White County, Illinois | |
|---|---|
 White County Courthouse in Carmi | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofIllinois | |
 Illinois's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:38°05′N88°11′W / 38.09°N 88.18°W /38.09; -88.18 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Illinois |
| Founded | 1815 |
| Named after | Isaac White |
| Seat | Carmi |
| Largest city | Carmi |
| Area | |
• Total | 502 sq mi (1,300 km2) |
| • Land | 495 sq mi (1,280 km2) |
| • Water | 7.1 sq mi (18 km2) 1.4% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 13,877 |
• Estimate (2024) | 13,395 [1] |
| • Density | 28.0/sq mi (10.8/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 12th |
| Website | www |
White County is acounty located in theU.S. state ofIllinois. According to the2020 census, it had a population of 13,877.[2] Itscounty seat isCarmi.[3] It is located in the southern portion of Illinois known locally as "Little Egypt".
White County was organized fromGallatin County in 1815, and was named after Captain Leonard White, a Gallatin County legislator who is credited with the idea of extending the Illinois-Wisconsin border a few miles north of the southern tip of Lake Michigan. He was killed in 1811 at theBattle of Tippecanoe. The county seat,Carmi, was founded in 1814, and incorporated in 1816. The first courthouse was in the log cabin of John Craw.
The first white settlers came to White County between 1807 and 1809. The first settlements were near theLittle Wabash River and Big Prairie, one of the numerous prairies in the county. These families—Hanna, Land, Hay, Williams, Calvert, Ratcliff, Holderby, Robinson, Stewart, among others—typically had spent time in the Carolinas,Kentucky orTennessee before moving into Illinois, and most were of Scots-Irish descent. Many came through the land office atShawneetown,Illinois, which was a port for flatboats which traveled theOhio River.
Other early settlements wereGrayville, located at the mouth ofBonpas Creek and theWabash River, settled by the Gray family around 1810;Phillipstown, on the bluffs above the Wabash and Fox River floodplain; andNew Haven (mostly in Gallatin County), which was home to a brother ofDaniel Boone around 1818. Old Sharon Church (Presbyterian), located near the later village of Sacramento, was organized around 1816, and the village ofSeven Mile Prairie was established a few miles north of the church in the 1830s. The parents of longtimeAbraham Lincoln girlfriendAnn Rutledge were part of this group, along with families named McArthy, Miller, McClellan, Pollard, Storey, Fields, and Johnson.
About 1839, a group of Irish immigrants began moving into the extreme western part ofEnfield Township, led by Patrick Dolan, as well as members of the Mitchell and Dunn clans. Dolan was auctioneer in 1853 when the village of Enfield was platted, as Seven Mile moved west in anticipation of a railroad line, which was not built until 1872. German families moved into the middle portion of the county in the 1840s and onward, especially from the Baden region, and included the family names of Rebstock, Dartt, Brown, Sailer, Stanley, and Drone.
The second half of the 19th century saw the establishment of the towns ofNorris City,Springerton,Mill Shoals (once the home of a thriving barrel-making industry which depleted the nearby virgin forests),Epworth,Herald,Burnt Prairie (previously known as "Liberty"),Crossville,Phillipstown,Concord (also known as Emma),Maunie andRising Sun (commonly called Dogtown)--the latter two villages are located on the Wabash and attracted several African-American families. A number of villages which no longer exist were also formed: Trumbull, Roland, Middle Point, Stokes Station, Gossett, Bungay, Calvin, Iron, and Dolan Settlement.
In 1925, White County was the last of five Illinois counties affected by the infamousTri-State Tornado.[4] Although the storm spared the towns of Carmi, Enfield and Crossville, significant damage was done to the surrounding rural areas, where 28 people were killed, dozens were injured and scores of homes and farms were destroyed.
Agriculture was the primary industry of White County until the summer of 1939, when oil was discovered in the Storms and Stinson fields in the Wabash River Bottoms. The population of Carmi doubled within two years, from 2,700 to 5,400, with corresponding increases at Crossville and Grayville—in 1940 it was said one could walk between these two towns by simply walking from rig to rig. Many of these workers migrated from previous oil booms inTexas andOklahoma. As of 2013,fracking is underway near Carmi.[5]
The current population of White County is a little over 17,000, with 6,500 in the county seat of Carmi. There is a high number of retired people, and many citizens work in the factories ofEvansville orMount Vernon,Indiana, located 45 and 25 miles to the east, respectively. Besides oil and agriculture, industries include auto parts manufacturing, plastics, a convenience store distribution center and underground coal mining.
