Illinois Counties
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Illinois Counties

There are one hundred and two counties in Illinois. St. Clair County was the first county established in what is today Illinois. Most counties in Illinois were named after early American leaders, especially of the American Revolutionary War, as well as soldiers from the Battle of Tippecanoe and the War of 1812.
 

Macon County, Illinois

Macon County Education, Geography, and HistoryMacon County, Illinois Courthouse

Macon County is a county located in the state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 110,768. Macon County was created on January 19, 1829. The county seat is Decatur. The county is named for Nathaniel Macon (1758-1837), sixth Speaker of the United States House of Representatives and United States Senator from North Carolina.

Macon County comprises the Decatur, IL Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Etymology - Origin of Macon County Name

 The county is named for Nathaniel Macon, revolutionary soldier and later United States Senator.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Macon County History

Macon County was created on January 19, 1829 (Laws, 1829, p. 28) and was formed from unorganized land (Shelby County). Present area, or parts of it, formerly included in: County Shelby County (1821-1829), Fayette County (1821-1827), Sangamon County (1821-1829), Clark County (1819-1821), Bond County (1817-1821), Crawford County (1816-1819), Madison County (1812-1817), Edwards County (1815-1816), St. Clair County (1801-1812) and Knox, Northwest Territory (1790-1801).

The County was named for Nathaniel Macon, a Colonel during the Revolution and later a Representative and United States Senator in Congress from North Carolina. He strenuously opposed the adoption of the United States Constitution as conferring powers on the Federal government, which should be reserved, to the states. The County Seat is Decatur. Prior County Seats was Home of James Ward (1829-1830) and Decatur (1830-Present).

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 585 square miles (1,516 km2), of which, 581 square miles (1,504 km2) of it is land and 5 square miles (13 km2) of it (0.83%) is water.

Macon county is located close to the center of Illinois. Lincoln Trail Homestead State Memorial and Spitler Woodre State Natural Area are located in this county.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

  • North: DeWitt County
  • Northeast: Piatt County
  • Southeast: Moultrie County; Shelby County
  • Southwest: Christian County
  • West: Sangamon County
  • Northwest: Logan County

Education



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