Plaque honoring 2,486 Macon County soldiers that fought in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-65
According to the US Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 586 square miles (1,520 km2), of which 581 square miles (1,500 km2) is land and 5.2 square miles (13 km2) (0.9%) is water.[4]
Macon County is primarily flat, as is most of the state and all of the surrounding counties, the result of geological activity during the Pleistocene epoch. During the Illinoian Stage of the Pleistocene, the Laurentide Ice Sheet covered about 85 percent of Illinois, including the Macon County area. The subsequent thaw of the region and retreat of the ice sheet left central Illinois with its present characteristic flat topography.[5]
Because of its central location, Macon County is often referred to as "The Heart of Illinois."[6]
In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Decatur have ranged from a low of 17 °F (−8 °C) in January to a high of 88 °F (31 °C) in July, although a record low of −25 °F (−32 °C) was recorded in February 1905 and a record high of 113 °F (45 °C) was recorded in July 1954. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.95 inches (50 mm) in February to 4.54 inches (115 mm) in July.[7]
US Decennial Census[8] 1790-1960[9] 1900-1990[10] 1990-2000[11] 2010-2019[1]
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 110,768 people, 45,855 households, and 29,326 families residing in the county.[13] The population density was 190.8 inhabitants per square mile (73.7/km2). There were 50,475 housing units at an average density of 86.9 per square mile (33.6/km2).[4] The racial makeup of the county was 79.3% white, 16.3% black or African American, 1.0% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.7% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.9% of the population.[13] In terms of ancestry, 21.7% were German, 17.0% were American, 12.9% were Irish, and 10.8% were English.[14]
Of the 45,855 households, 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.7% were married couples living together, 14.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 36.0% were non-families, and 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.89. The median age was 40.3 years.[13]
The median income for a household in the county was $44,337 and the median income for a family was $57,570. Males had a median income of $48,570 versus $31,568 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,726. About 10.3% of families and 15.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.1% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.[15]
In its early years Macon County favored the Democratic Party, voting for it in every election through 1860. Republican Abraham Lincoln won the county in the 1864 election, and from then until the Great Depression Macon County became solidly Republican, only giving a narrow plurality to Woodrow Wilson in 1912 when the GOP was mortally divided by Theodore Roosevelt's splinter–party run.
The FDR-era New Deal saw the county become more amenable to the Democratic Party again due to its strong industrial base. Macon County voted for the winner in every election from 1920 through 1996 save in 1960, 1968, and 1988, in two of which it voted for a losing Democrat over a winning Republican (Humphrey over Nixon in 1968 and Dukakis over George H. W. Bush in 1988). In 2000, Macon voted for a losing Democrat for the third time since the New Deal, as Al Gore narrowly held the county, but since then the county has once again trended Republican, as George W. Bush carried the county over John Kerry in 2004 with the same vote share as Reagan in his 1984 national landslide. Illinois native Barack Obama did carry the county with a plurality in his sweeping 2008 triumph, but was convincingly defeated by Mitt Romney in the county in 2012. In 2016, Hillary Clinton got the lowest vote share of any Democrat since George McGovern; and while Joe Biden improved on her vote share in 2020, he still failed to match McGovern's percentage.
United States presidential election results for Macon County, Illinois[16]
^ ab. US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
^"Find a County". National Association of Counties. from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
^Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 195.
^ ab"Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
^Stiff, B. J., and A.K. Hansel, 2004, Quaternary glaciations in Illinois. in Ehlers, J., and P.L. Gibbard, eds., pp. 71-82, Quaternary Glaciations: Extent and Chronology 2: Part II North America, Elsevier, Amsterdam. ISBN0-444-51462-7
^"Visitors Information - Macon County Illinois". www.co.macon.il.us. from the original on September 7, 2017. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
^ ab"Monthly Averages for Decatur IL". The Weather Channel. from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
^"US Decennial Census". US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
^"Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. from the original on August 11, 2012. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
^"Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". US Census Bureau. from the original on April 24, 2014. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
^"Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). US Census Bureau. (PDF) from the original on December 18, 2014. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
^"Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved May 21, 2020.
