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Whiteside County, Illinois

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Whiteside County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 55,691.[1] Its county seat is Morrison.[2] The county is bounded on the west by the Mississippi River. Whiteside County comprises the Sterling, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Dixon-Sterling, IL Combined Statistical Area. U.S. President Ronald Reagan was born in 1911 in the Whiteside County community of Tampico.

Whiteside County
County
Whiteside County Courthouse, Morrison
Whiteside County Courthouse, Morrison
Official logo of Whiteside County
Logo
Map of Illinois highlighting Whiteside County
Location within the U.S. state of Illinois
Map of the United States highlighting Illinois
Illinois's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 41°45′N 89°55′W / 41.75°N 89.91°W / 41.75; -89.91
Country United States
State Illinois
Founded1836
Named forSamuel Whiteside
SeatMorrison
Largest citySterling
Area
 • Total697 sq mi (1,810 km2)
 • Land684 sq mi (1,770 km2)
 • Water12 sq mi (30 km2)  1.8%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total55,691
 • Estimate 
(2023)
54,498 Decrease
 • Density80/sq mi (31/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district17th
Websitewww.whitesidecountyil.gov

History

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This area was long occupied by varying cultures of Native Americans.

Whiteside County was organized by European Americans in 1836 from parts of Jo Daviess and Henry counties. It was named for General Samuel Whiteside, an Illinois officer in the War of 1812 and Black Hawk War.

Whiteside County's boundaries have remained unchanged since its creation in 1836.

Geography

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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 697 square miles (1,810 km2), of which 684 square miles (1,770 km2) is land and 12 square miles (31 km2) (1.8%) is water.[3]

Climate and weather

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Morrison, Illinois
Climate chart (explanation)
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1.5
 
 
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█ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
█ Precipitation totals in inches
Source: The Weather Channel[4]
Metric conversion
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39
 
 
−2
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1
−9
█ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
█ Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Morrison have ranged from a low of 10 °F (−12 °C) in January to a high of 85 °F (29 °C) in July, although a record low of −30 °F (−34 °C) was recorded in February 1905 and a record high of 112 °F (44 °C) was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.51 inches (38 mm) in February to 4.69 inches (119 mm) in August.[4]

Major highways

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Adjacent counties

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National protected area

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Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18402,514—
18505,361113.2%
186018,737249.5%
187027,50346.8%
188030,88512.3%
189030,854−0.1%
190034,71012.5%
191034,507−0.6%
192036,1744.8%
193039,0197.9%
194043,33811.1%
195049,33613.8%
196059,88721.4%
197062,8775.0%
198065,9704.9%
199060,186−8.8%
200060,6530.8%
201058,498−3.6%
202055,691−4.8%
2023 (est.)54,498[5]−2.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]
1790-1960[7] 1900-1990[8]
1990-2000[9] 2010[10]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 58,498 people, 23,740 households, and 16,005 families residing in the county.[11] The population density was 85.5 inhabitants per square mile (33.0/km2). There were 25,770 housing units at an average density of 37.7 per square mile (14.6/km2).[3] The racial makeup of the county was 92.2% white, 1.3% black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 3.5% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 11.0% of the population.[11] In terms of ancestry, 32.5% were German, 15.5% were Irish, 8.7% were Dutch, 8.6% were English, and 6.0% were American.[12]

Of the 23,740 households, 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.5% were married couples living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.6% were non-families, and 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.92. The median age was 41.8 years.[11]

The median income for a household in the county was $45,266 and the median income for a family was $54,242. Males had a median income of $41,862 versus $29,157 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,405. About 8.2% of families and 11.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.6% of those under age 18 and 5.8% of those age 65 or over.[13]

Communities

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Cities

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Villages

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Unincorporated communities

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Census-designated place

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Townships

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Whiteside County is divided into these townships:

