Edgar County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 16,866. Its county seat is Paris.
History
Edgar County was formed out of Clark County in 1823. It was named for John Edgar, an Irish-born officer in the Royal Navy who resigned rather than fight against the Americans in the Revolutionary War. Edgar moved to Kaskaskia, Illinois, in 1784, becoming a miller and merchant in that town.
Bloomfield started as a watering point for livestock, but during the 1940s, it became a thriving town along the highway between Vincennes, Indiana, and Chicago. In 1872, the Chicago, Danville and Vincennes Railroad bypassed the town by a mile to the west. As a result, the town's businesses moved to Edgar, beginning Bloomfield's decline.
File:Edgar County Illinois 1825.png|Edgar County (1825–1826)
File:Edgar County Illinois 1826.png|Edgar County (1826–1830)
File:Edgar County Illinois 1830.png|Edgar County (1830–present), with the additional territory incorporated into Coles County
</gallery>
Geography
According to the US Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.1%) is water.
Climate and weather
In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Paris have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1930 and a record high of was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in January to in July.
Transit
- Rides Mass Transit District
Airport
The county contains one public-use airport: Edgar County Airport (PRG), six miles (10 km) north of Paris.