Ford County, Illinois
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Ford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of 2000, the population is 14,241. Its county seat is Paxton, Illinois6.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,260 km² (486 mi²). 1,258 km² (486 mi²) of it is land and 1 km² (1 mi²) of it (0.11%) is water.Adjacent counties
- Kankakee County (north)
- Iroquois County (east)
- Vermilion County (southeast)
- Champaign County (south)
- McLean County (southwest)
- Livingston County (west)
History
Ford County was formed February 17,1859. It was the last of Illinois' 102 counties to be formed. The County was named in honor of Thomas Ford, who served as Governor of Illinois from 1842 to 1846.[link] He is mostly remembered for his involvement in the Illinois Mormon War.
Ford County is overwhelmingly Republican. There are so few Democrats in the County that the Libertarian Party has been the "official opposition party", entitled by law to positions reserved for the opposition party.[[Citing sources citation needed]]
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 14,241 people, 5,639 households, and 3,902 families residing in the county. The population density was 11/km² (29/mi²). There were 6,060 housing units at an average density of 5/km² (12/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.18% White, 0.25% Black or African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.40% from other races, and 0.75% from two or more races. 1.24% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.There were 5,639 households out of which 31.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.80% were married couples living together, 8.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.80% were non-families. 28.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the county the population was spread out with 25.80% under the age of 18, 6.90% from 18 to 24, 26.40% from 25 to 44, 21.50% from 45 to 64, and 19.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 91.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $38,073, and the median income for a family was $44,947. Males had a median income of $32,085 versus $22,320 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,860. About 5.70% of families and 7.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.60% of those under age 18 and 5.90% of those age 65 or over.
Cities and towns
External links
- [History of Ford County] - Information from Centurama Celebrating The First 100 Years of Ford County, Illinois 1859-1959
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