White County, Illinois

White County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of 2000, the population is 15,371. Its county seat is Carmi, Illinois ⁶.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,299 km² (502 mi²). 1,282 km² (495 mi²) of it is land and 18 km² (7 mi²) of it (1.36%) is water.

Adjacent Counties

History

White County was formed in 1815 out of Gallatin County. It was named in honor of Captain Isaac White, who was in charge of the salt works at Equality and who was killed in 1811 at the Battle of Tippecanoe.

In 1925, White County was devastated by the Tri-State Tornado, the deadliest tornado in U.S. history. A good proportion of the 127 killed in Hamilton and White Counties were in White County itself. The main town affected was Carmi.

White County, Illinois was the site of the ill-fated Erie Canal Soda Pop Festival in 1972.

Demographics

As of the census ² of 2000, there were 15,371 people, 6,534 households, and 4,377 families residing in the county. The population density was 12/km² (31/mi²). There were 7,393 housing units at an average density of 6/km² (15/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.22% White, 0.26% Black or African American, 0.34% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.16% from other races, and 0.85% from two or more races. 0.67% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 6,534 households out of which 26.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.60% were married couples living together, 7.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.00% were non-families. 29.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.82.

In the county the population was spread out with 21.50% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 25.30% from 25 to 44, 24.60% from 45 to 64, and 20.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 91.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $29,601, and the median income for a family was $36,580. Males had a median income of $30,619 versus $17,282 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,412. About 8.70% of families and 12.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.70% of those under age 18 and 9.80% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

External links

History of the Battle of Tippecanoe

Illinois counties | White County, Illinois | Little Egypt