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97-469: Iroquois County is a county located in the northeast part of the U.S. state of Illinois . According to the 2020 United States Census, it has a population of 27,077. It is the only county in the United States named Iroquois . The county seat is Watseka . The county is located along the border with Indiana . Iroquois County was created on February 26, 1833, out of a portion of Vermilion County . It

194-449: A Bradley Braves basketball game during a power outage. McNear's murder case remains unsolved, but it was believed to be connected to the lengthy strike. Following McNear's death, the TP&;W fell under control of McNear estate trustees, and Frisco Railway executive J. Russell Coulter became the TP&W's newest president. In May 1947, Coulter restored most of the older labor rules, and

291-1054: A city , town , or village . A few counties directly provide public transportation themselves, usually in the form of a simple bus system. However, in most counties, public transportation is provided by one of the following: a special district that is coterminous with the county (but exists separately from the county government), a multi-county regional transit authority, or a state agency. In western and southern states, more populated counties provide many facilities, such as airports, convention centers , museums, recreation centers , beaches, harbors, zoos, clinics, law libraries , and public housing . They provide services such as child and family services, elder services, mental health services, welfare services, veterans assistance services, animal control , probation supervision, historic preservation, food safety regulation, and environmental health services. They have many additional officials like public defenders , arts commissioners, human rights commissioners, and planning commissioners. There may be

388-446: A consolidated city-county or independent city exists, a city council usually governs city/county or city affairs. In some counties, day-to-day operations are overseen by an elected county executive or by a chief administrative officer or county administrator who reports to the board, the mayor, or both. In many states, the board in charge of a county holds powers that transcend all three traditional branches of government. It has

485-521: A 2,400-acre (970 ha) state park, is located in the northeast corner of the county. There are also three nature preserves: Bonnie's Prairie, Hooper Branch Savanna, and Loda Cemetery Prairie. In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Watseka have ranged from a low of 14 °F (−10 °C) in January to a high of 84 °F (29 °C) in July, although a record low of −28 °F (−33 °C)

582-424: A county fire department and a county police department – as distinguished from fire and police departments operated by individual cities, special districts, or the state government. For example, Gwinnett County, Georgia , and its county seat, the city of Lawrenceville , each have their own police departments. (A separate county sheriff's department is responsible for security of the county courts and administration of

679-433: A female householder with no husband present, 31.6% were non-families, and 27.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.95. The median age was 43.4 years. The median income for a household in the county was $ 47,323 and the median income for a family was $ 56,541. Males had a median income of $ 43,416 versus $ 27,908 for females. The per capita income for

776-460: A few counties bear names of Native American , French, or Spanish origin. Counties are most often named for people, often political figures or early settlers, with over 2,100 of the 3,144 total so named. The most common county name, with 31, is Washington County , for America's first president, George Washington . Up until 1871, there was a Washington County within the District of Columbia , but it

873-451: A financial loss from declining traffic, and in the mid-1920s, the railway fell under receivership. During that time, the railway's passenger operations experienced ridership losses, since some newly-paved state highway roads paralleled their trackage. The CB&Q and the PRR both attempted to absorb the TP&W, but in 1926, the railway was purchased for $ 1.3 million by George P. McNear Jr., who

970-400: A land area of 20,057 square miles (51,947 km ). The least extensive county is Kalawao County, Hawaii , with a land area of 11.991 square miles (31.058 km ). The least extensive county equivalent in the 50 states is the independent city of Falls Church, Virginia , with a land area of 1.999 square miles (5.177 km ). If U.S. territories are included,

1067-453: A large number of counties, and many Western states were sparsely populated when counties were created by their respective state legislatures. The five counties of Rhode Island and eight of the 14 counties of Massachusetts no longer have functional county governments, but continue to exist as legal and census entities. Connecticut abolished county governments in 1960, leaving its eight counties as mere legal and census entities. In 2022,

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1164-452: A line that begins in Peoria and runs from east to west through Iroquois County, passing through Gilman and Watseka and continuing into Indiana. A Canadian National Railway line runs nearly parallel with Interstate 57 on its way to Chicago. A CSX Transportation line passes from north to south through the eastern part of the county; a Union Pacific line joins it south of Woodland. Further east,

1261-421: A locomotive cab; on February 6, 1946, some armed guards hired by the TP&W shot five strikers (two killed; three wounded) at Gridley, Illinois . In December 1946, federal judge J. Leroy Adair ordered for the TP&W to resume operations, and he issued an injunction to prevent interference from strikers. On the night of March 10, 1947, George McNear was shot and killed while walking back to his home from

