Grundy County, Illinois

Grundy County, Illinois

Grundy County Courthouse
Map of Illinois highlighting Grundy County
Location in the U.S. state of Illinois
Map of the United States highlighting Illinois
Illinois's location in the U.S.
Founded February 17, 1841
Named for Felix Grundy
Seat Morris
Largest city Morris
Area
 • Total 430 sq mi (1,114 km2)
 • Land 418 sq mi (1,083 km2)
 • Water 12 sq mi (31 km2), 2.9%
Population
 • (2010) 50,063
 • Density 120/sq mi (46/km²)
Congressional district 16th
Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5

Grundy County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 50,063.[1] Its county seat is Morris.[2]

Grundy County is part of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI Metropolitan Statistical Area.

In 2010, the center of population of Illinois was located in Grundy County, just northeast of the village of Mazon.[3]

Illinois's State Fossil, the unique and bizarre Tully Monster, was first found in Mazon Creek. Grundy County Speedway is located in Morris. Grundy County is also home to Dresden Generating Station—the first privately financed nuclear power plant built in the United States—and the Morris Operation—the only de facto high-level radioactive waste storage site in the United States.

History

Grundy County was established on February 17, 1841. It was formed out of LaSalle County and named after U.S. Attorney General Felix Grundy (1777-1840).[4] The county was well known for its coal mines[5] and attracted miners from Pennsylvania and other regions to work its deposits. Braidwood endured one major coal mining disaster.[6] Most of the coal was destined for the Chicago area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 430 square miles (1,100 km2), of which 418 square miles (1,080 km2) is land and 12 square miles (31 km2) (2.9%) is water.[7]

Climate and weather

Morris, Illinois
Climate chart (explanation)
JFMAMJJASOND
 
 
1.8
 
 
30
13
 
 
1.6
 
 
35
18
 
 
2.7
 
 
47
29
 
 
3.5
 
 
61
39
 
 
4
 
 
73
50
 
 
4.2
 
 
83
59
 
 
3.7
 
 
85
63
 
 
3.4
 
 
83
61
 
 
3
 
 
76
53
 
 
2.5
 
 
64
41
 
 
3.1
 
 
48
31
 
 
2.4
 
 
35
19
Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
Precipitation totals in inches
Source: The Weather Channel[8]

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Morris have ranged from a low of 13 °F (−11 °C) in January to a high of 85 °F (29 °C) in July, although a record low of −24 °F (−31 °C) was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of 103 °F (39 °C) was recorded in June 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.59 inches (40 mm) in February to 4.16 inches (106 mm) in June.[8]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
18503,023—
186010,379243.3%
187014,93843.9%
188016,73212.0%
189021,02425.7%
190024,13614.8%
191024,1620.1%
192018,580−23.1%
193018,6780.5%
194018,398−1.5%
195019,2174.5%
196022,35016.3%
197026,53518.7%
198030,58215.3%
199032,3375.7%
200037,53516.1%
201050,06333.4%
Est. 201550,541[9]1.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[10]
1790-1960[11] 1900-1990[12]
1990-2000[13] 2010-2013[1]
2000 census age pyramid for Grundy County

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 50,063 people, 18,546 households, and 13,431 families residing in the county.[14] The population density was 119.8 inhabitants per square mile (46.3/km2). There were 19,996 housing units at an average density of 47.8 per square mile (18.5/km2).[7] The racial makeup of the county was 93.7% white, 1.2% black or African American, 0.7% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 2.7% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 8.2% of the population.[14] In terms of ancestry, 28.3% were German, 23.0% were Irish, 12.7% were Italian, 9.4% were Polish, 8.6% were English, 7.1% were Norwegian, and 3.0% were American.[15]

Of the 18,546 households, 38.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.8% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 27.6% were non-families, and 22.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.16. The median age was 36.1 years.[14]

The median income for a household in the county was $64,297 and the median income for a family was $75,000. Males had a median income of $58,491 versus $36,592 for females. The per capita income for the county was $27,895. About 5.2% of families and 6.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.0% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.[16]

Communities

City

Villages

Townships

Grundy County is divided into seventeen townships:

Unincorporated communities

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  3. ↑ "Centers of Population by State: 2010". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
  4. ↑ Adams, James N. (compiler) (1989), Keller, William E., ed., Illinois Place Names, Springfield: Illinois State Historical Society, p. 581, ISBN 0-912226-24-2
  5. ↑ https://books.google.com/books?id=K3UUAAAAYAAJ&pg=PR5-IA3&lpg=PR5-IA3&dq=township+formation+grundy+co+il&source=bl&ots=4TvueknW_E&sig=DhwT0AhJOPH4gJlTYZMfc4agTyw&hl=en&sa=X&ei=WW79VIecB9HkgwS60YPIDA&ved=0CEEQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=township%20formation%20grundy%20co%20il&f=false History of Grundy County, Illinois: Containing a History from the Earliest Settlement to the Present Time ... , Biographical Sketches, Portraits of Some of the Early Settlers, Prominent Men, Etc, Volumes 1-2 (Google eBook) O.L. Basken & Company, Historical Publishers, 1882 - Grundy County (Ill.) - 518 pages
  6. ↑ http://hinton-gen.com/coal/grundy_diamond.html
  7. 1 2 "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2015-07-11.
  8. 1 2 "Monthly Averages for Morris, Illinois". The Weather Channel. Retrieved 2011-01-27.
  9. ↑ "County Totals Dataset: Population, Population Change and Estimated Components of Population Change: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015". Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  10. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
  13. ↑ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
  14. 1 2 3 "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2015-07-11.
  15. ↑ "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2015-07-11.
  16. ↑ "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2015-07-11.
 Kendall County
LaSalle County Will County
   Grundy County, Illinois  
Livingston County Kankakee County

Coordinates: 41°17′N 88°26′W / 41.29°N 88.43°W / 41.29; -88.43

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