Jersey County, Illinois
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jersey County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. Jersey County is part of the St. Louis Metropolitan Area. As of 2000, the population was 21,668. Its county seat is Jerseyville, Illinois6.
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[edit] Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 976 km² (377 mi²). 956 km² (369 mi²) of it is land and 20 km² (8 mi²) of it (2.08%) is water.
[edit] Adjacent Counties
- Greene County - north
- Macoupin County - east
- Madison County - southeast
- St. Charles County, Missouri - south
- Calhoun County - west
[edit] History
Jersey County lies Northeast of where the great Mississippi and Illinois Rivers meet. It is the former home of Kickapoo, Menomini, Potawatomi, and Illini Indians. The first European explorers to visit the area, Father Marquette and Louis Jolliet, arrived in 1673 where they encountered the fearsome painting of the Piasa. The present day Pere Marquette State Park, located in Jersey County, is named in Father Marquette's honor.
Jersey County was formed in 1839 out of Greene County. The County was named for the State of New Jersey, from which many of the early settlers emigrated - which was itself named for the Channel Island of Jersey. The area quickly evolved into small agricultural communities. As the area soon began to flourish, a county government was established and a courthouse built in Jerseyville, the county seat. The present courthouse is a magnificent architectural structure that was built in 1894.
Today, while the county maintains its agricultural base, it is within commuting distance of jobs and industry in St. Louis, Missouri and the surrounding area. A large portion of the population works outside of Jersey County and benefits from being "Near the crowd, but not in it", the motto of the Jersey County Business Association's advertising campaign.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census² of 2000, there were 21,668 people, 8,096 households, and 5,861 families residing in the county. The population density was 23/km² (59/mi²). There were 8,918 housing units at an average density of 9/km² (24/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.13% White, 0.53% Black or African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.15% from other races, and 0.70% from two or more races. 0.75% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 8,096 households out of which 34.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.10% were married couples living together, 9.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.60% were non-families. 23.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the county the population was spread out with 25.40% under the age of 18, 9.90% from 18 to 24, 27.60% from 25 to 44, 22.80% from 45 to 64, and 14.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 95.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.40 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $42,065, and the median income for a family was $49,666. Males had a median income of $38,771 versus $23,086 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,581. About 5.30% of families and 7.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.70% of those under age 18 and 5.70% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Cities and towns
de:Jersey Countyfr:Comté de Jersey (Illinois) pt:Condado de Jersey sv:Jersey County