1358-882: A matter of U.S. state law , so the specific governmental powers of counties may vary widely between the states, with many providing some level of services to civil townships , municipalities , and unincorporated areas . Certain municipalities are in multiple counties ; New York City is uniquely partitioned into five counties, referred to at the city government level as boroughs . Some municipalities have been consolidated with their county government to form consolidated city-counties , or have been legally separated from counties altogether to form independent cities . Conversely, counties in Connecticut and Rhode Island , eight of Massachusetts's 14 counties , and Alaska's Unorganized Borough have no government power, existing only as geographic distinctions. The United States Census Bureau uses

1455-415: A population over 100,000; 137 counties have a population over 500,000; 45 counties have a population over 1,000,000; and 14 counties have a population over 2,000,000. At the other extreme, 35 counties have a population under 1,000; 307 counties have a population under 5,000; 709 counties have a population under 10,000; and 1,492 counties have a population between 10,000 and 50,000. At the 2000 U.S. Census ,

1552-565: A replacement, they were forced to gain trackage rights over the Peoria and Pekin Union's nearby bridge. When Conrail was formed in 1976, the former PRR line between Effner and Logansport, Indiana, was put up for abandonment, and the TP&W quickly purchased the line to preserve their eastern railroad connections. In 1979, the Santa Fe acquired the former PRR's interest in the TP&W from Conrail, making

1649-461: A tractive effort of 51,000 pounds-force (230 kN). Under McNear's leadership, the TP&W became one of very few railroads in the United States to turn profits during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Despite his successful efforts to reorganize the TP&W, McNear became unpopular with labor unions ; McNear enforced his own personalized labor rules and methods, to which all thirteen of

1746-428: Is Lake . Words from Native American languages, as well as the names of Native American leaders and tribes, lend their names to many counties. Quite a few counties bear names of French or Spanish origin, such as Marquette County being named after French missionary Father Jacques Marquette . The county's equivalent in the state of Louisiana, the parish (Fr. paroisse civile and Sp. parroquia ) took its name during

1843-564: Is 343 sq mi (890 km ), whereas in Utah it is 2,427 sq mi (6,290 km ). The most extensive county or county equivalent is the Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska , with a land area of 145,505 square miles (376,856 km ). All nine of the most extensive county equivalents are in Alaska. The most extensive county is San Bernardino County, California , with

1940-413: Is an unusual case because it encompasses multiple entire counties in one city. Each of those counties is coextensive with one of the five boroughs of the city: Manhattan (New York County), The Bronx (Bronx County), Queens (Queens County), Brooklyn (Kings County), and Staten Island (Richmond County). Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway The Toledo, Peoria and Western's earliest predecessor

2037-500: Is either done at the state level or at the municipal level. In Connecticut and parts of Massachusetts, regional councils have been established to partially fill the void left behind by the abolished county governments. The regional councils' authority is limited compared with a county government—they have authority only over infrastructure and land use planning, distribution of state and federal funds for infrastructure projects, emergency preparedness, and limited law enforcement duties. In

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2134-399: Is greater than the populations of 41 U.S. states, and is only slightly smaller than the combined population of the 10 least populous states and Washington, D.C. It also makes the population of Los Angeles County 17.4 times greater than that of the least populous state, Wyoming. The second most populous county is Cook County, Illinois , with a population of 5,275,541. Cook County's population

2231-491: Is land and 1.6 square miles (4.1 km) (0.1%) is water. It is the third-largest county in Illinois by land area and the fifth-largest by total area. The northern border of the county is about 60 miles (97 km) south of the city of Chicago . The county is bordered on the east by the state of Indiana and its counties of Benton and Newton . To the north lies Kankakee County . Vermilion County , out of which Iroquois County

2328-455: Is larger than that of 28 individual U.S. states and the combined populations of the six smallest states. The least populous county is Loving County, Texas , with 64 residents in 2020. Eight county equivalents in the U.S. territories have no human population: Rose Atoll , Northern Islands Municipality , Baker Island , Howland Island , Jarvis Island , Johnston Atoll , Kingman Reef , and Navassa Island . The remaining three islands in

2425-713: Is no formal level of government (municipality, public education, or otherwise) existing below that of the county in the state. In most Midwestern and Northeastern states, counties are further subdivided into townships or towns , which sometimes exercise local powers or administration. Throughout the United States, counties may contain other independent, self-governing municipalities . In New England, counties function at most as judicial court districts and sheriff's departments (presently, in Connecticut only as judicial court districts—and in Rhode Island , they have lost both those functions and most others but they are still used by

2522-410: Is rarely a county responsibility, execution of capital punishment is never a county responsibility, and the state's responses to prisoners' appeals are the responsibility of the state attorney general , who has to defend before the state appellate courts the prosecutions conducted by locally elected district attorneys in the name of the state. Furthermore, county-level trial court judges are officers of

2619-557: Is simultaneously a city, which is a municipality (municipal corporation), and a county, which is an administrative division of a state, having the powers and responsibilities of both types of entities. The city limit or jurisdiction is synonymous with the county line, as the two administrative entities become a non-dichotomous single entity. For this reason, a consolidated city-county is officially remarked as name of city – name of county (i.e., Augusta–Richmond County in Georgia). The same