^ abc"Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
^"Selected Social Characteristics in the United States – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
^"Selected Economic Characteristics – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
^Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. from the original on March 23, 2018. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
macon, county, illinois, macon, county, county, located, state, illinois, according, 2010, united, states, census, population, county, seat, decatur, macon, countycountywabash, railroad, station, railway, express, agency, decaturlocation, within, state, illino. Macon County is a county located in the U S state of Illinois According to the 2010 United States Census it had a population of 110 768 1 Its county seat is Decatur 2 Macon CountyCountyWabash Railroad Station and Railway Express Agency in DecaturLocation within the U S state of IllinoisIllinois s location within the U S Coordinates 39 52 N 88 58 W 39 86 N 88 96 W 39 86 88 96Country United StatesState IllinoisFounded19 January 1829Named forNathaniel MaconSeatDecaturLargest cityDecaturArea Total586 sq mi 1 520 km2 Land581 sq mi 1 500 km2 Water5 2 sq mi 13 km2 0 9 Population 2010 Total110 768 Estimate 2019 104 009 Density190 sq mi 73 km2 Time zoneUTC 6 Central Summer DST UTC 5 CDT Congressional district13thWebsitewww wbr co wbr macon wbr il wbr usMacon County comprises the Decatur IL Metropolitan Statistical Area Contents 1 History 2 Geography 2 1 Climate and weather 2 2 Major highways 2 3 Transit 2 4 Adjacent counties 3 Demographics 4 Communities 4 1 Cities 4 2 Villages 4 3 Census designated place 4 4 Unincorporated communities 4 5 Townships 5 Politics 6 See also 7 Notes 8 ReferencesHistory EditMacon County was formed on January 19 1829 out of Shelby County It was named for Nathaniel Macon a Colonel in the Revolutionary War 3 Macon later served as senator from North Carolina until his resignation in 1828 In 1830 future US President Abraham Lincoln and his family moved to Macon County Macon County 1829 Macon County 1829 1841 Macon County 1841 1843 Macon County 1843 present Geography Edit Plaque honoring 2 486 Macon County soldiers that fought in the War of the Rebellion 1861 65 According to the US Census Bureau the county has a total area of 586 square miles 1 520 km2 of which 581 square miles 1 500 km2 is land and 5 2 square miles 13 km2 0 9 is water 4 Macon County is primarily flat as is most of the state and all of the surrounding counties the result of geological activity during the Pleistocene epoch During the Illinoian Stage of the Pleistocene the Laurentide Ice Sheet covered about 85 percent of Illinois including the Macon County area The subsequent thaw of the region and retreat of the ice sheet left central Illinois with its present characteristic flat topography 5 Because of its central location Macon County is often referred to as The Heart of Illinois 6 Climate and weather Edit Decatur IllinoisClimate chart explanation J F M A M J J A S O N D 2 1 35 17 2 41 22 3 2 53 32 3 6 65 42 4 5 76 52 3 9 85 61 4 5 88 65 4 1 86 63 3 80 55 2 7 68 44 3 3 52 34 2 9 39 23 Average max and min temperatures in F Precipitation totals in inchesSource The Weather Channel 7 Metric conversionJ F M A M J J A S O N D 52 2 8 50 5 6 81 12 0 91 18 6 114 24 11 99 29 16 115 31 18 105 30 17 76 27 13 70 20 7 84 11 1 73 4 5 Average max and min temperatures in C Precipitation totals in mmIn recent years average temperatures in the county seat of Decatur have ranged from a low of 17 F 8 C in January to a high of 88 F 31 C in July although a record low of 25 F 32 C was recorded in February 1905 and a record high of 113 F 45 C was recorded in July 1954 Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1 95 inches 50 mm in February to 4 54 inches 115 mm in July 7 Major highways Edit Interstate 72 U S Route 36 U S Route 51 Illinois Route 48 Illinois Route 105 Illinois Route 121 Illinois