Jersey County, Illinois
Jersey County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 22,985. The county seat is Jerseyville.
Jersey County is included in the St. Louis, MO-IL Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
Jersey County lies just northeast of where the great Mississippi and Illinois rivers meet. It is the former home of the Kickapoo, Menomini, Potawatomi, and Illiniwek Confederation American Indians. The first European explorers to visit the area, Father Marquette and Louis Jolliet, arrived in 1673, where they encountered the fearsome painting of the Piasa bird. The present day Pere Marquette State Park, located near Grafton, is named in Father Marquette's honor, and a monument to him is located at the park.Jersey County was founded on February 28, 1839, and was formed out of Greene County. The county was named for the state of New Jersey, from which many of the early settlers emigrated - which was itself named for the Channel Island of Jersey in Great Britain. The area quickly evolved into several small agricultural communities. As the area soon began to flourish, a county government was established and a courthouse was built in Jerseyville, the county seat. The Jersey County Courthouse was designed by architect Henry Elliott who also designed the courthouses in nearby Greene County, Edgar County, Illinois, DeWitt County, Illinois and Pike County, Illinois. The cornerstone for the courthouse was laid on July 4, 1893. The Romanesque Revival style courthouse is a magnificent architectural structure of limestone quarried from the nearby town of Grafton, Illinois.
Recent history
Today, while the county maintains its agricultural base, it is also within commuting distance of jobs and industry in St. Louis, Missouri and the surrounding area. A large portion of the population works outside of Jersey County and benefits from being "Near the crowd, but not in it.", the official slogan of the advertising campaign. The bordering rivers play an important part in Jersey County's economy by supporting agricultural producers and agribusiness, and by creating a strong tourist market. Education, manufacturing, and retail are also among the county's largest industries.Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. Jersey County is bordered by three bodies of water: the Mississippi River to the south, the Illinois River to the west, and Macoupin Creek to the northwest.Climate
Typically, the county's climate reflects most Midwest areas, located in the transitional zone between the humid continental climate type and the humid subtropical climate type, with neither large mountains nor large bodies of water to moderate its temperature. Spring is the wettest season and produces severe weather ranging from tornadoes to snow or ice storms. Summers are hot and humid, and the humidity often makes the heat index rise to temperatures feeling well above. Fall is mild with lower humidity and can produce intermittent bouts of heavy rainfall with the first snow flurries usually forming in late November. Winters can be cold at times with periodic light snow and temperatures below freezing.In recent years, average temperatures in Jerseyville have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July. The record low temperature of was recorded in January 1977 and the record high temperature of was recorded in July 1954. Average monthly precipitation ranges from in January to in April.
Adjacent counties
- Greene County - north
- Macoupin County - east
- Madison County - southeast
- St. Charles County, Missouri - south
- Calhoun County - west
Major highways
- U.S. Route 67
- Illinois Route 3
- Illinois Route 16
- Illinois Route 100
- Illinois Route 109
- Illinois Route 111
- Illinois Route 267
State protected areas
- Mississippi River State Fish and Wildlife Area
- Pere Marquette State Park
National protected areas
- Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge
Demographics
Of the 8,828 households, 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.4% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 29.5% were non-families, and 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 2.98. The median age was 40.5 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $53,470 and the median income for a family was $64,773. Males had a median income of $48,750 versus $31,789 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,368. About 5.6% of families and 8.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.4% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.
Communities
Cities
- Grafton
- Jerseyville
Villages
- Brighton
- Elsah
- Fidelity
- Fieldon
Town
- Otterville
Unincorporated communities
- Beltrees
- Chautauqua
- Delhi
- Democrat Spring
- Dow
- East Newbern
- Kemper
- Lake Piasa
- Lockhaven
- McClusky
- Newbern
- New Delhi
- Nutwood
- Reardon
- Reddish
- Rosedale
- Spankey
Townships
- Elsah Township
- English Township
- Fidelity Township
- Jersey Township
- Mississippi Township
- Otter Creek Township
- Piasa Township
- Quarry Township
- Richwood Township
- Rosedale Township
- Ruyle Township
Education
Unified school districts
- Alton Community Unit School District 11 - serves a very small portion of southern Jersey County, along with northwestern Madison County.
- - serves a very small portion of northeastern Jersey County, along with eastern Greene County.
- Jersey Community Unit School District 100 - serves most of Jersey County, and a small portion of southern Greene County.
- - serves the northeastern and southeastern portions of Jersey County, along with southwestern Macoupin County.
High schools
- Jersey Community High School, located in Jerseyville.
Colleges and universities
- Principia College, located near Elsah.
Government
Local
The Democratic Party holds five of eight countywide elected positions as of 2017 as well as a seven to five majority on the county board.Jersey County is part of Regional Office of Education #40 which includes neighboring Macoupin, Calhoun and Greene counties. The office operates a facility in Jerseyville.
State
Jersey County is divided into two legislative districts in the Illinois House of Representatives:- District 100 - Currently represented by C. D. Davidsmeyer and consists of the majority of the county and includes the cities of Jerseyville and Grafton.
- District 111 - Currently represented by Rachelle Aud Crowe and consists of the southern portion of the county and includes the village of Elsah.
- District 50 - Currently represented by Steve McClure and consists of the majority of the county and includes the cities of Jerseyville and Grafton.
- District 56 - Currently represented by Monica Bristow and consists of the southern portion of the county and includes the village of Elsah.
Federal
Jersey County is included in Illinois's 13th congressional district and is currently represented by Rodney Davis in the U.S. House of Representatives.