Calhoun County, Illinois

Calhoun County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,437, making it Illinois’ third-least populous county. Its county seat and biggest community is Hardin, with a population of 801. Its smallest incorporated community is Hamburg, with a population of 99. Calhoun County is at the tip of the peninsula formed by the courses of the Mississippi and Illinois rivers above their confluence and is almost completely surrounded by water. Calhoun County is sparsely populated; it has just five municipalities, all of them villages.

Calhoun County is part of the Metro-East portion of the St. Louis, MO-IL Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Calhoun County was settled by Americans during the very early 19th century, and officially organized in 1825. It was named for Vice President John C. Calhoun. The southern side of the county, covered in thick forest, was untouched until the population began to expand in the late 1840s with the arrival of German immigrants. Land was cleared for farming, exporting lumber, and constructing spacious log barns, typically in size, which were a "trademark of successful German farmers."

thumb|Calhoun County at the time of its creation in 1825.

thumb|The [[John Shaw Cabin built c. 1822.]]

The territory was originally settled by indigenous people who occupied the resource-rich river valleys near waterways. The remains of their occupation have provided some of the most valuable archaeological information in the country. The county's archaeological record chronicles more than 10,000 years of continuous human occupation by Native Americans.

In 1680, French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle recorded in his diary historic Native American raids by the Iroquois against the Illinois tribes along the Illinois River. La Salle recounts the aftermath of a massacre of the Illinois by the Iroquois in South Calhoun County writing, "As the French drew near to the mouth of the Illinois, they saw a meadow to the right, and, on the farthest verge, several human figures erect, yet motionless. They landed and cautiously examined the place. The long grass was trampled down and all around were strewn the relics of the hideous orgies which formed the ordinary sequel of an Iroquois victory. The figures they had seen were the half consumed bodies of women still bound to the stakes where they had been tortured. Other sights there were, too revolting for record. All the remains were of women and children; the men, it seems, had fled, and left them to their fate. The French descended the river and soon came to the mouth." The massacre is noted as taking place in the last week of November 1680, about a mile above the site of the Deer Plain Ferry which is no longer in operation, at a place now known as Marshall's Landing. Many skulls, parts of skeletons, and weapons have still been found near this spot by farmers during plowing.

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Hardin have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1979 and a record high of was recorded in July 1954. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in January to in May.

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|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<br />1790-1960 1900-1990<br />1990-2000 2010

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2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 4,437. The median age was 49.0 years.

20.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 25.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 101.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 99.7 males age 18 and over.

<0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 1,831 households in the county, of which 25.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 56.9% were married-couple households, 19.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 19.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 27.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

!Pop 1990

!Pop 2000

!Pop 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" | Pop 2020

!% 1980

!% 1990

!% 2000

!% 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020

|White alone (NH)

|5,835

|5,286

|5,001

|style='background: #ffffe6; |4,217

|99.45%

|99.32%

|98.37%

|98.27%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |95.04%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |7

|0.00%

|0.02%

|0.00%

|0.12%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.16%

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|14

|style='background: #ffffe6; |4

|0.07%

|0.15%

|0.28%

|0.18%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.09%

|Asian alone (NH)

|10

|15

|12

|style='background: #ffffe6; |7

|0.17%

|0.28%

|0.18%

|0.24%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.16%

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0

|0.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%

|Other race alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |6

|0.03%

|0.00%

|0.10%

|0.06%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.14%

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|23

|18

|style='background: #ffffe6; |132

|0.45%

|0.35%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.97%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|16

|12

|32

|40

|style='background: #ffffe6; |64

|0.27%

|0.23%

|0.63%

|0.79%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.44%

|Total

|5,867

|5,322

|5,084

|5,089

|style='background: #ffffe6; |4,437

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 5,089 people, 2,085 households, and 1,447 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 2,835 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 98.9% white, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.1% black or African American, 0.2% from other races, and 0.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.8% of the population.

Of the 2,085 households, 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.2% were married couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.6% were non-families, and 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.90. The median age was 44.6 years.

Communities

Villages

Batchtown
Brussels
Hamburg
Hardin
Kampsville

Unincorporated communities

Beechville
Belleview
Centerville
Cliffdale
Conrad
The Crossroads
Deer Plain
Gilead
Golden Eagle
Hillcrest
Kritesville
Marshall Landing
Meppen
Michael
Mozier
Mozier Landing
Star City
Winneberger

Precincts

Belleview
Carlin
Crater
Gilead
Hamburg
Hardin
Point
Richwood

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Calhoun County.

† county seat

{| class="wikitable sortable"

!Rank

!Place

!Municipal type

!Population (2020 Census)