Douglas County, Illinois

Updated on Oct 02, 2024

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Founded 1859 Congressional district 15th Area 1,080 km² County seat Tuscola Largest city Tuscola		Named for Stephen A. Douglas Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5 Population 19,887 (2013) Unemployment rate 4.1% (Apr 2015)

Cities Tuscola, Arcola, Villa Grove, Newman, Camargo, Hindsboro Points of interest Walnut Point State Park, Aikman Wildlife Adventure, Amish Interpretive Center, Hippie Memorial, Prairie Observatory

Douglas County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the population was 19,980. The county seat is Tuscola.

Map of Douglas County, IL, USA

History

Douglas County was formed in 1859 out of Coles County. It was named in honor of Stephen A. Douglas, who was elected to the United States Senate in 1858, following the Lincoln-Douglas Debates.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 417 square miles (1,080 km²), of which 417 square miles (1,080 km²) is land and 0.6 square miles (1.6 km²) (0.1%) is water.

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Tuscola have ranged from a low of 18 °F (−8 °C) in January to a high of 88 °F (31 °C) in July, although a record low of −26 °F (−32 °C) was recorded in December 1989 and a record high of 113 °F (45 °C) was recorded in July 1954. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.12 inches (54 mm) in February to 4.64 inches (118 mm) in July.

Adjacent counties

Champaign County - north

Vermilion County - northeast

Edgar County - east

Coles County - south

Moultrie County - west

Piatt County - northwest

Major highways

Interstate 57

US Route 36

US Route 45

Illinois Route 49

Illinois Route 130

Illinois Route 133

Demographics

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 19,980 people, 7,720 households, and 5,377 families residing in the county. The population density was 48.0 inhabitants per square mile (18.5/km²). There were 8,390 housing units at an average density of 20.1 per square mile (7.8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.7% white, 0.4% Asian, 0.3% black or African American, 0.2% American Indian, 2.3% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 6.1% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 29.6% were German, 12.6% were American, 12.1% were English, and 10.7% were Irish.

Of the 7,720 households, 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.0% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.3% were non-families, and 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.11. The median age was 38.7 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $46,941 and the median income for a family was $60,352. Males had a median income of $41,318 versus $28,731 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,438. About 7.1% of families and 10.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.0% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.