Hamilton County, Illinois

Hamilton County Education, Geography, and History

Hamilton County is a county located in the state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 8,457. Hamilton County was created on February 8, 1821. The county seat is McLeansboro. The county is named for Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804), first United States Secretary of the Treasury.

Etymology - Origin of Hamilton County Name

The county is named for Alexander Hamilton, revolutionary soldier and first Secretary of the Treasury (1789-95).

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Hamilton County History

Hamilton County was created on February 8, 1821 (Laws, 1821, p. 113) and was formed from White County. Present area, or parts of it, formerly included in: White County (1815-1821), Gallatin County (1812-1815), Randolph County (1801-1812), St. Clair County (1795-1801) and Knox, Northwest Territory (1790-1795).

The County was named for Alexander Hamilton, a soldier, statesman, author and financier, aid on the staff of Washington during the Revolution, a member of the Continental Congress, first Secretary of Treasury (1789-1795), and Commander-in-Chief of the United States Army in 1799. The County Seat is McLeansboro (1821-Present).

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 436 square miles (1,129 km²), of which, 435 square miles (1,127 km²) of it is land and 1 square miles (2 km²) of it (0.15%) is water.

Hamilton county is located in south Illinois. Hamilton County State Fish and Wildlife Area is located in this county.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• Northeast: Wayne County
• East: White County
• Southeast: Gallatin County
• South: Saline County
• Southwest: Franklin County
• Northwest: Jefferson County

Education

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