Williamson County, Illinois

	Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
	Precipitation totals in inches
	Source: The Weather Channel[19]

Marion, Illinois
Climate chart (explanation)
	Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
	Precipitation totals in inches
	Source: The Weather Channel[19]
Metric conversion
	Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
	Precipitation totals in mm

Williamson County
Williamson County
	U.S. county
	Williamson County Courthouse in Marion
	Location within the U.S. state of Illinois
	Illinois's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 37°44′N 88°56′W
Country	United States
State	Illinois
Founded	1839
Named for	Williamson County, Tennessee
Seat	Marion
Largest city	Marion
Area
• Total	444 sq mi (1,150 km2)
• Land	420 sq mi (1,100 km2)
• Water	24 sq mi (60 km2) 5.4%
Population (2010)
• Total	66,357
• Estimate (2018)	67,056
• Density	150/sq mi (58/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	12th
Website	www.williamsoncountyil.gov

Williamson County is a county located in the southern part of the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 66,357.[1] Its county seat is Marion.[2]

Williamson County is included in the Carbondale-Marion, IL Metropolitan Statistical Area. This area of Southern Illinois is known as Little Egypt.

Williamson is a rapidly growing county in the Metro Lakeland area and is located 88 miles (142 km) southeast of St. Louis, Missouri. Via the nearby intersection of Interstates 57 and 24, and Illinois Route 13, a primary east-west four-lane expressway, the city easily has access to the major communities of Murphysboro, Carbondale, Carterville, Herrin, Marion and Harrisburg.

The Metro Lakeland area of Jackson-Williamson counties has a total of 120,000 residents. Carbondale (14 miles west), Herrin and Marion are the key urban areas in Metro Lakeland, with a combined population of more than 65,000. Over 235,000 people live within 35 miles (56 km).

History

Williamson County was formed from Franklin County on February 28, 1839, and was named for Williamson County, Tennessee. Many of its early settlers were from the Uplands South, traveling via the Ohio River from Kentucky and Virginia.[3]

Williamson County at the time of its creation in 1839

It became a center of coal mining, attracting numerous European immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Labor tensions rose as workers sought to unionize and improve their wages and conditions. Mine owners resisted and several episodes of violence resulted during strikes and other work actions. resulted in several episodes of violence. Williamson County is often referred to as "Bloody Williamson," due to several outbreaks of violence that have few parallels in American history.[4]

These include the Bloody Vendetta (1876), armed confrontation between families and associates during the waning days of Reconstruction; the Carterville Massacre (1899), a Coal Strike (1906), the Herrin Massacre (1922), the Klan War (1924–1926), and the Birger/Shelton Gang War (1926).

During the so-called Klan War, a mob of perhaps 1,300 men were deputized by the local sheriff. Starting on 1 February 1924, the pose began raiding the homes of local mine workers, mostly Italian immigrants. The Klan was inspired by both nativist and Prohibitionist fervor. Violence continued sporadically between bootleggers and the Klan. Twenty people were killed before peace was restored.[5]

In June 1915, a Sicilian miner accused of the fatal shooting of a wealthy local resident was lynched in Johnston City, Illinois by a mob.[6] The Illinois National Guard was deployed to prevent rioting between the miner's supporters and opponents. They were also later ordered to various locations repeatedly during the 1920s to separate warring parties and attempt to keep order.

Severe weather in Williamson County is not uncommon. The northwest section of the county suffered extensive damage during the Tri-State Tornado of 1925. The county was also struck by two tornadoes on May 29, 1982, which killed 10 people in the Marion, Illinois tornado outbreak. On May 8, 2009, the cities of Carterville, Herrin, and Marion were severely damaged by the May 2009 Southern Midwest derecho.

Geography

Map of Williamson County, Illinois

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 444 square miles (1,150 km²), of which 420 square miles (1,100 km²) is land and 24 square miles (62 km²) (5.4%) is water.[7]

Adjacent counties

Franklin County (north)
Saline County (east)
Pope County (southeast)
Johnson County (south)
Union County (southwest)
Jackson County (west)

National protected area

Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Major highways

Airport

Williamson County Regional Airport is the local airport.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1840	4,457		—
1850	7,216		61.9%
1860	12,205		69.1%
1870	17,329		42.0%
1880	19,324		11.5%
1890	22,226		15.0%
1900	27,796		25.1%
1910	45,098		62.2%
1920	61,092		35.5%
1930	53,880		−11.8%
1940	51,424		−4.6%
1950	48,621		−5.5%
1960	46,117		−5.2%
1970	49,021		6.3%
1980	56,538		15.3%
1990	57,733		2.1%
2000	61,296		6.2%
2010	66,357		8.3%
Est. 2018	67,056	[8]	1.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[9] 1790-1960[10] 1900-1990[11] 1990-2000[12] 2010-2013[1]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 66,357 people, 27,421 households, and 17,999 families residing in the county.[13] The population density was 157.9 inhabitants per square mile (61.0/km²). There were 30,359 housing units at an average density of 72.3 per square mile (27.9/km²).[7] The racial makeup of the county was 92.7% white, 3.8% black or African American, 0.8% Asian, 0.4% American Indian, 0.5% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.0% of the population.[13] In terms of ancestry, 23.6% were German, 17.3% were Irish, 16.0% were English, 9.0% were American, and 6.1% were Italian.[14]

