Wabash County, Illinois
Template:Short description Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox U.S. county
Wabash County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 11,361.<ref name="QF">Template:Cite web</ref> Its county seat is Mount Carmel.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> It is located in the southern portion of Illinois known locally as "Little Egypt".
History
Wabash County was formed in 1824 out of Edwards County. This averted to an armed confrontation between the militias of Albion and Mt. Carmel after the county seat was moved from a town near the current city of Mount Carmel to Albion.
The county is named for the Wabash River, which forms its eastern and southern borders. The name "Wabash" is an English spelling of the French name for the river, "Ouabache."' French traders named the river after the Miami Indian word for the river, "Wabashike," (pronounced "Wah-bah-she-keh"), the word for "pure white." Much of the river bottom is white limestone, now obscured by mud.
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Wabash County at the time of its creation in 1824
A Template:Convert remnant of the county's original Eastern Woodlands ecosystem can be found in the Forest of the Wabash, located within the county's Beall Woods State Park.
In the 1920s a notable hotel and resort operated in Wabash County nearby the Grand Rapids Dam on the Wabash River. Named the Grand Rapids Hotel, it was owned by Frederick Hinde Zimmerman. During the hotel's nine-year existence, it catered to individuals from all over the United States. In July 2011, John Matthew Nolan published a detailed history of the Grand Rapids Hotel.
Earthquake
Template:Main On the morning of April 18, 2008, at 4:37am local time, one of the largest earthquakes in Illinois history hit the area. The epicenter of this tremor was in Lick Prairie Township, near the middle of the county. The tremor was felt for a wide radius, more than 400 miles away in Nebraska.<ref name="SuhrSFChron">Template:Cite web</ref>
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (1.9%) is water.<ref name="census-density"/> It is the fifth-smallest county in Illinois by area.
The Wabash River to the east and the Bonpas Creek to the west join at the southern tip of the county; the Bonpas Creek separating the two counties, Wabash County from the Edwards County.
Climate and weather
Template:Climate chart In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Mount Carmel 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 1985 and a record high of Template:Convert was recorded in July 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from Template:Convert in February to Template:Convert in May.<ref name="weather"/>
Transit
Major highways
Adjacent counties
- Lawrence County - north
- Knox County, Indiana - northeast
- Gibson County, Indiana - south and mostly east
- Edwards County - west
- Richland County - northwest
Demographics
2020 census
| 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) | 13,542 | 12,911 | 12,602 | 11,498 | 10,520 | 98.75% | 98.47% | 97.41% | 96.24% | 92.60% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 22 | 35 | 51 | 73 | 53 | 0.16% | 0.27% | 0.39% | 0.61% | 0.47% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 35 | 11 | 21 | 17 | 15 | 0.26% | 0.08% | 0.16% | 0.14% | 0.13% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 45 | 80 | 57 | 63 | 251 | 0.33% | 0.61% | 0.44% | 0.53% | 2.21% |
| 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> | 6 | 5 | 6 | x | x | 0.05% | 0.04% | 0.05% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 2 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 15 | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.02% | 0.08% | 0.13% |
| 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> | 102 | 123 | 323 | x | x | 0.79% | 1.03% | 2.84% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 67 | 73 | 95 | 158 | 178 | 0.49% | 0.56% | 0.73% | 1.32% | 1.57% |
| Total | 13,713 | 13,111 | 12,937 | 11,947 | 11,361 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
2010 census
As of the 2010 United States census, there were 11,947 people, 5,012 households, and 3,310 families residing in the county.<ref name="census-dp1">Template:Cite web</ref> The population density was Template:Convert. There were 5,585 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert.<ref name="census-density">Template:Cite web</ref> The racial makeup of the county was 96.9% white, 0.6% black or African American, 0.6% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.5% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.3% of the population.<ref name="census-dp1"/> In terms of ancestry, 25.6% were German, 12.3% were English, 11.7% were American, and 8.4% were Irish.<ref name="census-dp2">Template:Cite web</ref>
Of the 5,012 households, 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.0% were non-families, and 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.91. The median age was 42.0 years.<ref name="census-dp1"/>
The median income for a household in the county was $46,026 and the median income for a family was $55,611. Males had a median income of $44,932 versus $28,292 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,350. About 7.2% of families and 13.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.2% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.<ref name="census-dp3">Template:Cite web</ref>
Communities
Cities
- Mount Carmel (seat)
Villages
Unincorporated communities
Precincts
Wabash County is one of 17 Illinois counties that use the term precinct instead of township.
- Bellmont (Bellmont)
- Coffee (Keensburg)
- Compton (East Grayville)
- Friendsville (Friendsville)
- Lancaster (Lancaster)
- Lick Prairie (Lick Prairie)
- Mount Carmel (Mount Carmel)
- Wabash (Allendale)
Wabash County precincts and their boundaries
Politics
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Education
School districts include:<ref>Template:Cite web - Text list</ref>
- Allendale Community Consolidated School District 17
- Edwards County Community Unit School District 1
- Grayville Community Unit School District 1
- Wabash Community Unit School District 348
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Wabash County
- Grand Rapids Hotel
- Grand Rapids Dam
- Hanging Rock (Wabash River)
- Charles T. Hinde
- Thomas S. Hinde
- Frederick Hinde Zimmerman
References
Template:Reflist Template:Geographic Location Template:Wabash County, Illinois Template:Illinois Template:Southern-Illinois