Due to legal actions enforced by Indiana courts, White County, Illinois was also the site of the ill-fatedErie Canal Soda Pop Festival also known as the Bull Island Fest in 1972. Three county sheriffs were the only police force present at the festival.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 502 square miles (1,300 km2), of which 495 square miles (1,280 km2) is land and 7.1 square miles (18 km2) (1.4%) is water.[6]
| Carmi, Illinois | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Climate chart (explanation) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Carmi have ranged from a low of 22 °F (−6 °C) in January to a high of 89 °F (32 °C) in July, although a record low of −20 °F (−29 °C) was recorded in January 1994 and a record high of 103 °F (39 °C) was recorded in August 2007. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.61 inches (66 mm) in October to 5.00 inches (127 mm) in May.[7]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 4,828 | — | |
| 1830 | 6,091 | 26.2% | |
| 1840 | 7,919 | 30.0% | |
| 1850 | 8,925 | 12.7% | |
| 1860 | 12,403 | 39.0% | |
| 1870 | 16,846 | 35.8% | |
| 1880 | 23,087 | 37.0% | |
| 1890 | 25,005 | 8.3% | |
| 1900 | 25,386 | 1.5% | |
| 1910 | 23,052 | −9.2% | |
| 1920 | 20,081 | −12.9% | |
| 1930 | 18,149 | −9.6% | |
| 1940 | 20,027 | 10.3% | |
| 1950 | 20,935 | 4.5% | |
| 1960 | 19,373 | −7.5% | |
| 1970 | 17,312 | −10.6% | |
| 1980 | 17,864 | 3.2% | |
| 1990 | 16,522 | −7.5% | |
| 2000 | 15,371 | −7.0% | |
| 2010 | 14,665 | −4.6% | |
| 2020 | 13,877 | −5.4% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 13,401 | [8] | −3.4% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[9] 1790-1960[10] 1900-1990[11] 1990-2000[12] 2010-2013[2] | |||
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 1980[13] | Pop 1990[14] | Pop 2000[15] | Pop 2010[16] | Pop 2020[17] | % 1980 | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 17,665 | 16,352 | 15,033 | 14,308 | 13,007 | 98.89% | 98.97% | 97.80% | 97.57% | 93.73% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 28 | 41 | 40 | 37 | 91 | 0.16% | 0.25% | 0.26% | 0.25% | 0.66% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 39 | 33 | 40 | 40 | 22 | 0.22% | 0.20% | 0.26% | 0.27% | 0.16% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 23 | 35 | 25 | 31 | 65 | 0.13% | 0.21% | 0.16% | 0.21% | 0.47% |
| Native Hawaiian orPacific Islander alone (NH) | x[18] | x[19] | 1 | 5 | 18 | x | x | 0.01% | 0.03% | 0.13% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 7 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 0.04% | 0.02% | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.11% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | x[20] | x[21] | 128 | 84 | 471 | x | x | 0.83% | 0.57% | 3.39% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 102 | 58 | 103 | 158 | 188 | 0.57% | 0.35% | 0.67% | 1.08% | 1.35% |
| Total | 17,864 | 16,522 | 15,371 | 14,665 | 13,877 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the2010 United States census, there were 14,665 people, 6,313 households, and 4,142 families residing in the county.[22] The population density was 29.6 inhabitants per square mile (11.4/km2). There were 7,181 housing units at an average density of 14.5 per square mile (5.6/km2).[6] The racial makeup of the county was 98.1% white, 0.4% black or African American, 0.3% American Indian, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.1% of the population.[22] In terms of ancestry, 25.5% wereGerman, 15.8% wereIrish, 14.0% wereAmerican, and 11.8% wereEnglish.[23]
Of the 6,313 households, 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.1% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.4% were non-families, and 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.78. The median age was 45.2 years.[22]
The median income for a household in the county was $39,728 and the median income for a family was $48,666. Males had a median income of $41,712 versus $26,168 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,081. About 10.1% of families and 14.8% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 25.7% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.[24]
White County is divided into tentownships:
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1892 | 2,215 | 40.40% | 2,954 | 53.88% | 314 | 5.73% |
| 1896 | 2,771 | 44.44% | 3,421 | 54.87% | 43 | 0.69% |
| 1900 | 2,658 | 44.94% | 3,170 | 53.59% | 87 | 1.47% |
| 1904 | 2,515 | 45.19% | 2,774 | 49.84% | 277 | 4.98% |
| 1908 | 2,436 | 43.50% | 2,934 | 52.39% | 230 | 4.11% |
| 1912 | 591 | 11.16% | 2,708 | 51.11% | 1,999 | 37.73% |
| 1916 | 4,137 | 43.76% | 5,066 | 53.59% | 250 | 2.64% |
| 1920 | 4,494 | 51.23% | 4,148 | 47.29% | 130 | 1.48% |
| 1924 | 3,780 | 44.71% | 4,377 | 51.77% | 297 | 3.51% |
| 1928 | 4,177 | 53.01% | 3,666 | 46.53% | 36 | 0.46% |
| 1932 | 3,320 | 35.71% | 5,909 | 63.55% | 69 | 0.74% |
| 1936 | 4,322 | 39.62% | 6,511 | 59.68% | 76 | 0.70% |
| 1940 | 5,459 | 47.50% | 5,909 | 51.41% | 125 | 1.09% |
| 1944 | 5,139 | 51.12% | 4,822 | 47.97% | 91 | 0.91% |
| 1948 | 4,498 | 48.17% | 4,761 | 50.99% | 79 | 0.85% |
| 1952 | 6,141 | 58.87% | 4,284 | 41.07% | 6 | 0.06% |
| 1956 | 6,128 | 56.13% | 4,778 | 43.77% | 11 | 0.10% |
| 1960 | 5,810 | 54.93% | 4,756 | 44.97% | 11 | 0.10% |
| 1964 | 4,000 | 40.15% | 5,963 | 59.85% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 5,351 | 53.77% | 3,837 | 38.56% | 764 | 7.68% |
| 1972 | 6,052 | 62.10% | 3,678 | 37.74% | 16 | 0.16% |
| 1976 | 4,600 | 46.31% | 5,306 | 53.42% | 27 | 0.27% |
| 1980 | 5,279 | 58.19% | 3,463 | 38.17% | 330 | 3.64% |
| 1984 | 5,500 | 61.23% | 3,457 | 38.48% | 26 | 0.29% |
| 1988 | 4,354 | 51.04% | 4,144 | 48.58% | 33 | 0.39% |
| 1992 | 3,057 | 34.70% | 4,308 | 48.89% | 1,446 | 16.41% |
| 1996 | 2,878 | 39.15% | 3,553 | 48.33% | 921 | 12.53% |
| 2000 | 4,521 | 59.20% | 2,958 | 38.73% | 158 | 2.07% |
| 2004 | 5,180 | 62.40% | 3,071 | 37.00% | 50 | 0.60% |
| 2008 | 3,987 | 53.50% | 3,315 | 44.48% | 151 | 2.03% |
| 2012 | 4,731 | 66.80% | 2,188 | 30.90% | 163 | 2.30% |
| 2016 | 5,640 | 76.89% | 1,412 | 19.25% | 283 | 3.86% |
| 2020 | 5,791 | 77.93% | 1,517 | 20.41% | 123 | 1.66% |
| 2024 | 5,586 | 78.84% | 1,390 | 19.62% | 109 | 1.54% |
School districts (unified K-12 except when otherwise specified) include:[26]
Places adjacent to White County, Illinois | |
|---|---|
Municipalities and communities ofWhite County, Illinois,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities |  | |
| Villages | ||
| Townships | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| Counties |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-sized cities (25,000+) | ||
| Small cities (10,000-25,000) | ||
| Small cities (5,000-10,000) | ||
| Transit systems | ||
| Amtrak stations | ||
| Interstates | ||
| Airports/military bases |
| |
| Universities | ||
| Colleges | ||
| Sports teams based in Southern Illinois | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
