Adams County is the westernmost

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 65,737. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

is Quincy. Adams County is part of the Quincy, IL– MO Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Adams County was formed in 1825 out of Pike County. Its name is in honor of the sixth

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

John Quincy Adams John Quincy Adams (; July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, and diarist who served as the sixth president of the United States, from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States S ...

. File:Adams County Illinois 1825.png, When it was created, Hancock County was temporarily attached to Adams until it could organize a county government. File:Adams County Illinois 1829.png, Adams County reduced to its current borders in 1829.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.9%) is water.

Adjacent counties

* Hancock County - north * Brown County - east * Schuyler County - east * Pike County - south *

Marion County, Missouri Marion County is a county located in the northeastern portion of Missouri. As of the 2010 census, the population was 28,781. Its county seat is Palmyra. Unique from most third-class counties in the state, Marion has two county courthouses, th ...

- west *

Lewis County, Missouri Lewis County is a county located in the northeastern portion of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,032. Its county seat is Monticello. The county was organized January 2, 1833 and named for Meriwether Lew ...

- west

Public transit

Quincy Transit Lines Quincy Transit Lines is the primary provider of mass transportation in Adams County, Illinois with four routes serving the region. As of 2019, the system provided 347,194 rides over 47,465 annual vehicle revenue hours with 8 buses and 8 paratran ...

Quincy station Quincy station is an Amtrak intercity train station in Quincy, Illinois, United States. The station is one of the namesake stations of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q or Burlington Route), but today serves as the western termi ...

Burlington Trailways Burlington Trailways is an inter-city bus company based in West Burlington, Iowa. History Burlington Trailways was founded in 1929 as the Burlington Transportation Company, a subsidiary of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad. It started ...

List of intercity bus stops in Illinois The following is a list of presently operating intercity bus stops in Illinois with regular service. The list excludes charter buses, local transit buses, paratransit systems, and trolleybus systems. The following companies provide intercity bus se ...

Major highways

Interstate 172 Interstate 172 (I-172) is a spur route from I-72 entirely within the US state of Illinois. The highway runs north from its start outside of Hannibal, Missouri, to about west of Fowler. At U.S. Route 24 (US 24), I-172 becomes I ...

US Route 24 U.S. Route 24 (US 24) is one of the original United States highways of 1926. It originally ran from Pontiac, Michigan, in the east to Kansas City, Missouri, in the west. Today, the highway's eastern terminus is in Independence Township, Mic ...

US Route 36 U.S. Route 36 (US 36) is an east–west United States highway that travels approximately from Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado to Uhrichsville, Ohio. The highway's western terminus is at Deer Ridge Junction, an intersection in ...

Illinois Route 57 Illinois Route 57 is a north–south state highway in western Illinois. It runs from Interstate 172 in Fall Creek to U.S. Route 24 and Illinois Route 104 in Quincy, a distance of . Route description Illinois 57 runs from Fall Creek north ...

Illinois Route 61 Illinois Route 61 (IL 61) is a rural state road in western Illinois that runs north and east from Illinois Route 96 in Ursa to the intersection of U.S. Route 136 west of Tennessee. Illinois route 61 is long. Route description Illinois&nb ...

Illinois Route 94 Illinois Route 94 is a north–south state highway in western Illinois. It runs from U.S. Route 24 (US 24) just east of Camp Point to U.S. Route 67 just south of Oak Grove, just south of the Quad Cities area. This is a distance of . ...

Illinois Route 96 Illinois Route 96 (IL 96) is a north–south state highway in far western Illinois. It runs from IL 100 in Kampsville, not far from a ferry crossing across the Illinois River, to IL 94 north of Terre Haute. Route description Illinois ...

Illinois Route 104 Illinois Route 104 is a state highway in central and western Illinois. It extends from Illinois Route 29 near Taylorville, west over the Illinois River at Meredosia to its western terminus in downtown Quincy. This is a distance of . Route d ...

Illinois Route 336 Illinois Route 336 (IL 336, also known as the Thomas A. Oakley Memorial Highway) is a four-lane freeway/expressway combination that serves western Illinois. It is also used by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) as a part of Fed ...

National protected area

Great River National Wildlife Refuge The Great River National Wildlife Refuge protects approximately along of the Mississippi River, stretching north of St. Louis, Missouri. Three separate units are located in the floodplain, on both the Illinois and Missouri sides of the river. I ...

