Moultrie County, Illinois

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Moultrie County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 United States census, its population was 14,526.<ref name=new-census/> Its county seat is Sullivan.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The name is pronounced as in "mole tree", unlike the pronunciation of its namesake, the South Carolinian Revolutionary War hero William Moultrie.

History

Moultrie County was formed in 1843 with areas taken from Shelby and Macon counties. It is named for South Carolina General, and later Governor, William Moultrie. General Moultrie defended Sullivan's Island, South Carolina from British attack in 1776. The site was later renamed Fort Moultrie. Nearby Jasper County was named for Sgt. William Jasper, another hero of the defense of Sullivan's Island.

The official flag of the county is the Moultrie Flag, which was flown over the new fortress on Sullivan's Island, when Moultrie defended it, and was designed by Moultrie. It went on to become iconic of liberty in the South.

When Abraham Kellar of Lovington, John Cook of Marrowbone, and John Fleming of Nelson proposed the formation of a new county from Macon, Shelby, and Coles counties, Macon gave up a strip of “worthless swamp” that is now among the most fertile land in the world, but Shelby and Coles voters refused to give up any land. Finally, Shelby County gave up some of its land to make a zig-zag border with Moultrie County.

Moultrie County at the time of its creation in 1843
The Moultrie Flag being raised by Sergeant William Jasper

Geography

According to the US Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (2.5%) is water.<ref name=CD/>

Climate and weather

Template:Climate chart In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Sullivan have ranged from a low of Template:Convert in January to a high of Template:Convert in July, although a record low of Template:Convert was recorded in January 1915 and a record high of Template:Convert was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from Template:Convert in February to Template:Convert in June.<ref name=WX/>

Major highways

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Adjacent counties

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Piatt County - north
Douglas County - east
Coles County - southeast
Shelby County - south
Macon County - northwest

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Demographics

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2020 census

**Moultrie County, Illinois – Racial and ethnic composition**
Template:Nobold
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 1980<ref name=1980Census>Template:Cite web</ref>	Pop 1990<ref name=1990Census>Template:Cite web</ref>	Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>Template:Cite web</ref>	Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref>	Pop 2020<ref name=2020CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref>	% 1980	% 1990	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	14,432	13,849	14,078	14,524	13,747	99.22%	99.42%	98.54%	97.83%	94.64%
Black or African American alone (NH)	11	8	28	40	84	0.08%	0.06%	0.20%	0.27%	0.58%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	12	22	24	28	26	0.08%	0.16%	0.17%	0.19%	0.18%
Asian alone (NH)	13	13	14	29	49	0.09%	0.09%	0.10%	0.20%	0.34%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)	x <ref>included in the Asian category in the 1980 Census</ref>	x <ref>included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census</ref>	7	0	0	x	x	0.05%	0.00%	0.00%
Other race alone (NH)	9	0	4	13	25	0.06%	0.00%	0.03%	0.09%	0.17%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	x <ref>not an option in the 1980 Census</ref>	x <ref>not an option in the 1990 Census</ref>	64	83	401	x	x	0.45%	0.56%	2.76%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	69	38	68	129	194	0.47%	0.27%	0.48%	0.87%	1.34%
Total	14,546	13,930	14,287	14,846	14,526	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 14,846 people, 5,758 households, and 4,053 families living in the county.<ref name="dp1">Template:Cite web</ref> The population density was Template:Convert. There were 6,260 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert.<ref name="CD">Template:Cite web</ref> The racial makeup of the county was 98.5% white, 0.3% black or African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.2% from other races, and 0.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.9% of the population.<ref name=dp1/> In terms of ancestry, 23.8% were German, 12.0% were Irish, 11.4% were American, and 10.9% were English.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Of the 5,758 households, 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.6% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 29.6% were non-families, and 25.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.01. The median age was 40.3 years.<ref name=dp1/>

The median income for a household in the county was $46,364 and the median income for a family was $54,494. Males had a median income of $42,581 versus $26,799 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,954. About 6.2% of families and 11.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.2% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Communities

Education

Moultrie County is served by three school districts.

Politics

References

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Moultrie County, Illinois

Contents

History