Named for Thomas Ford Congressional districts 15th, 16th Area 1,259 km² Population 13,832 (2013) Unemployment rate 4.3% (Apr 2015) | Largest city Paxton Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5 Founded 1859 County seat Paxton | |
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Website www.fordcountycourthouse.com Cities Paxton, Gibson City, Piper City, Kempton, Melvin, Sibley Rivers Middle Fork Vermilion River | ||
Ford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 14,081. Its county seat is Paxton.
Contents
- Map of Ford County IL USA
- History
- Geography
- Climate and weather
- Adjacent counties
- Demographics
- Cities
- Unincorporated community
- Townships
- References
Map of Ford County, IL, USA
Ford County is part of the Champaign–Urbana, IL Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
Ford County was formed February 17, 1859. It was the last of Illinois' 102 counties to be formed, and was created at the behest of some residents of Vermilion County, who complained to the General Assembly that they were located too far from the Iroquois County county seat. Ford County was named in honor of Thomas Ford, who served as Governor of Illinois from 1842 to 1846. It was the last county to be formed in Illinois.
President Gerald Ford visited Ford County on October 24, 1974, on the occasion of the retirement of Congressman Leslie C. Arends of Melvin who served in congress for 40 years, including over 30 years as Republican Minority Whip.
The Libertarian Party has performed well enough in recent elections to gain "established party" status, making it easier for Libertarian candidates to appear on the ballot. This is the only county in Illinois where this is the case.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 486 square miles (1,260 km2), of which 486 square miles (1,260 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 Paxton have ranged from a low of 14 °F (−10 °C) in January to a high of 85 °F (29 °C) in July, although a record low of −25 °F (−32 °C) was recorded in January 1999 and a record high of 102 °F (39 °C) was recorded in June 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.40 inches (36 mm) in February to 4.38 inches (111 mm) in May.
Adjacent counties
Demographics
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 14,081 people, 5,676 households, and 3,798 families residing in the county. The population density was 29.0 inhabitants per square mile (11.2/km2). There were 6,282 housing units at an average density of 12.9 per square mile (5.0/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.1% white, 0.6% black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.6% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.1% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 35.7% were German, 15.5% were Irish, 13.6% were American, and 10.4% were English.
Of the 5,676 households, 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.8% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.1% were non-families, and 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.95. The median age was 42.4 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $48,667 and the median income for a family was $62,819. Males had a median income of $43,849 versus $30,136 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,401. About 5.4% of families and 8.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.3% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.
Cities
Unincorporated community
Townships
Ford County is divided into twelve townships: