Piatt County, Illinois
Encyclopedia
Piatt County is a county located in the U.S. state
of Illinois
. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 16,729, which is an increase of 2.2% from 16,365 in 2000. Its county seat
is Monticello
.
Piatt County is part of the Champaign
–Urbana
Metropolitan Statistical Area
.
Piatt County was formed in 1841 from Macon and Dewitt Counties. Two local residents: James A. Piatt and Jesse Warner, were instrumental in forming the county. It was named after James A. Piatt after winning a coin flip against Jesse Warner.
Abraham Lincoln practiced law in Piatt County as a circuit lawyer. Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas planned their presidential debates in Piatt County in 1858. One of which is ornamented by a marker just south of Monticello.
The first courthouse was built in 1843 but replaced by the current courthouse which was finished in 1904.
Illinois Power Company was a major electric utility in Central Illinois, centered in Decatur
, Illinois
, to the west of Piatt County. At one time, Illinois had a "personal property tax", an ad valorem tax
levied by the counties on property that was not real estate. The personal property tax was a major expense for the electric utilities, since their generators and transmission lines were "personal property". Under Illinois law, a corporation, such as Illinois Power, paid personal property tax to the county in which the corporate headquarters was located. Because Piatt County offered a low tax rate, Illinois Power moved its corporate headquarters to that county. This allowed Piatt County to tax utility assets over half of the State, providing a rich source of revenue which was responsible for much of the wealth of this tiny county.
As of the census
of 2000, there were 16,365 people, 6,475 households, and 4,726 families residing in the county. The population density
was 37 people per square mile (14/km²). There were 6,798 housing units at an average density of 15 per square mile (6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.83% White
, 0.24% Black
or African American
, 0.08% Native American
, 0.13% Asian
, 0.02% Pacific Islander
, 0.14% from other races
, and 0.57% from two or more races. 0.62% of the population were Hispanic
or Latino
of any race. 29.9% were of German
, 16.1% American
, 14.5% English
and 13.0% Irish
ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 6,475 households out of which 32.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.30% were married couples
living together, 6.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.00% were non-families. 23.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the county the population was spread out with 25.10% under the age of 18, 6.80% from 18 to 24, 27.60% from 25 to 44, 25.00% from 45 to 64, and 15.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 95.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $45,752, and the median income for a family was $52,218. Males had a median income of $36,762 versus $23,606 for females. The per capita income
for the county was $21,075. About 3.60% of families and 5.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.80% of those under age 18 and 6.20% of those age 65 or over.
:
U.S. state
A 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 Illinois
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,...
. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 16,729, which is an increase of 2.2% from 16,365 in 2000. Its county seat
County seat
A 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 Monticello
Monticello, Illinois
Monticello is a city in Piatt County, Illinois, United States. The population was 5,138 at the 2000 census, and 5,374 at a 2009 estimate. It is the county seat of Piatt County.-Geography:Monticello is located at ....
.
Piatt County is part of the Champaign
Champaign, Illinois
Champaign is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, in the United States. The city is located south of Chicago, west of Indianapolis, Indiana, and 178 miles northeast of St. Louis, Missouri. Though surrounded by farm communities, Champaign is notable for sharing the campus of the University of...
–Urbana
Urbana, Illinois
Urbana is the county seat of Champaign County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 41,250. Urbana is the tenth-most populous city in Illinois outside of the Chicago metropolitan area....
Metropolitan Statistical Area
Champaign-Urbana Metropolitan Area
The Champaign-Urbana metropolitan area, also known as Champaign-Urbana, is a metropolitan area in east-central Illinois. It is the 191st largest metropolitan area in the U.S. It is composed of three counties, Champaign, Ford, and Piatt...
.
Geography
According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 439.46 square miles (1,138.2 km²), of which 439.2 square miles (1,137.5 km²) (or 99.94%) is land and 0.26 square mile (0.6733969086 km²) (or 0.06%) is water.Major highways
U.S. Highway 36
U.S. Highway 150
Adjacent counties
- McLean CountyMcLean County, IllinoisMcLean County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. McLean County is included in the Bloomington–Normal, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 169,572, which is an increase of 12.7% from 150,433 in 2000. Its county seat is...
- north - Champaign CountyChampaign County, IllinoisChampaign County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 201,081, which is an increase of 11.9% from 179,669 in 2000.. It is the 10th most populous county in Illinois...
- east - Douglas County - southeast
- Moultrie County - south
- Macon County - southwest
- De Witt County - west
History
The first settler was a Quaker named George Haworth, followed by James Martin, Abraham Hanline, Solomon Carter, and William Cordell.Piatt County was formed in 1841 from Macon and Dewitt Counties. Two local residents: James A. Piatt and Jesse Warner, were instrumental in forming the county. It was named after James A. Piatt after winning a coin flip against Jesse Warner.
Abraham Lincoln practiced law in Piatt County as a circuit lawyer. Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas planned their presidential debates in Piatt County in 1858. One of which is ornamented by a marker just south of Monticello.
The first courthouse was built in 1843 but replaced by the current courthouse which was finished in 1904.
