Ogle County is a county located in the
U.S. stateA U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of
IllinoisIllinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 53,497, which is an increase of 4.8% from 51,032 in 2000. Its
county seatA county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
is
OregonOregon is a city located in Ogle County, Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 3,721, down from 4,060 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Ogle County.- History :...
, and its largest city is
RochelleRochelle is a city in Ogle County, Illinois, United States. The population was 9,574 at the 2010 census, up from 9,424 at the 2000 census. Rochelle is about west of Chicago and south of Rockford...
. The whole of Ogle County lies within the Rochelle Micropolitan Statistical Area.
History & Politics
Ogle County was formed in 1836 out of
Jo DaviessJo Daviess County is a county located in the northwest corner of U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 22,678, which is an increase of 1.7% from 22,289 in 2000. Its county seat is Galena....
and LaSalle Counties, and named in honor of Captain
Joseph OgleIsaac Joseph Ogle was an American soldier and frontiersman.-Early years:He was born in Maryland on June 17, 1737...
, a veteran of the Revolutionary War who came to Illinois in 1785. Ogle did not have an organized government until 1837, so for a year it remained attached to Jo Daviess County. The county was divided three years later in 1839, when
Lee County was formed.
Ogle County is one of the most consistently Republican counties in the nation when it comes to Presidential elections. In the last 150 years
Theodore RooseveltTheodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
's 1912 run as a Progressive was the only time a non-Republican carried the county. No Democratic candidate has ever won the county, which favored the
Whig PartyThe Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...
before the Republican Party was formed. It is also represented by Republican
Donald A. ManzulloDonald A. Manzullo is the U.S. Representative for . Since January 2011, he has served as Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific. He is a member of the Republican Party and was first elected in 1992....
as a county in Illinois's 16th congressional district.
Geography
According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 762.98 square miles (1,976.1 km²), of which 758.57 square miles (1,964.7 km²) (or 99.42%) is land and 4.41 square miles (11.4 km²) (or 0.58%) is water. Ogle County is bordered, on all sides, by other Illinois counties. To the north is
Winnebago CountyWinnebago County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 295,266, which is an increase of 6.1% from 278,418 in 2000...
, to the northeast
Boone, and to the northwest
StephensonAs of the census 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 . There were 21,713 housing units at an average density of 38 per square mile...
.
DeKalb CountyDeKalb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 105,160, which is an increase of 18.2% from 88,969 in 2000. Its county seat is Sycamore. DeKalb County is part of the Chicago metropolitan statistical area.-History:DeKalb County...
lies east of Ogle County, and
Carroll to the west. South of Ogle County is
Lee, and
Whiteside County, which is to the southwest.
Demographics
As of the
censusA census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 51,032 people, 19,278 households, and 14,169 families residing in the county. The
population densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 67 people per square mile (26/km²). There were 20,420 housing units at an average density of 27 per square mile (10/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.35%
WhiteRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.44%
BlackRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or
African AmericanRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.24%
Native AmericanRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.42%
AsianRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.04%
Pacific IslanderRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 2.45% from
other racesRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.06% from two or more races. 6.01% of the population were
HispanicRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or
LatinoRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
of any race. 34.1% were of
GermanThe Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
, 10.3%
IrishThe Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
, 9.7%
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, 7.9%
EnglishThe English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
and 5.1% Swedish ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 19,278 households out of which 35.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.30% were
married couplesMarriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 8.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.50% were non-families. 22.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the county the population was spread out with 27.50% under the age of 18, 7.20% from 18 to 24, 28.80% from 25 to 44, 23.10% from 45 to 64, and 13.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 98.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $45,448, and the median income for a family was $53,028. Males had a median income of $39,862 versus $23,854 for females. The
per capita incomePer capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the county was $20,515. About 5.30% of families and 7.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.40% of those under age 18 and 5.30% of those age 65 or over.
Climate
In recent years, average temperatures in Oregon have ranged from a low of 10 °F (-12.2 °C) in January to a high of 82 °F (27.8 °C) in July, although a record low of -27 °F was recorded in January 1999 and a record high of 110 °F (43.3 °C) was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.43 inches (3.6 cm) in February to 4.88 inches (12.4 cm) in June.
Job base
By 2000, 65% of the county
labor forceIn economics, a labor force or labour force is a region's combined civilian workforce, including both the employed and unemployed.Normally, the labor force of a country consists of everyone of working age In economics, a labor force or labour force is a region's combined civilian workforce,...
was employed as
white-collar workerThe term white-collar worker refers to a person who performs professional, managerial, or administrative work, in contrast with a blue-collar worker, whose job requires manual labor...
s with an increase of 20 points in comparison with 1990 statistics.
ManufacturingManufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...
remains the leading employment sector absorbing more than 21.7% of the labor force though there was a decrease from 30,4% in 1995. However it is expected that services would replace manufacturing starting 2015 as the leading activity.
Agriculture remains an important sector of the county. The main products are corn and soybeans. In 2003, according to the
Illinois Department of AgricultureThe Illinois Department of Agriculture is an executive agency of the U.S. state of Illinois. It supervises the Illinois State Fair, regulates various facets of the agriculture industries of Illinois, oversees Illinois soil and water conservation, and supervises the fair weighting and measuring of...
