Stephenson County, Illinois

Stephenson County
County
Location within the U.S. state of Illinois
Illinois's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 42°21′N 89°40′W
Country	United States
State	Illinois
Founded	1837
Seat	Freeport
Largest city	Freeport
Area
• Total	564.72 sq mi (1,462.6 km2)
• Land	564.18 sq mi (1,461.2 km2)
• Water	0.54 sq mi (1.4 km2)  0.10%
Population  (2010)
• Total	47,711
• Density	84/sq mi (34/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Website	www.co.stephenson.il.us

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1900	34,933		—
1910	36,821		5.4%
1920	37,743		2.5%
1930	40,064		6.1%
1940	40,646		1.5%
1950	41,595		2.3%
1960	46,207		11.1%
1970	48,861		5.7%
1980	49,536		1.4%
1990	48,052		−3.0%
2000	48,979		1.9%
2010	47,711		−2.6%
IL Counties 1900-1990

Stephenson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of 2010, the population was 47,711. Its county seat is Freeport, Illinois.Template:GR The Freeport Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Stephenson County.

History

Stephenson County was formed in 1837 out of Jo Daviess and Winnebago Counties. The County was named for Colonel Benjamin Stephenson, an official of the Illinois Territory.

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 564.72 square miles (1,462.6 km²), of which 564.18 square miles (1,461.2 km²) (or 99.90%) is land and 0.54 square miles (1.4 km²) (or 0.10%) is water.

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 20
• Illinois Route 26
• Illinois Route 73
• Illinois Route 75

Demographics

A northerly look across Stephenson County's western edge from an overlook near Kent, Illinois.

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 48,979 people, 19,785 households, and 13,473 families residing in the county. The population density was 87 people per square mile (34/km²). There were 21,713 housing units at an average density of 38 per square mile (15/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 89.29% White, 7.68% Black or African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.68% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.63% from other races, and 1.53% from two or more races. 1.53% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 45.0% were of German, 7.2% American, 7.0% Irish and 6.3% English ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 19,785 households out of which 30.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.40% were married couples living together, 9.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.90% were non-families. 27.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the county the population was spread out with 25.20% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 27.50% from 25 to 44, 23.30% from 45 to 64, and 16.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 93.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $40,366, and the median income for a family was $48,510. Males had a median income of $36,300 versus $24,238 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,794. About 6.50% of families and 9.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.60% of those under age 18 and 8.50% of those age 65 or over.

Political subdivisions

Cities and towns

Cedarville Dakota Davis Freeport

German Valley Lake Summerset Lena Orangeville

Pearl City Ridott Rock City Winslow

Unincorporated communities

• Afolkey
• Bolton
• Buena Vista
• Eleroy
• Evarts
• Florence
• Kent
• Loran
• McConnell
• Oneco
• Red Oak
• Rock Grove
• Scioto Mills
• Waddams Grove
• Winneshiek
• Yellow Creek
• Buckhorn Corners
• Damascus

Townships

Buckeye Dakota Erin Florence Freeport Harlem

Jefferson Kent Lancaster Loran Oneco Ridott

Rock Grove Rock Run Silver Creek Waddams West Point Winslow

Adjacent counties

• Green County, Wisconsin (north)
• Winnebago County (east)
• Ogle County (southeast)
• Carroll County (southwest)
• Jo Daviess County (west)
• Lafayette County, Wisconsin (northwest)

Climate and weather

Freeport, Illinois
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     1.3     25 9     1.3     31 14     2.1     43 25     3.2     57 36     4     69 47     4.5     78 57     3.6     82 62     4.1     80 59     3.7     73 50     2.6     61 39     2.7     44 28     1.7     30 16 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches Source: The Weather Channel
Metric conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     34     −4 −13     34     −1 −10     54     6 −4     82     14 2     101     21 8     113     26 14     91     28 17     104     27 15     93     23 10     66     16 4     68     7 −2     44     −1 −9 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Freeport have ranged from a low of 9 °F (−13 °C) in January to a high of 82 °F (28 °C) in July, although a record low of −27 °F (−33 °C) was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of 101 °F (38 °C) was recorded in July 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.33 inches (34 mm) in January to 4.46 inches (113 mm) in June.

See also

• List of counties in Illinois
• List of Illinois county name etymologies
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Stephenson County, Illinois

External links

• Stephenson County
• Benjamin Stephenson House Restoration Project
• Stephenson County Historical Society & Museum
• Freeport/Stephenson County Convention and Visitors Bureau
• Genealogy Trails for Stephenson County