Congressional district 15th Website www.popeco.net Founded 1816 | Area 968.7 km² Population 4,312 (2013) | |
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Rivers Bay Creek, Hicks Branch, Hobbs Creek, Buck Creek Points of interest Bell Smith Springs, Jackson Falls, Burden Falls Wilderness, Lusk Creek Canyon, Millstone Bluff | ||
Pope County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 4,470, making it the second-least populous county in Illinois. Its county seat is Golconda. The county was organized in 1816 from portions of Gallatin and Johnson counties and named after Nathaniel Pope, a Secretary of the Illinois Territory.
Contents
- Map of Pope County IL USA
- History
- Geography
- Climate and weather
- Major highways
- Adjacent counties
- National protected area
- Demographics
- City
- Village
- Unincorporated communities
- Notable people
- References
Map of Pope County, IL, USA
History
The first permanent settlement was established in 1798 at the modern-day site of Golconda, operating as a ferry point across the Ohio River. Pope County was formed in 1816 from portions of Gallatin and Johnson counties.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 374 square miles (970 km2), of which 369 square miles (960 km2) is land and 5.5 square miles (14 km2) (1.5%) is water.
The entire county is hilly and during rainy weather rivulets cascade down the hills in the park forming waterfalls of varying sizes and heights. The county contains Dixon Springs State Park, one of many state parks in the Illinois Shawnee Hills, and is part of the Shawnee National Forest. It is bordered to the south and east by the Ohio River, which marks the state's border with Kentucky.
Climate and weather
In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Golconda have ranged from a low of 21 °F (−6 °C) in January to a high of 87 °F (31 °C) in July, although a record low of −22 °F (−30 °C) was recorded in January 1994 and a record high of 104 °F (40 °C) was recorded in August 2007. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 3.22 inches (82 mm) in October to 5.02 inches (128 mm) in May.
Major highways
Adjacent counties
National protected area
Demographics
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 4,470 people, 1,829 households, and 1,209 families residing in the county. The population density was 12.1 inhabitants per square mile (4.7/km2). There were 2,491 housing units at an average density of 6.8 per square mile (2.6/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 91.7% white, 6.0% black or African American, 0.6% American Indian, 0.2% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 31.8% were German, 19.1% were Irish, 11.4% were English, and 5.4% were American.
Of the 1,829 households, 23.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.9% were married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.9% were non-families, and 29.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.72. The median age was 46.6 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $39,672 and the median income for a family was $51,500. Males had a median income of $45,865 versus $28,519 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,134. About 6.6% of families and 12.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.4% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over.