Of the 27,421 households, 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.4% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.4% were non-families, and 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age was 40.1 years.[13]

The median income for a household in the county was $40,579 and the median income for a family was $50,929. Males had a median income of $41,428 versus $30,901 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,164. About 13.3% of families and 16.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.3% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.[15]

Government and infrastructure

United States Penitentiary, Marion is located in Southern Precinct in Williamson County.[16][17]

Politics

Presidential elections results

**Presidential elections results**[18]
Year	Republican	Democratic	Third parties
2016	67.7% 21,570	26.9% 8,581	5.3% 1,701
2012	61.2% 17,909	36.4% 10,647	2.4% 698
2008	56.3% 17,039	41.6% 12,589	2.1% 638
2004	60.4% 18,086	39.0% 11,685	0.6% 189
2000	52.0% 14,012	45.3% 12,192	2.7% 735
1996	38.5% 9,734	49.5% 12,510	12.0% 3,028
1992	32.9% 9,462	49.9% 14,361	17.2% 4,937
1988	48.8% 12,274	50.6% 12,712	0.6% 144
1984	56.1% 14,930	43.6% 11,614	0.3% 86
1980	55.1% 14,451	41.1% 10,779	3.8% 998
1976	43.6% 10,703	55.4% 13,600	1.0% 250
1972	60.0% 14,101	39.2% 9,202	0.8% 189
1968	50.4% 11,886	41.0% 9,660	8.7% 2,042
1964	38.5% 9,130	61.6% 14,613	0.0% 0
1960	54.7% 13,732	45.2% 11,335	0.1% 29
1956	56.4% 13,438	43.5% 10,345	0.1% 27
1952	55.1% 13,348	44.7% 10,838	0.2% 37
1948	51.0% 10,386	48.3% 9,841	0.6% 130
1944	55.6% 12,594	44.0% 9,974	0.5% 103
1940	49.4% 14,433	50.1% 14,645	0.5% 139
1936	45.1% 12,319	53.6% 14,663	1.3% 352
1932	39.1% 8,714	58.2% 12,961	2.7% 590
1928	51.2% 10,913	47.6% 10,139	1.2% 257
1924	45.3% 9,366	29.6% 6,117	25.2% 5,206
1920	56.7% 10,118	26.5% 4,728	16.8% 2,988
1916	53.5% 10,262	42.6% 8,172	3.9% 746
1912	34.6% 3,209	35.2% 3,258	30.2% 2,800
1908	52.6% 4,786	38.6% 3,513	8.7% 794
1904	59.0% 4,044	29.1% 1,996	11.9% 819
1900	56.9% 3,723	42.2% 2,760	0.9% 57
1896	53.7% 3,027	45.8% 2,582	0.5% 28
1892	51.3% 2,504	43.4% 2,118	5.3% 256

Climate and weather

Williamson County lies on the border between humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfa) and humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa), with neither large mountains nor large bodies of water to moderate its temperature. It is subject to both cold Arctic air and hot, humid tropical air from the Gulf of Mexico and, along with the rest of the midwestern United States, is home to some of the largest temperature extremes in the world.

The region has four distinct seasons. Spring is the wettest season and produces erratic severe weather ranging from tornadoes to winter storms. Summers are hot and humid, with only occasional and brief respite, and the humidity often makes the heat index rise to temperatures feeling well above 100 °F (38 °C). 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 are cold with periodic snow and temperatures often below freezing; however, thaws are usually frequent. Winter storm systems, such as Alberta clippers and Panhandle hooks, can bring days of heavy freezing rain, ice pellets, and snowfall.

The normal high temperature in July is 90 °F (32 °C), and the normal low temperature in January is 19 °F (−6 °C), although this varies from year to year. Both 100 °F (37.8 °C) and 0 °F (−17.8 °C) temperatures can be seen on an average 2 or 3 days per year. In recent years, average temperatures have ranged from a low of 19 °F (−7 °C) in January to a high of 88 °F (31 °C) in July, although a record low of −25 °F (−32 °C) was recorded in January 1977 and a record high of 113 °F (45 °C) was recorded in August 1977. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 3.06 inches (78 mm) in October to 4.93 inches (125 mm) in May.[19]

Williamson County has thunderstorms about 50 days a year on average. Thunderstorms contribute over half of the annual precipitation. Especially in the spring, these storms can often be severe, with high winds, large hail and tornadoes.

Some late autumns feature the warm weather known as Indian summer; some years see roses in bloom as late as early December.

Communities

Cities

Villages

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated communities

Ghost towns

Precincts

The following precincts are not voting precincts, but represent the 12 Congressional townships in Williamson County. Most have multiple voting precincts.

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