Saline County, Illinois
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Saline County, Illinois | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Illinois |
|
 Illinois's location in the USA |
|
| Statistics | |
| Founded | 1847 |
|---|---|
| Seat | Harrisburg |
| Largest City | Harrisburg |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
387 sq mi (1,002 km²) 383 sq mi (993 km²) 4 sq mi (10 km²), 0.95% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
26,733 70/sq mi (27/km²) |
| Time zone | Central : UTC-6/-5 |
Saline County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of 2000, the population was 26,733. Its county seat is Harrisburg, Illinois6. Saline County is home to the smallest post office and the largest Kentucky Fried Chicken in America.[citation needed] It is also noted for the Crenshaw House, or the Old Slave House. There are three major towns in Saline County connected by U.S. Route 45, and the now abandoned Cairo & Vincennes/New York Central railroad, from north to south, Eldorado, Harrisburg, and Carrier Mills.
Contents |
[edit] Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,002 km² (387 mi²). 993 km² (383 mi²) of it is land and 10 km² (4 mi²) of it (0.95%) is water.
[edit] Adjacent Counties
- Hamilton County (north)
- White County (northeast)
- Gallatin County (east)
- Hardin County (southeast)
- Pope County (south)
- Johnson County (southwest)
- Williamson County (west)
- Franklin County (northwest)
[edit] History
Saline County was formed from Gallatin County in 1847. It is named for the Saline River and the springs from which salt was produced in the early history of Gallatin County.
[edit] Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1900 | 21,685 |
|
|
| 1910 | 30,204 | 39.3% | |
| 1920 | 38,353 | 27.0% | |
| 1930 | 37,100 | -3.3% | |
| 1940 | 38,066 | 2.6% | |
| 1950 | 33,420 | -12.2% | |
| 1960 | 26,227 | -21.5% | |
| 1970 | 25,721 | -1.9% | |
| 1980 | 28,448 | 10.6% | |
| 1990 | 26,551 | -6.7% | |
| 2000 | 26,733 | 0.7% | |
| IL Counties 1900-1990 | |||
As of the census² of 2000, there were 26,733 people, 10,992 households, and 7,232 families residing in the county. The population density was 27/km² (70/mi²). There were 12,360 housing units at an average density of 12/km² (32/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.14% White, 4.06% Black or African American, 0.29% Native American, 0.20% Asian American, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.34% from other races, and 0.95% from two or more races. 0.97% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 10,992 households out of which 28.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.90% were married couples living together, 10.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.20% were non-families. 31.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the county the population was spread out with 24.00% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 25.10% from 25 to 44, 23.70% from 45 to 64, and 19.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 92.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.50 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $28,768, and the median income for a family was $37,295. Males had a median income of $31,131 versus $19,276 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,590. About 10.40% of families and 14.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.80% of those under age 18 and 11.60% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Employment and Public Services
Coal mining makes up the largest percentage of industrial employment in Saline County. The county is home to the Galatia Mine, which by industry standards is the largest underground coal mine in Illinois and currently employs close to 500 workers. The mining and exploration industry feeds other sources of employement such as coal and materials hauling and excavation. Construction fields and services also benefit from Saline County's mining industry.
Other employment in the county is generally made up by the medical, social and state services. Harrisburg is home to the Harrisburg Illinois Youth Center which is operated by Illinois Department of Corrections and holds male juvenile offenders.
The county is served by Southeastern Illinois College, a two-year community college located 13 miles east of Harrisburg.
Hospitals serving the county are Harrisburg Medical Center and Ferrell Hospital in Eldorado. Public health services are administered by Egyptian Health Department.
Public transportation is provided by the Rides Mass Transit District.
[edit] Cities and towns
- Carrier Mills(Morrilsville)
- Eldorado
- Galatia
- Harrisburg
- Ledford
- Muddy
- Raleigh
- Stonefort
[edit] Census designated places
- Andersonville
- Apple Tree
- Banklick
- Bankston
- Barnum
- Battlesford
- Beulah Heights
- Big Muddy
- Blackman Hill
- Bolton
- Brooklyn
- Brushy
- Cave Hill
- College Park
- Cookseyville
- Cornersville
- Cottage Grove
- Crap Hat
- Crawford
- Crusoe's Island
- Curran
- Dallasanie
- Delta
- Derby
- Dooley Station
- Dorrisville
- Douglas
- Eagle
- Eagle Mountain
- Eagle Valley
- East Eldorado
- Flint Hill
- Francis Mills
- Garris Ridge
- Gaskins City
- Grayson
- Haley's Hill
- Halltown
- Hamburg
- Harco
- Hartford
- Hawkeye
- Highland Park
- Horseshoe
- Hull
- Independence
- Ingram Hill
- L'Aigle
- Lakeview (Pond Settlement)
- Ledford
- Little Italy
- Little Ridge
- Little Saline Grove
- Long Branch
- Mt. Airy
- Mountain
- New Castle
- New Hope
- North Galatia
- Old Stonefort
- Old Town
- Pankeyville
- Pick
- Prospect Hill
- Rathbone Station
- Rector
- Red Bank
- Red Bud
- Rileyville
- Rudement
- Saline City
- Somerset
- South America
- Tanner
- Tate
- Texas
- Texas City
- Texas Station
- Tison
- Wasson
- West End
- West Harrisburg
- Whiteside
- Whitesville
[edit] References
- "Tails and Trails of Illinois", Stu Fliege, University of Illinois Press,2002.
- "http://www.iltrails.org/saline/towns_cities.html, © 2000-2001 by Debbie Woolard, Illinois Trails History and Genealogy.
[edit] External links
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Municipalities and Communities of Saline County, Illinois (County Seat: Harrisburg) |
|---|---|
| Cities, Towns and Villages | Andersonville | Apple Tree | Banklick | Bankston | Barnum | Battlesford | Beulah Heights | Big Muddy | Blackman Hill | Bolton | Brooklyn | Brushy | Carrier Mills | Cave Hill | College Park | Cookseyville | Cornersville | Cottage Grove | Crap Hat | Crawford | Crusoe's Island | Curran | Dallasanie | Delta | Derby | Dooley Station | Dorrisville | Douglas | Eagle Mountain | Eagle Valley | Eagle | East Eldorado | Eldorado | Flint Hill | Francis Mills | Galatia | Garris Ridge | Gaskins City | Grayson | Haley's Hill | Halltown | Hamburg | Harco | Harrisburg | Hartford | Hawkeye | Highland Park | Horseshoe | Hull | Independence | Ingram Hill | L'Aigle | Lakeview | Ledford | Ledford | Little Italy | Little Ridge | Little Saline Grove | Long Branch | Mountain | Mt. Airy | Muddy | New Castle | New Hope | North Galatia | Old Stonefort | Old Town | Pankeyville | Pick | Prospect Hill | Raleigh | Rathbone Station | Rector | Red Bank | Red Bud | Rileyville | Rudement | Saline City | Somerset | South America | Stonefort | Tanner | Tate | Texas City | Texas Station | Texas | Tison | Wasson | West End | West Harrisburg | Whiteside | Whitesville |
| Townships | Brushy | Carrier Mills | Cottage | East Eldorado | Galatia | Harrisburg | Independence | Long Branch | Mountain | Raleigh | Rector | Stone Fort | Tate |
