The character Bette Kane, Betty Kane was introduced into publica ...
; born in Taylorville * Rodney Davis - Congressman, raised in Taylorville and graduated from Taylorville High School * James H. Forrester - Illinois state senator, judge, and lawyer; lived and practiced law in Taylorville * Harry B. Hershey - Illinois Supreme Court justice; lived in and served as mayor of Taylorville * Randy Hopper - Wisconsin State Senator; born in Taylorville * Vern Mullen - professional football player * Johnny Orr - basketball player and coach; born in Taylorville * Pat Perry - former MLB pitcher for the
St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...
and the
Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...
; born in Taylorville * Doug Quick - Broadcast weatherman,
author In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...
& museum curator; born in Taylorville, graduated from Taylorville High School *
Edward Mills Purcell Edward Mills Purcell (August 30, 1912 – March 7, 1997) was an American physicist who shared the 1952 Nobel Prize for Physics for his independent discovery (published 1946) of nuclear magnetic resonance in liquids and in solids. Nuclear magn ...
- discovered nuclear magnetic resonance (MRI); winner of the
Nobel Prize in Physics The Nobel Prize in Physics () is an annual award given by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences for those who have made the most outstanding contributions to mankind in the field of physics. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the ...
(1952); born in Taylorville * James B. Ricks - Illinois Supreme Court justice; served as mayor of Taylorville * Jesse J. Ricks - attorney and
Union Carbide Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) is an American chemical company headquartered in Seadrift, Texas. It has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Dow Chemical Company since 2001. Union Carbide produces chemicals and polymers that undergo one or more f ...
executive; son of James B. Ricks * Ruth Robertson - photojournalist; born in Taylorville * Nook Schreier - musician and music director, born in Taylorville * Joyce Taylor - 1960s film and television actress; born in Taylorville * Rolland F. Tipsword - Illinois state representative, judge, and lawyer; lived and practiced law in Taylorville * Stuart J. Traynor - Illinois state legislator and lawyer, lived and practiced law in Taylorville. * Clifford J. Vogelsang - Illinois state senator, judge, and lawyer; lived and practiced law in Taylorville'Illinois Blue Book 1933-1934, Biographical Sketch of Clifford J. Vogelsang, pg. 219


References


External links


Taylorville city website

Taylorville Schools

Lincoln Land Community College-Taylorville

Taylorville Park District

Taylorville Chamber of Commerce

Taylorville Main Street
{{authority control Cities in Christian County, Illinois Cities in Illinois Micropolitan areas of Illinois County seats in Illinois