Henry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. The 2020 United States census listed its population at 49,284. Its county seat is Cambridge. Henry County is included in the Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History Henry County was formed on January 13, 1825, out of Fulton County, Illinois. It is named for Revolutionary War figure Patrick Henry. The county was settled by people from New England and western New York, descendants of English Puritans who settled New England in the colonial era. The New England settlers founded the five towns of Andover, Wethersfield, Geneseo, Morristown and La Grange.The expansion of New England: the spread of New England settlement and institutions to the Mississippi River, 1620-1865, pp. 215-216

The settlement of Cambridge came about in 1843, when the owner of the land in that area (Rev. Ithamar Pillsbury) dedicated a section of his properties to a town council; lots were sold to incoming settlers, and construction of the town proper began on June 9, 1843. The incoming "Yankee" settlers made Henry County culturally similar to early New England culture.History Henry County, Illinois H.F. Kett & Company (1877) pp. 177-178The expansion of New England: the spread of New England settlement and institutions to the Mississippi River, 1620-1865 by Louis Kimball Matthews, pp. 215-216

Geography According to the US Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.3%) is water. It is the 29th largest of Illinois' 102 counties. The area is fairly flat, with elevations ranging from 650 feet above sea level in the northwest to 850 in the southeast. About or 86.7% of the county's land area, is used for agriculture.Henry County website

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Cambridge have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in February 1996 and a record high of was recorded in July 1983. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in January to in August.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Rock Island County - northwest Whiteside County - northeast Bureau County - east Stark County - southeast Knox County - south Mercer County - west

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 49,284. The median age was 43.2 years. 22.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 21.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 99.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 98.1 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 89.1% White, 2.2% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 2.6% from some other race, and 5.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 6.4% of the population.

50.2% of residents lived in urban areas, while 49.8% lived in rural areas.

There were 20,320 households in the county, of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 51.9% were married-couple households, 17.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 23.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 22,211 housing units, of which 8.5% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 78.5% were owner-occupied and 21.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.0%.

Racial and ethnic composition

+Henry County, Illinois – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)56,35249,52748,42546,49343,09497.21%96.81%94.91%92.09%87.44%Black or African American alone (NH)6476455697621,0291.12%1.26%1.12%1.51%2.09%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)59544260630.10%0.11%0.08%0.12%0.13%Asian alone (NH)881161271831920.15%0.23%0.25%0.36%0.39%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census41312xx0.01%0.03%0.02%Other race alone (NH)30202112940.05%0.04%0.04%0.02%0.19%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census3655611,630xx0.72%1.11%3.31%Hispanic or Latino (any race)7927971,4672,4023,1701.37%1.56%2.88%4.76%6.43%Total57,96851,15951,02050,48649,284 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

2010 census As of the 2010 United States census, there were 50,486 people, 20,373 households, and 14,149 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 22,161 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 94.8% white, 1.6% black or African American, 0.4% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 1.6% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.8% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 30.0% were German, 14.6% were Irish, 12.3% were Swedish, 11.5% were English, and 7.2% were American.

Of the 20,373 households, 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.9% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.6% were non-families, and 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.92. The median age was 41.8 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $49,164 and the median income for a family was $61,467. Males had a median income of $44,589 versus $30,992 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,915. About 6.8% of families and 10.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.9% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over. Communities Cities

Colona Galva Geneseo Kewanee

Towns Annawan Atkinson

Villages

Alpha Andover Bishop Hill Cambridge Cleveland Coal Valley (partial) Hooppole Orion Woodhull

Census-designated places

Lynn Center Nekoma Ophiem Osco

Unincorporated communities

Aliceville Briar Bluff Brook Lawn Dayton German Corner Green River Green Rock Hickory Hills Level Acres Morristown Shady Beach Sunny Hill Sunny Hill Estates Timber Ridge Ulah Warner Woodcrest

Former communities Kedron Oxford Saxon

Townships

Alba Andover Annawan Atkinson Burns Cambridge Clover Colona Cornwall Edford Galva Geneseo Hanna Kewanee Loraine Lynn Munson Osco Oxford Phenix Weller Western Wethersfield Yorktown

Politics

Henry County's political history is fairly typical of many Yankee-settled rural counties in Illinois. After being largely Democratic in its first few elections, the county turned powerfully Republican for the 110 years following the formation of that party.

Education K-12 school districts include: - Text list

Alwood Community Unit School District 225 Annawan Community Unit School District 226 Cambridge Community Unit School District 227 Erie Community Unit School District 1 Galva Community Unit School District 224 Geneseo Community Unit School District 228 Kewanee Community Unit School District 229 ROWVA Community Unit School District 208 Orion Community Unit School District 223 Prophetstown-Lyndon-Tampico Community Unit School District 3 Stark County Community Unit School District 100 Wethersfield Community Unit School District 230

There is also an elementary school district, Colona School District 190, and a secondary school district, United Township High School District 30, that have portions of the county.

See also National Register of Historic Places listings in Henry County, Illinois

References

External links

Illinois Ancestors Henry County Henry County Historical Society