Tazewell County () is 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 ...
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 131,343. 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
Pekin.
It is pronounced with a short "a", to rhyme with "razz" rather than "raze."
Tazewell County is part of the
Peoria metropolitan area. The majority of the population lives along the county's western border.
History
Tazewell County was formed out of
Peoria County in 1827. The consensus appears to be that it was named in honor of
Littleton Tazewell, who served in the U.S. Senate, and who became Governor of Virginia in 1834. It is, however, possible that it was named after Littleton's father, prominent Virginia politician
Henry Tazewell
Henry Tazewell (November 27, 1753January 24, 1799) was an American politician who was instrumental in the early government of Virginia, and a US senator from Virginia. He was a slave owner, and served as President pro tempore of the United Stat ...
, after whom
Tazewell County,
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
, was named.
The first county seat was in
Mackinaw from 1827 to 1836.
It was moved temporarily from Mackinaw to Pekin in June 1831, with the county court proceedings in the Snell schoolhouse.
It moved to Tremont in 1836.
After a political struggle between Tremont and Pekin, the county seat was reassigned to Pekin in 1849.
File:Tazewell County Illinois 1827.png, Tazewell 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.
File:Tazewell County Illinois 1829.png, Tazewell County between 1829 and 1830: the creation of Mason County established a southern border for Tazewell's additional territory.
File:Tazewell County Illinois 1830.png, Tazewell County between 1830 and 1831: the additional territory to the east became McLean County.
File:Tazewell County Illinois 1831.png, Tazewell County between 1831 and 1841: the last of the county's additional territory became part of LaSalle County.
File:Tazewell County Illinois 1841.png, Tazewell County in 1841, 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 (1.4%) is water.
State Fish & Wildlife Areas
The following Illinois State Park & Natural Areas are located in Tazewell County:
*
Spring Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area - an 8.5-mile (13.7 km) long alluvial lake that lies parallel to the
Illinois River
The Illinois River () is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River at approximately in length. Located in the U.S. state of Illinois, the river has a drainage basin of . The Illinois River begins with the confluence of the Des Plaines ...
.
*
Powerton Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area - 1,426-acre (577 ha) area of semi-protected habitat on the
Illinois River
The Illinois River () is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River at approximately in length. Located in the U.S. state of Illinois, the river has a drainage basin of . The Illinois River begins with the confluence of the Des Plaines ...
.
*
Mackinaw River State Fish and Wildlife Area - 1,448-acre (586 ha) state park
Climate and weather
In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Pekin have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1884 and a record high of was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in January to in May.
Adjacent counties
*
Peoria County (northwest)
*
Woodford County (north)
*
McLean County (east)
*
Logan County (south)
*
Mason County (southwest)
*
Fulton County (west)
Transportation
Major highways
*
Interstate 74
Interstate 74 (I-74) is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Its western end is at an interchange with I-80 in Davenport, Iowa; the eastern end of its Midwest segment is at an interchange with I-75 in ...
*
Interstate 155
*
Interstate 474
*
U.S. Highway 24
*
U.S. Highway 150
*
Illinois Route 8
Illinois Route 8 (IL 8) is an east–west state route in central Illinois. It runs east from Illinois Route 97 south of Maquon to the intersection of U.S. Route 24 (McClugage Avenue) and Business U.S. 24 near Washington. Illinois 8 i ...
*
Illinois Route 9
*
Illinois Route 26
Illinois Route 26 (IL 26, Illinois 26) is a north–south state highway in central and north-central Illinois. It runs from Illinois Route 116 just north of East Peoria to Highway 69 at the Wisconsin border near Orangeville. This is a d ...
*
Illinois Route 29
*
Illinois Route 40
Illinois Route 40 (IL 40) is a north–south route in central portion of the U.S. state of Illinois. It runs from Interstate 74 (I-74) in East Peoria, Illinois, East Peoria north to Illinois Route 78, IL 78 at Mount Carroll, Illinois, Mt. ...
