Piatt County

History

The first settler was George Haworth, a Quaker, followed by James Martin, Abraham Hanline, Solomon Carter, and William Cordell.

Piatt County was formed in 1841 from Macon and DeWitt counties. Two local residents, James A. Piatt and Jesse Warner, were instrumental in forming the county, and it was named for Piatt after he won a coin toss against Warner.

Abraham Lincoln practiced law in Piatt County as a lawyer on the Eighth Judicial Circuit. On July 29, 1858, Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas met by chance on the road between Monticello and Bement, and that evening conferred at Bryant Cottage in Bement to arrange the Lincoln–Douglas debates. A marker south of Monticello commemorates the roadside meeting, and the cottage is preserved as a state historic site.

The first courthouse was begun in 1843 and completed in 1846. It was replaced by the current Piatt County Courthouse in 1904.

Geography

According to the US Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 439 square miles (1,140 km2), of which 439 square miles (1,140 km2) is land and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km2) (0.06%) is water.

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Monticello have ranged from a low of 14 °F (−10 °C) in January to a high of 85 °F (29 °C) in July, although a record low of −25 °F (−32 °C) was recorded in January 1999 and a record high of 105 °F (41 °C) was recorded in July 1966. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.61 inches (41 mm) in January to 3.99 inches (101 mm) in August.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 16,673, the median age was 43.7 years, 22.3% of residents were under the age of 18, and 21.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 96.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.1 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 94.1% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 0.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, less than 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.5% from some other race, and 4.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.5% of the population.

35.9% of residents lived in urban areas, while 64.1% lived in rural areas.

There were 6,818 households in the county, of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 56.9% were married-couple households, 15.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 21.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 7,360 housing units, of which 7.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 81.1% were owner-occupied and 18.9% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.6%.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 16,729 people, 6,782 households, and 4,823 families residing in the county. The population density was 38.1 inhabitants per square mile (14.7/km2). There were 7,269 housing units at an average density of 16.6 per square mile (6.4/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 98.0% white, 0.3% black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.2% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 26.1% were German, 21.9% were American, 15.2% were English, and 13.4% were Irish.

Of the 6,782 households, 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.4% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 28.9% were non-families, and 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.92. The median age was 42.6 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $55,752 and the median income for a family was $65,850. Males had a median income of $50,425 versus $32,304 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,492. About 5.1% of families and 7.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.8% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

Monticello (seat)

Census-designated places

La Place

White Heath

Former places

Blue Ridge

Education

Public schools in the county are operated by Monticello Community Unit School District 25, Bement Community Unit School District 5, Cerro Gordo Community Unit School District 100, DeLand-Weldon Community Unit School District 57, and Blue Ridge Community Unit School District 18, the last of which is based in Farmer City in DeWitt County and also serves Mansfield. Students in the Atwood area attend the Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond district based in Douglas County.