(part)

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Quincy have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1979 and a record high of was recorded in July 2005. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in January to in May.

Demographics

As of the

2020 United States Census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 65,737 people, 27,199 households, and 17,398 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 30,235 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 89.5% white, 3.8% black or African American, 0.8% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.8% from other races, and 4.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.0% of the population. The most common reported ancestries were,

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

(35.9%),

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

(11.1%),

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

(8.1%), and

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

(7.4%). Of the 27,199 households, 25.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.2% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 36.0% were non-families. 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.95. In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.6% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 25.9% from 45 to 64, and 20.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.5 males. The median income for a household in the county was $55,052 and the median income for a family was $72,091. Males had a median income of $41,852 versus $29,404 for females. The per capita income for the county was $31,035. About 9.4% of families and 12.5% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 17.7% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.

2020 Census

Communities

City

* Quincy (seat)

Villages

* Camp Point * Clayton * Coatsburg *

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

Golden Golden means made of, or relating to gold. Golden may also refer to: Places United Kingdom *Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall * Golden Cap, Dorset *Golden Square, Soho, London *Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome in Gloucestershi ...

* La Prairie *

Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of t ...

* Loraine * Mendon * Payson * Plainville * Ursa

Unincorporated communities

* Adams * Beverly * Bigneck *

Blacks Black is a racialized classification of people, usually a political and skin color-based category for specific populations with a mid to dark brown complexion. Not all people considered "black" have dark skin; in certain countries, often in ...

* Bloomfield * Burton *

Chatton Chatton is a village in Northumberland, in England. It is roughly to the east of Wooler. History Chatton has been occupied for many centuries. There has been a church on the site since the twelfth century. There is evidence of occupation in ...

* Cliola * Country Meadows * Ewbanks * Fall Creek * Fowler * Hickory Grove * Kellerville * Kingston * Marblehead * Marcelline *

Meyer Meyer may refer to: People *Meyer (surname), listing people so named * Meyer (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the name Companies * Meyer Burger, a Swiss mechanical engineering company * Meyer Corporation * Meyer Sound Labo ...

* North Quincy * Paloma * Richfield * Rock Creek * Sheridan Estates * Spring Valley * Woodville

Townships

Adams County is divided into twenty-three

townships A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Ca ...

: * Beverly * Burton * Camp Point * Clayton *

Concord Concord may refer to: Meaning "agreement" * Pact or treaty, frequently between nations (indicating a condition of harmony) * Harmony, in music * Agreement (linguistics), a change in the form of a word depending on grammatical features of other ...

* Ellington * Fall Creek * Gilmer * Honey Creek *

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

* Keene *

* McKee * Melrose * Mendon *

Northeast The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...

* Payson * Quincy * Richfield *

Riverside Riverside may refer to: Places Australia * Riverside, Tasmania, a suburb of Launceston, Tasmania Canada * Riverside (electoral district), in the Yukon * Riverside, Calgary, a neighbourhood in Alberta * Riverside, Manitoba, a former rural m ...

* Ursa

Politics

Adams County, positioned in a primarily

rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are describ ...

section of

is culturally isolated from Chicago, and therefore more

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

than the state's northeastern corner. Quincy, the county seat, holds a high number of

socially conservative Social conservatism is a political philosophy and variety of conservatism which places emphasis on traditional power structures over social pluralism. Social conservatives organize in favor of duty, traditional values and social institution ...

Catholics The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and likewise is the home to the campus of

Quincy University Quincy University (formerly known as St. Francis Solanus College, and today abbreviated as QU) is a private Franciscan university in Quincy, Illinois. It was founded in 1860 and enrolls about 1,100 students. History A small group of Franciscan ...

, a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

Catholic

liberal arts Liberal arts education (from Latin "free" and "art or principled practice") is the traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the ...

college, and the Western Catholic Union. The county is part of the historic belt of German settlement extending into the

Missouri Rhineland The Missouri Rhineland is a geographical area of Missouri that extends from west of St. Louis to slightly east of Jefferson City, located mostly in the Missouri River Valley on both sides of the river. Dutzow, the first permanent German settle ...