*
Illinois Route 98
*
Illinois Route 116
*
Illinois Route 122
Airports
The following public-use airports are located in Tazewell County:
*
Pekin Municipal Airport (C15) - serves
Pekin (Located by the Village of
South Pekin, Illinois)
*
Manito Mitchell Airport (C45) - serves
Manito, a village in
Mason County
Public Transportation
Bus and paratransit service in Tazewell County is provided by
Peoria's “CityLink” system, operating six routes (four originating from Peoria) seven days a week.
Demographics
As of the
2010 United States census, there were 135,394 people, 54,146 households, and 37,163 families living in the county.
The population density was . There were 57,516 housing units at an average density of .
The racial makeup of the county was 96.2% white, 1.0% black or African American, 0.7% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.5% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.9% of the population.
In terms of ancestry, 35.6% were
German, 15.6% were
American, 14.4% were
Irish, and 12.0% were
English.
Of the 54,146 households, 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.4% were non-families, and 26.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.94. The median age was 39.8 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $54,232 and the median income for a family was $66,764. Males had a median income of $50,372 versus $34,747 for females. The per capita income for the county was $27,036. About 6.3% of families and 7.9% 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 11.2% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.
Communities
Cities
*
Delavan
*
East Peoria
*
Marquette Heights
*
Pekin (seat)
*
Washington
Villages
*
Creve Coeur
*
Deer Creek
*
Hopedale
*
Mackinaw
*
Minier
*
Morton
*
North Pekin
*
Tremont
Census-designated place
*
Armington
*
Heritage Lake
Other unincorporated communities
*
Groveland
*
Schaeferville
Townships
Tazewell County is divided into these
townships:
*
Boynton
*
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...
*
Deer Creek
*
Delavan
*
Dillon
*
Elm Grove
*
Fondulac
*
Groveland
*
Hittle
*
Hopedale
*
Little Mackinaw
*
Mackinaw
*
Malone
*
Morton
*
Pekin
*
Sand Prairie
*
Spring Lake
*
Tremont
*
Washington
Politics
Tazewell County has been solidly Republican on the national level, voting for the Republican candidate for U.S. president since 1996 and in all but two elections since 1952.
For the purposes of Illinois law, as of the 2022 general primary election, the three established political parties in the county are the Democratic Party, the Republican Party, and the
Libertarian Party as all have received 5% or greater of the vote in a recent election. A relative rarity, Tazewell is one of only five counties where the Libertarian Party was an established political party in 2022.
The Libertarian Party's established political party status allows it to have the same reduced barriers to ballot access as the Democratic and Republican parties and to hold primary elections.
In the 2022 primary, 20 voters requested a Libertarian primary ballot.
Education
K-12 school districts include:
[ ]
Text list
/ref>
* Deer Creek-Mackinaw Community Unit School District 701
* Delavan Community Unit School District 703
* Eureka Community Unit District 140
* Illini Central Community Unit School District 189
* Hartsburg-Emden Community Unit School District 21
* Midwest Central Community Unit School District 191
* Morton Community Unit School District 709
* Olympia Community Unit School District 16
* Tremont Community Unit School District 702
Secondary school districts include:[
* East Peoria Community High School District 309
* Pekin Community High School District 303
* Washington Community High School District 308
Elementary school districts include:][
* Central School District 51
* Creve Coeur School District 76
* District 50 Schools
* East Peoria School District 86
* North Pekin-Marquette Heights School District 102
* Pekin Public School District 108
* Rankin Community School District 98
* Robein School District 85
* South Pekin School District 137
* Spring Lake Community Consolidated School District 606
* Washington School District 52
]
See also
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Tazewell County, Illinois
Notable people
* Charles "Buffalo" Jones, Cowboy and Naturalist
* Everett Dirkson US Senator
* Gary Richrath, Lead Guitarist - REO Speedwagon
* John Theodore McNaughton, Government Official
References
{{Coord, 40.51, -89.51, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-IL_source:UScensus1990
Illinois counties
Peoria metropolitan area, Illinois
1827 establishments in Illinois
Populated places established in 1827