Route 128 Transit Edit Decatur Public Transit System List of intercity bus stops in IllinoisAdjacent counties Edit De Witt north Piatt northeast Moultrie southeast Shelby south Christian southwest Sangamon west Logan northwestDemographics EditHistorical population CensusPop Note 18301 122 18403 039170 9 18503 98831 2 186013 738244 5 187026 48192 8 188030 66515 8 189038 08324 2 190044 00315 5 191054 18623 1 192065 17520 3 193081 73125 4 194084 6933 6 195098 85316 7 1960118 25719 6 1970125 0105 7 1980131 3755 1 1990117 206 10 8 2000114 706 2 1 2010110 768 3 4 2020103 998 6 1 US Decennial Census 8 1790 1960 9 1900 1990 10 1990 2000 11 2010 2019 1 As of the 2010 United States Census there were 110 768 people 45 855 households and 29 326 families residing in the county 13 The population density was 190 8 inhabitants per square mile 73 7 km2 There were 50 475 housing units at an average density of 86 9 per square mile 33 6 km2 4 The racial makeup of the county was 79 3 white 16 3 black or African American 1 0 Asian 0 2 American Indian 0 7 from other races and 2 5 from two or more races Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1 9 of the population 13 In terms of ancestry 21 7 were German 17 0 were American 12 9 were Irish and 10 8 were English 14 Of the 45 855 households 29 5 had children under the age of 18 living with them 45 7 were married couples living together 14 1 had a female householder with no husband present 36 0 were non families and 30 9 of all households were made up of individuals The average household size was 2 33 and the average family size was 2 89 The median age was 40 3 years 13 The median income for a household in the county was 44 337 and the median income for a family was 57 570 Males had a median income of 48 570 versus 31 568 for females The per capita income for the county was 24 726 About 10 3 of families and 15 7 of the population were below the poverty line including 26 1 of those under age 18 and 6 5 of those age 65 or over 15 Communities EditCities Edit Decatur county seat and largest municipality Macon MaroaVillages Edit Argenta Blue Mound Forsyth Harristown Long Creek Mount Zion Niantic Oreana Warrensburg Map of Macon County Census designated place Edit BoodyUnincorporated communities Edit Bearsdale Blackland Bulldog Crossing Casner Elwin Emery Heman Hervey City Newburg Oakley Prairie Hall Sangamon Walker Townships Edit Austin Blue Mound Decatur Friends Creek Harristown Hickory Point Illini Long Creek Maroa Milam former now defunct after merger with Mount Zion Township Mount Zion Niantic Oakley Pleasant View South Macon South Wheatland WhitmorePolitics EditIn its early years Macon County favored the Democratic Party voting for it in every election through 1860 Republican Abraham Lincoln won the county in the 1864 election and from then until the Great Depression Macon County became solidly Republican only giving a narrow plurality to Woodrow Wilson in 1912 when the GOP was mortally divided by Theodore Roosevelt s splinter party run The FDR era New Deal saw the county become more amenable to the Democratic Party again due to its strong industrial base Macon County voted for the winner in every election from 1920 through 1996 save in 1960 1968 and 1988 in two of which it voted for a losing Democrat over a winning Republican Humphrey over Nixon in 1968 and Dukakis over George H W Bush in 1988 In 2000 Macon voted for a losing Democrat for the third time since the New Deal as Al Gore narrowly held the county but since then the county has once again trended Republican as George W Bush carried the county over John Kerry in 2004 with the same vote share as Reagan in his 1984 national landslide Illinois native Barack Obama did carry the county with a plurality in his sweeping 2008 triumph but was convincingly defeated by Mitt Romney in the county in 2012 In 2016 Hillary Clinton got the lowest vote share of any Democrat since George McGovern and while Joe Biden improved on her vote share