. Since it was antagonistic to the

Yankee The term ''Yankee'' and its contracted form ''Yank'' have several interrelated meanings, all referring to people from the United States. Its various senses depend on the context, and may refer to New Englanders, residents of the Northern United St ...

northeast of Illinois, it voted solidly Democratic until 1892. After being a swing county in the first half of the twentieth century, Adams County has been a Republican stronghold. It has gone Republican in all but five presidential elections since 1920. The county last supported a Democrat in 1964, when it voted for

Lyndon Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

. The county regularly rejects Democrats at the state level as well; it has not supported a Democrat for Governor of Illinois since

Adlai Stevenson II Adlai Ewing Stevenson II (; February 5, 1900 – July 14, 1965) was an American politician and diplomat who was twice the Democratic nominee for President of the United States. He was the grandson of Adlai Stevenson I, the 23rd vice president of ...

in 1948, and there are no elected Democrats above the county level. Notably, while it voted for

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

in his 2004 Senate campaign, he lost it by wide margins in both of his presidential bids. The county is part of

Illinois's 18th congressional district The 18th congressional district of Illinois covered central and western Illinois, including all of Jacksonville and Quincy and parts of Bloomington, Peoria, and Springfield. It was last represented by Republican Darin LaHood, who took of ...

, currently represented by Republican

Darin LaHood Darin McKay LaHood (; born July 5, 1968) is an American attorney and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Illinois's 18th congressional district since 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he was the member of the Illinois Senate ...

. For the

Illinois House of Representatives The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the current constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 re ...

, the county is located in the 94th district, represented by Republican

Randy Frese Randy Frese is a Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives who represents the 94th district. The 94th district, located in Western Illinois along the Mississippi River, includes all or parts of Adams, Henderson, Hancock and Wa ...

. The county is located in the 47th district of the

Illinois Senate The Illinois Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state, State of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adop ...

, represented by Republican

Jil Tracy Jil Tracy is a Republican member of the Illinois State Senate, representing the 47th District since January 11, 2017. The district covers a large swath of west-central Illinois, including all of Adams, Brown, Cass, Hancock, Henderson, Mason, Mc ...

Education

Unified school districts

Central Community Unit School District 3 Central Community Unit School District 3 is a unified school district located in Camp Point, Illinois, Camp Point, a village located in Adams County, Illinois, Adams County, Illinois.

Liberty Community Unit School District 2 Liberty is a village in Adams County, Illinois, United States. The population was 543 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Quincy, IL– MO Micropolitan Statistical Area. Geography Liberty is located at (39.879948, -91.108137). Accordin ...

* Mendon Community Unit School District 4 *

Payson Community Unit School District 1 Payson Community Unit School District 1 is a unified school district composed of Seymour Elementary School and Payson-Seymour High School, and is centrally based in Payson, Illinois, a village in Adams County, Illinois, Adams County; it serves Pa ...

Quincy Public School District 172 Quincy Public School District 172 is a school district based in Quincy, the county seat of Adams County, Illinois. It is a large unit district located in west central Illinois. The QPS mission is to educate students and teachers to achieve pe ...

Private schools

* Blessed Sacrament Catholic Schoo

* Chaddock Schoo

* Quincy Christian School *

Quincy Notre Dame High School Quincy Notre Dame High School is a private, Roman Catholic co-educational high school in Quincy, Illinois, United States, founded in 1867, serving upper school students in grades 9- 12. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield ...

* St. Dominic Catholic Schoo

* St. Francis Solanus Catholic Schoo

* St. James Lutheran Schoo

* St. Peter Catholic Schoo

Colleges and universities

* Blessing-Rieman College of Nursing *

John Wood Community College John Wood Community College (JWCC) is a public community college in Quincy, Illinois. It is one of 48, two-year, open-admission colleges of the Illinois Community College System organized under the Illinois Public Community College Act. History ...

Attractions

* Adams County Fairbr>
* Bayview Bridge * Burton Cavebr>
* Fall Creek Scenic Park * Golden Windmillbr>
* John Wood Mansion * Saukenauk Scout Reservationbr>
*

Siloam Springs State Park Siloam Springs State Park is an Illinois state park on in Adams and Brown counties, Illinois, United States. History Siloam Springs State Park land was originally part of the military tract of western Illinois set aside to be given to comb ...

* Spirit Knob Winerybr>
* Villa Katharinebr>
* Wavering Parkbr>

References

External links

Adams County website

Adams County GIS Website

Great River Genealogical Society

United States Board on Geographic Names (GNIS)

United States National Atlas
{{Coord, 39.99, -91.19, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-IL_source:UScensus1990 Illinois counties 1825 establishments in Illinois Illinois counties on the Mississippi River Populated places established in 1825 Quincy–Hannibal area Quincy, Illinois micropolitan area