Edgar County, Illinois

Edgar County Education, Geography, and History

Edgar County is a county located in the state of Illinois. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 18,576. Edgar County was created on January 3, 1823. The county seat is Paris. The county is named for John Edgar (1750-1832), Illinois delegate to the Northwest Territory legislature, at that time, wealthiest man in Illinois.

Etymology - Origin of Edgar County Name

The county was named for Irishman John Edgar who was an officer in the Royal Navy who switched sides during the Revolutionary War rather than fight the colonists. He became a a pioneer merchant, politician and land speculator in early Illinois.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Edgar County History

Edgar County was created on January 3, 1823 (Laws, 1823, p. 74) and was formed from Clark County. Present area, or parts of it, formerly included in: Clark County (1819-1823), Crawford County (1816-1819), Edwards County (1815-1816), Madison County (1812-1815), St. Clair County (1801-1812) and Knox, Northwest Territory (1790-1801). The County was named for John Edgar, a pioneer merchant, politician and land speculator.. The County Seat is Paris (1823-Present).

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 624 square miles (1,617 km²), of which 624 square miles (1,615 km²) is land and 1 square mile (2 km²) (0.10%) is water.

Edgar county is located in east Illinois.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• North: Vermilion County
• Northeast: Vermillion County, Ind.
• Southeast: Vigo County, Ind.
• South: Clark County
• Southwest: Coles County
• West: Douglas County
• Northwest: Champaign County

Education

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