, Ogle County was ranked 17th in the State for crop cash receipts, and 14th in
the state for livestock cash receipts. As for livestock production, hogs and pigs are still leading even though productions decreased from 57,000 units in 1998 to 48,900 in 2002.
The county also got some investment packages such as the building a $180 million truck-to-train cargo hub. In August 2006, it was announced that a new
ethanolEthanol, also called ethyl alcohol, pure alcohol, grain alcohol, or drinking alcohol, is a volatile, flammable, colorless liquid. It is a psychoactive drug and one of the oldest recreational drugs. Best known as the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages, it is also used in thermometers, as a...
production facility would receive a package of $5.5 million Opportunity Returns grant from the State.
Major highways
 Interstate 39Interstate 39 is a highway in the midwestern United States. I-39 runs from Normal, Illinois at Interstate 55 to Highway 29 in Rothschild, Wisconsin, approximately six miles south of Wausau. I-39 was designed to replace US Highway 51, which in the early 1980s was one of the busiest two-lane...
 Interstate 88Interstate 88 is an intrastate Interstate Highway in the state of Illinois. It runs from an interchange with Interstate 80 near Silvis and Moline to an interchange with Interstates 290 and 294 in Hillside, near Chicago...
 U.S. Highway 52 U.S. Highway 51 |
 Illinois Route 2Illinois Route 2 is a north–south state road in northern Illinois. It currently starts at Illinois Route 40 in Sterling and ends at the Wisconsin state line north of South Beloit, very near the intersection with U.S. Route 51, Illinois Route 75 and Illinois Route 251. Illinois 2 is long.-...
 Illinois Route 26Illinois Route 26 is a north–south state road in central and north-central Illinois. It runs from Illinois Route 116 just north of East Peoria to Highway 69 at the Wisconsin border near Orangeville. This is a distance of .- Route description :...
 Illinois Route 38Illinois Route 38 is an east–west state road that runs across northern Illinois. It runs from U.S. Route 52 in downtown Dixon to U.S. Highways 12, 20, and 45 in Westchester. This is a distance of . As Roosevelt Road it continues through Forest Park and into Cicero and Chicago before...
 Illinois Route 64Illinois Route 64 is an east–west road in north-central Illinois. Its western terminus is at the Iowa state line, connecting with U.S. Route 52 and Iowa Highway 64 via the Savanna-Sabula Bridge at the Mississippi River west of Savanna...
 Illinois Route 72Illinois Route 72 is an east–west state road in northeastern Illinois. It runs from the intersection with Illinois Route 73 north of Lanark east to Illinois Route 43 in Chicago...
 Illinois Route 251Illinois Route 251 is a north–south state road that runs on the former alignment of U.S. Route 51 before Interstate 39 was built in central Illinois. It runs from U.S. 51 at the border with Wisconsin to I-39 and U.S. 51 south of Kappa. Illinois 251 is long.- Route description :Illinois 251...
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Airports
The following public-use airports are located in the county:
- Ogle County Airport
Ogle County Airport is a public use airport located two nautical miles southeast of the central business district of Mount Morris, a village in Ogle County, Illinois, United States. The airport is privately owned by Ogle County Pilots Inc....
(C55) - Mount Morris, IllinoisMount Morris is a village in Mount Morris Township, Ogle County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,998 at the 2010 census, down from 3,013 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Mount Morris is located at ....
- Rochelle Municipal Airport
Rochelle Municipal Airport , also known as Koritz Field, is a city-owned public-use airport located two nautical miles south of the central business district of Rochelle, a city in Ogle County, Illinois, United States...
(RPJ) - Rochelle, IllinoisRochelle is a city in Ogle County, Illinois, United States. The population was 9,574 at the 2010 census, up from 9,424 at the 2000 census. Rochelle is about west of Chicago and south of Rockford...
Parks
- Castle Rock State Park
Castle Rock State Park is an Illinois state park on in Ogle County, Illinois, USA. A portion of the land was acquired by the "Friends of Our Native Landscape" in 1921.-2008 closing:...
- Lowden State Park
Lowden State Park is an Illinois state park on in Ogle County, Illinois, United States. The park was named after Governor Frank Orren Lowden. Governor Lowden had served Illinois during World War I. Lowden State Park is home to the Black Hawk Statue, by artist Lorado Taft...
- Lowden-Miller State Forest
Lowden-Miller State Forest is a conservation area on in Ogle County, Illinois, United States. The state acquired a parcel of land for the forest in 1992, and the remainder of the land was acquired in 1993.-External links:*...
- Sinnissippi Farms
- Weld Park
- White Pines State Park
Nature Preserves
- Beach Cemetery Prairie Nature Preserve
- Douglas E. Wade Prairie Nature Preserve
- Jarrett Prairie Nature Preserve
See also
- List of settlements in Ogle County, Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
- List of townships in Ogle County, Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
- List of cemeteries in Ogle County, Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Ogle County, Illinois
External links