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Jackson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of 2000, the population was 59,612. Its county seat is Murphysboro6; its most populous city is Carbondale, home to the main campus of Southern Illinois University.

History

As early as 1813, Conrad Will (Will County) conducted a large salt extraction operation, using slave labor, on the banks of the Big Muddy River, south of Murphysboro.

Jackson County was organized in 1816, having been carved out of Randolph County. It was named for Andrew Jackson, who had just defeated the British at the Battle of New Orleans.

Shortly after the American Civil War, General John A. Logan led a parade of veterans from Murphysboro to Carbondale, Illinois. General Logan, a Union veteran, invited the Confederate veterans, of which there were many in Jackson County, to march with him. Thus, what might have been another celebration of the Union victory became a memorial to the war dead on both sides. This is one version of the origin of the Memorial Day holiday.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,561 km² (603 mi²). 1,523 km² (588 mi²) of it is land and 37 km² (14 mi²) of it (2.39%) is water.

The first coal mine in Illinois was opened on the south bank of the Big Muddy River near the present-day Route 127 Bridge.

Adjacent Counties

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 59,612 people, 24,215 households, and 12,664 families residing in the county. The population density was 39/km² (101/mi²). There were 26,844 housing units at an average density of 18/km² (46/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 80.79% White, 13.02% Black or African American, 0.31% Native American, 3.03% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 1.00% from other races, and 1.80% from two or more races. 2.42% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 24,215 households out of which 24.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.30% were married couples living together, 9.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.70% were non-families. 34.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the county the population was spread out with 19.30% under the age of 18, 26.00% from 18 to 24, 25.90% from 25 to 44, 17.90% from 45 to 64, and 11.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females there were 104.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $24,946, and the median income for a family was $40,950. Males had a median income of $31,910 versus $22,396 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,755. About 14.70% of families and 25.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.00% of those under age 18 and 10.50% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

Illinois counties | Jackson County, Illinois | Little Egypt

Jackson County (Illinois) | ジャクソン郡 (イリノイ州) | Condado de Jackson (Illinois) | Jackson County, Illinois

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Jackson County, Illinois".

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