in 2020 he still failed to match McGovern s percentage United States presidential election results for Macon County Illinois 16 Year Republican Democratic Third partyNo No No 2020 28 589 57 72 19 847 40 07 1 098 2 22 2016 26 866 55 90 18 343 38 17 2 851 5 93 2012 25 309 51 62 22 780 46 46 941 1 92 2008 24 948 48 55 25 487 49 60 954 1 86 2004 28 118 54 34 23 341 45 11 287 0 55 2000 23 830 48 14 24 262 49 02 1 407 2 84 1996 18 161 38 45 24 256 51 35 4 818 10 20 1992 18 684 33 62 27 449 49 39 9 447 17 00 1988 23 862 48 22 25 364 51 25 263 0 53 1984 30 457 54 28 25 463 45 38 192 0 34 1980 28 298 52 45 22 325 41 38 3 333 6 18 1976 24 893 46 44 28 243 52 69 463 0 86 1972 29 596 59 16 20 296 40 57 137 0 27 1968 21 027 42 27 23 369 46 98 5 345 10 75 1964 17 957 33 88 35 045 66 12 0 0 00 1960 27 151 50 95 26 029 48 85 108 0 20 1956 27 673 54 51 23 066 45 43 32 0 06 1952 25 744 53 56 22 277 46 35 45 0 09 1948 18 719 46 27 21 487 53 11 250 0 62 1944 19 608 46 06 22 808 53 58 153 0 36 1940 19 998 41 78 27 589 57 64 277 0 58 1936 15 585 35 84 27 360 62 92 541 1 24 1932 16 868 42 87 21 638 54 99 840 2 13 1928 24 492 70 68 9 932 28 66 230 0 66 1924 16 458 60 22 6 670 24 40 4 203 15 38 1920 16 486 65 27 7 917 31 35 854 3 38 1916 13 997 52 90 11 181 42 25 1 283 4 85 1912 3 356 27 33 4 435 36 12 4 487 36 55 1908 6 643 55 98 4 615 38 89 608 5 12 1904 6 284 62 79 2 952 29 50 772 7 71 1900 6 086 54 26 4 874 43 46 256 2 28 1896 6 216 55 73 4 756 42 64 182 1 63 1892 4 575 48 04 4 303 45 18 646 6 78 See also EditNational Register of Historic Places listings in Macon County IllinoisNotes EditReferences Edit a b State amp County QuickFacts US Census Bureau Archived from the original on June 6 2011 Retrieved July 7 2014 Find a County National Association of Counties Archived from the original on May 31 2011 Retrieved June 7 2011 Gannett Henry 1905 The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States U S Government Printing Office p 195 a b Population Housing Units Area and Density 2010 County US Census Bureau Archived from the original on February 12 2020 Retrieved July 12 2015 Stiff B J and A K Hansel 2004 Quaternary glaciations in Illinois in Ehlers J and P L Gibbard eds pp 71 82 Quaternary Glaciations Extent and Chronology 2 Part II North America Elsevier Amsterdam ISBN 0 444 51462 7 Visitors Information Macon County Illinois www co macon il us Archived from the original on September 7 2017 Retrieved May 1 2018 a b Monthly Averages for Decatur IL The Weather Channel Archived from the original on October 23 2012 Retrieved January 27 2011 US Decennial Census US Census Bureau Retrieved July 7 2014 Historical Census Browser University of Virginia Library Archived from the original on August 11 2012 Retrieved July 7 2014 Population of Counties by Decennial Census 1900 to 1990 US Census Bureau Archived from the original on April 24 2014 Retrieved July 7 2014 Census 2000 PHC T 4 Ranking Tables for Counties 1990 and 2000 PDF US Census Bureau Archived PDF from the original on December 18 2014 Retrieved July 7 2014 Population and Housing Unit Estimates Retrieved May 21 2020 a b c Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics 2010 Demographic Profile Data US Census Bureau Archived from the original on February 13 2020 Retrieved July 12 2015 Selected Social Characteristics in the United States 2006 2010 American Community Survey 5 Year Estimates US Census Bureau Archived from the original on February 13 2020 Retrieved July 12 2015 Selected Economic Characteristics 2006 2010 American Community Survey 5 Year Estimates US Census Bureau Archived from the original on February 13 2020 Retrieved July 12 2015 Leip David Atlas of US Presidential Elections uselectionatlas org Archived from the original on March 23 2018 Retrieved May 1 2018 Coordinates 39 52 N 88 58 W 39 86 N 88 96 W 39 86 88 96 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Macon County Illinois amp oldid 1143023990, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