Illinois Power Company was a major electric utility in Central Illinois, centered in Decatur
Decatur, Illinois
Decatur is the largest city and the county seat of Macon County in the U.S. state of Illinois. The city, sometimes called "the Soybean Capital of the World", was founded in 1823 and is located along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in Central Illinois. In 2000 the city population was 81,500,...
, Illinois
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,...
, to the west of Piatt County. At one time, Illinois had a "personal property tax", an ad valorem tax
Ad valorem tax
An ad valorem tax is a tax based on the value of real estate or personal property. It is more common than a specific duty, a tax based on the quantity of an item, such as cents per kilogram, regardless of price....
levied by the counties on property that was not real estate. The personal property tax was a major expense for the electric utilities, since their generators and transmission lines were "personal property". Under Illinois law, a corporation, such as Illinois Power, paid personal property tax to the county in which the corporate headquarters was located. Because Piatt County offered a low tax rate, Illinois Power moved its corporate headquarters to that county. This allowed Piatt County to tax utility assets over half of the State, providing a rich source of revenue which was responsible for much of the wealth of this tiny county.
Demographics
As of the census
Census
A 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 16,365 people, 6,475 households, and 4,726 families residing in the county. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 37 people per square mile (14/km²). There were 6,798 housing units at an average density of 15 per square mile (6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.83% White
Race (United States Census)
Race 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% Black
Race (United States Census)
Race 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 American
Race (United States Census)
Race 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...
, 0.08% Native American
Race (United States Census)
Race 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...
, 0.13% Asian
Race (United States Census)
Race 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...
, 0.02% Pacific Islander
Race (United States Census)
Race 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...
, 0.14% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race 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 0.57% from two or more races. 0.62% of the population were Hispanic
Race (United States Census)
Race 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 Latino
Race (United States Census)
Race 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. 29.9% were of German
Germans
The 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....
, 16.1% American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, 14.5% English
English people
The 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 13.0% Irish
Irish people
The 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...
ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 6,475 households out of which 32.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.30% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage 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, 6.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.00% were non-families. 23.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the county the population was spread out with 25.10% under the age of 18, 6.80% from 18 to 24, 27.60% from 25 to 44, 25.00% from 45 to 64, and 15.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 95.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $45,752, and the median income for a family was $52,218. Males had a median income of $36,762 versus $23,606 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per 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 $21,075. About 3.60% of families and 5.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.80% of those under age 18 and 6.20% of those age 65 or over.
Cities, towns and villages
Villages
|
De Land, Illinois De Land is a village in Piatt County, Illinois, United States. The population was 475 at the 2000 census. The name of the village is spelled De Land by the census bureau, but it is alternately spelled as one word .-Geography:... Hammond, Illinois Hammond is a village in Piatt County, Illinois, United States. The population was 518 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Hammond is located at .... Mansfield, Illinois Mansfield is a village in Piatt County, Illinois in the United States. The population was 949 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Mansfield is located at .... |
Unincorporated towns
- GalesvilleGalesville, IllinoisGalesville is an unincorporated town in Sangamon Township, Piatt County, Illinois, USA....
- La PlaceLa Place, IllinoisLa Place is a census-designated place in Cerro Gordo Township, Piatt County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2010 census, its population was 259....
- LodgeLodge, IllinoisLodge is an unincorporated town in Sangamon Township, Piatt County, Illinois, USA....
- MilmineMilmine, IllinoisMilmine is an unincorporated town in Cerro Gordo Township, Piatt County, Illinois, USA.-Geography:Milmine is located at at an elevation of 712 feet....
- Pierson StationPierson Station, IllinoisPierson is an unincorporated town in Unity Township, Piatt County, Illinois, USA....
- White HeathWhite Heath, IllinoisWhite Heath is an unincorporated census-designated place in Piatt County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2010 census, its population was 290.-Geography:White Heath is located at . It is located in Sangamon Township.-History:...
Townships
Piatt County is divided into eight townshipsTownship (United States)
A township in the United States is a small geographic area. Townships range in size from 6 to 54 square miles , with being the norm.The term is used in three ways....
:
|
Monticello Township, Piatt County, Illinois Monticello Township is a township in Piatt County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2000 census, its population was 5,604.-Geography:Monticello Township covers an area of ; of this, or 0.14 percent is water... Sangamon Township, Piatt County, Illinois Sangamon Township is a township in Piatt County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2000 census, its population was 2,041.-Geography:Sangamon Township covers an area of ; of this, or 0.19 percent is water. Lakes in this township include Buck Pond... Unity Township, Piatt County, Illinois Unity Township is a township in Piatt County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2000 census, its population was 1,560.-Geography:Unity Township covers an area of ; of this, or 0.02 percent is water.-Adjacent townships:* Bement Township... Willow Branch Township, Piatt County, Illinois Willow Branch Township is a township in Piatt County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2000 census, its population was 716.-Geography:Willow Branch Township covers an area of ; of this, or 0.1 percent is water... |
Climate and weather
In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Monticello have ranged from a low of 14 °F (-10 °C) in January to a high of 85 °F (29.4 °C) in July, although a record low of -25 °F was recorded in January 1999 and a record high of 105 °F (40.6 °C) was recorded in July 1966. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.61 inches (4.1 cm) in January to 3.99 inches (10.1 cm) in August.See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Piatt County