Politics

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United States presidential election results for Whiteside County, Illinois[14]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 14,527 52.95% 12,253 44.67% 653 2.38%
2016 12,615 49.31% 11,035 43.14% 1,932 7.55%
2012 10,448 40.45% 14,833 57.43% 547 2.12%
2008 10,883 40.32% 15,607 57.82% 504 1.87%
2004 12,959 48.22% 13,723 51.07% 191 0.71%
2000 11,252 45.30% 12,886 51.88% 699 2.81%
1996 8,859 37.95% 11,913 51.03% 2,572 11.02%
1992 10,146 37.37% 12,329 45.41% 4,678 17.23%
1988 12,978 53.05% 11,328 46.31% 156 0.64%
1984 16,743 59.59% 11,226 39.96% 127 0.45%
1980 17,389 66.72% 7,191 27.59% 1,484 5.69%
1976 14,308 55.34% 11,255 43.53% 291 1.13%
1972 17,305 68.40% 7,909 31.26% 87 0.34%
1968 15,177 61.86% 8,132 33.15% 1,225 4.99%
1964 12,940 50.79% 12,536 49.21% 0 0.00%
1960 17,434 65.56% 9,112 34.27% 46 0.17%
1956 17,589 73.95% 6,158 25.89% 37 0.16%
1952 17,294 73.28% 6,238 26.43% 67 0.28%
1948 12,922 70.32% 5,299 28.84% 154 0.84%
1944 14,162 71.21% 5,555 27.93% 171 0.86%
1940 15,752 67.77% 7,356 31.65% 134 0.58%
1936 12,666 59.62% 7,982 37.57% 595 2.80%
1932 11,388 61.14% 7,010 37.64% 228 1.22%
1928 13,580 76.60% 4,079 23.01% 69 0.39%
1924 11,532 74.04% 1,957 12.56% 2,087 13.40%
1920 10,923 81.74% 1,927 14.42% 513 3.84%
1916 10,045 69.24% 3,839 26.46% 623 4.29%
1912 1,437 18.64% 1,996 25.89% 4,278 55.48%
1908 5,257 65.74% 2,140 26.76% 600 7.50%
1904 5,636 71.17% 1,546 19.52% 737 9.31%
1900 5,663 65.19% 2,758 31.75% 266 3.06%
1896 5,577 65.43% 2,788 32.71% 159 1.87%
1892 3,819 54.00% 2,779 39.30% 474 6.70%

Whiteside County has a political history typical of Northern Illinois. Between its first election in 1840, and 1852, it always favored the Whig Party, and although Whiteside was not as strong for the Free Soil Party as counties to the east like Boone and Lake, it gave substantial votes to that party in 1848[15] and 1852[16] and became powerfully Republican for the next century-and-a-quarter. Between 1856 and 1988 the only time Whiteside County did not vote for the Republican candidate was in 1912, when the GOP was mortally divided and Whiteside County voted for Progressive Party nominee and former President Theodore Roosevelt by a 2-to-1 margin over conservative incumbent William Howard Taft. Between at least 1880 and 1960, no Democratic presidential nominee ever won 40 percent of Whiteside County's vote, and even Alf Landon in 1936 carried the county by 22 percent when losing 46 of 48 states.

In 1964 the Republican Party nominated Barry Goldwater, whose hostility to the Yankee establishment and strongly conservative policies were sufficient to leave many traditional Republicans to stay home or even to vote for Lyndon Johnson.[17] In this climate, Goldwater managed to keep the Republican Party's winning streak in Whiteside alive, but by just 1.6%, or 404 votes.

The county continued to vote comfortably more Republican than the nation for the next four elections. However, it began trending away from the GOP in 1984, as its most famous native, Ronald Reagan, successfully sought a second term. Even as Reagan increased his national margin by over 8%, his margin in Whiteside was more than halved, from a little over 40% in 1980 to 19.6% in 1984. The county was only marginally more Republican than the nation in 1984. The trend continued in 1988, as George H. W. Bush carried it by 6.8%, a somewhat smaller margin than he won the national popular vote by, making this election the first one in which Whiteside voted more Democratic than the nation in at least a century. In 1992, it gave Bill Clinton a plurality win, with a comfortable 8.0% margin over George H. W. Bush. In 1996, the county gave Bill Clinton an outright majority. The county went on to vote Democratic for the next four consecutive elections, giving Gore, Kerry, and Obama four straight majorities.

However, in 2016, concerns over long-term economic decline saw much of the Rust Belt swing heavily towards Donald Trump,[18] and Whiteside flipped from a 16.9% Obama win in 2012 to a Trump plurality in 2016. In 2020, Trump won a majority—the first for a Republican since 1988—and increased his margin from 6.2% to 8.3%.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Whiteside County, Illinois". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ a b "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  4. ^ a b "Monthly Averages for Morrison, Illinois". The Weather Channel. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
  5. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
  6. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
  7. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
  8. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
  9. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
  10. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on January 11, 2016. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
  11. ^ a b c "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  12. ^ "Selected Social Characteristics in the United States – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  13. ^ "Selected Economic Characteristics – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  14. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Archived from the original on March 23, 2018.
  15. ^ Géoelections; Popular Vote for Martin van Buren (Free Soil) (.xlsx file for €15)
  16. ^ Géoelections; Popular Vote for John P. Hale (.xlsx file for €15)
  17. ^ Phillips, Kevin P.; The Emerging Republican Majority, pp. 61-65 ISBN 9780691163246
  18. ^ Lounsbury, Jud (December 16, 2016). "Pssst...Trump: You Won By Running to Clinton's Left". Progressive.org. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
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41°45′N 89°55′W / 41.75°N 89.91°W / 41.75; -89.91

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