Richland County, Illinois

Richland County Education, Geography, and History

Richland County is a county located in the state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 16,233.  Richland County was created on February 24, 1841. The county seat is Olney. The county is named for Richland County, Ohio, itself named for its rich soil.

Etymology - Origin of Richland County Name

The county is named for Richland County, Ohio, itself named for its rich soil.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Richland County History

Richland County was created on February 24, 1841 (Laws, 1841, p. 77) and was formed from Clay and Lawrence Counties. Present area, or parts of it, formerly included in: Lawrence County (1821-1841), Clay County (1824-1841), Wayne County (1819-1824), Crawford County (1816-1824), Edwards County (1815-1819), Gallatin County (1812-1815), Madison County (1812-1815), Randolph County (1803-1812), St. Clair County (1801-1809) and Knox, Northwest Territory (1790-1809).

The County was named for Richland County in Ohio through the influence of emigrants from that county. The County Seat is Olney (1841-Present).

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 362 square miles (938 km²), of which, 360 square miles (933 km²) of it is land and 2 square miles (5 km²) of it (0.52%) is water.

Richland county is located in southeast Illinois.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• North: Jasper County
• Northeast: Crawford County
• East: Lawrence County
• Southeast: Wabash County
• South: Edwards County
• Southwest: Wayne County
• West: Clay County

Education

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