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Illinois Counties
There are one hundred and two counties in Illinois. St. Clair County was the first county established in what is today Illinois. Most counties in Illinois were named after early American leaders, especially of the American Revolutionary War, as well as soldiers from the Battle of Tippecanoe and the War of 1812.Macon County, Illinois
Macon County Education, Geography, and History
Macon County is a county located in the state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it had a
population of 110,768. Macon County was created
on January 19, 1829. The county seat is Decatur.
The county is named for Nathaniel Macon (1758-1837),
sixth Speaker of the United States House of Representatives and United
States Senator from North Carolina.
Macon County comprises the Decatur, IL Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Etymology - Origin of Macon County Name
The county is named for Nathaniel Macon, revolutionary soldier and later United States Senator.
Demographics:
County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts
Macon County History
Macon County was created on January 19, 1829 (Laws, 1829, p. 28) and was formed from unorganized land (Shelby
County). Present area, or parts of it, formerly included in: County Shelby County (1821-1829), Fayette County
(1821-1827), Sangamon County (1821-1829), Clark County (1819-1821), Bond County (1817-1821), Crawford County
(1816-1819), Madison County (1812-1817), Edwards County (1815-1816), St. Clair County (1801-1812) and Knox, Northwest
Territory (1790-1801).
The County was named for Nathaniel Macon, a Colonel during the Revolution and later a Representative and United States
Senator in Congress from North Carolina. He strenuously opposed the adoption of the United States Constitution as
conferring powers on the Federal government, which should be reserved, to the states. The County Seat is Decatur. Prior
County Seats was Home of James Ward (1829-1830) and Decatur (1830-Present).
Geography: Land and Water
As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 585 square miles (1,516 km2), of which, 581
square miles (1,504 km2) of it is land and 5 square miles (13 km2) of it (0.83%) is water.
Macon county is located close to the center of Illinois. Lincoln Trail
Homestead State Memorial and Spitler Woodre State Natural Area are
located in this county.
Neighboring Counties
Bordering counties are as follows:
- North: DeWitt County
- Northeast: Piatt County
- Southeast: Moultrie County; Shelby County
- Southwest: Christian County
- West: Sangamon County
- Northwest: Logan County
Education
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