2716-501: Is true of the boroughs of New York City , each of which is coextensive with a county of New York State. For those entities in which the city uses the same name as the county, city and county of name may be used (i.e., City and County of Denver in Colorado). Similarly, some of Alaska 's boroughs have merged with their principal cities, creating unified city-boroughs. Some such consolidations and mergers have created cities that rank among

2813-634: The Alaska Constitutional Convention wanted to avoid the traditional county system and adopted their own unique model with different types of boroughs varying in powers and duties. In some states, these powers are partly or mostly devolved to the counties' smaller divisions usually called townships , though in New York, New England and Wisconsin they are called "towns". The county may or may not be able to override its townships on certain matters, depending on state law. The newest county in

2910-668: The Burlington Northern Railroad (BN) to create BNSF , the TP&W was granted trackage rights over BN's line between Peoria and Galesburg. In 1995, the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway (NYS&W) acquired a 40% interest in the TP&W, and the following year, the Delaware Otsego Corporation (DO), the NYS&;W's parent company, assumed full control of the TP&W. The railway began to be dispatched from

3007-454: The City and County of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ; City and County of San Francisco, California ; and Lynchburg-Moore County, Tennessee A consolidated city-county may still contain independent municipalities maintaining some governmental powers that did not merge with the rest of the county. For example, the government of Jacksonville–Duval County, Florida , still provides county-level services to

Iroquois County, Illinois - Misplaced Pages Continue

3104-577: The Illinois River further to the northwest in Will County . Sugar Creek, further to the south, also flows from the east to the west, entering from Indiana east of Stockland; it passes through the south edge of Milford, is joined by Mud Creek coming up from the south, and winds to the north past the village of Woodland and meets the Iroquois River near Watseka. The Iroquois County State Wildlife Area ,

3201-452: The Kankakee, Beaverville and Southern Railroad operates a north–south line. As of the 2010 United States Census , there were 29,718 people, 11,956 households, and 8,175 families residing in the county. The population density was 26.6 inhabitants per square mile (10.3/km). There were 13,452 housing units at an average density of 12.0 per square mile (4.6/km). The racial makeup of

3298-597: The Mid-Atlantic and Midwest , counties typically provide, at a minimum, courts, public utilities , libraries, hospitals, public health services, parks, roads, law enforcement, and jails. There is usually a county registrar, recorder, or clerk (the exact title varies) who collects vital statistics , holds elections (sometimes in coordination with a separate elections office or commission), and prepares or processes certificates of births, deaths, marriages, and dissolutions (divorce decrees). The county recorder normally maintains

3395-552: The New York City Borough of Manhattan), with 72,033 persons per square mile (27,812 persons/km ) in 2015. The Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska , is both the most extensive and the least densely populated county or county equivalent with 0.0380 persons per square mile (0.0147 persons/km ) in 2015. In the 50 states (plus the District of Columbia), a total of 981 counties have a population over 50,000; 592 counties have

3492-559: The Province of Maine founded York County . Massachusetts followed in 1643. Pennsylvania and New York delegated significant power and responsibility from the colony government to county governments and thereby established a pattern for most of the United States, although counties remained relatively weak in New England . When independence came, the framers of the Constitution left

3589-437: The U.S. Minor Outlying Islands ( Midway Atoll , Palmyra Atoll and Wake Island ) have small non-permanent human populations. The county equivalent with the smallest non-zero population counted in the census is Swains Island, American Samoa (17 people), although since 2008 this population has not been permanent either. The most densely populated county or county equivalent is New York County, New York (coextensive with

3686-569: The USGS counts Guam's election districts (villages) as county equivalents. The U.S. Census Bureau counts the 3 main islands in the U.S. Virgin Islands as county equivalents, while the USGS counts the districts of the U.S. Virgin Islands (of which there are 2) as county equivalents. Common sources of county names are names of people, geographic features, places in other states or countries, and animals. Quite

3783-545: The United States , a county or county equivalent is an administrative or political subdivision of a U.S. state or other territories of the United States which consists of a geographic area with specific boundaries and usually some level of governmental authority. The term " county " is used in 48 states, while Louisiana and Alaska have functionally equivalent subdivisions called parishes and boroughs , respectively. Counties and other local governments exist as

3880-671: The United States Census Bureau and some other federal agencies for some federal functions), and most of the governmental authority below the state level is in the hands of towns and cities . In several of Maine's sparsely populated counties, small towns rely on the county for law enforcement, and in New Hampshire several social programs are administered at the state level. In Connecticut, Rhode Island, and parts of Massachusetts, counties are now only geographic designations, and they do not have any governmental powers. All government

3977-466: The county seat ("parish seat" in Louisiana, "borough seat" in Alaska, or " shire town " in several New England counties). The county seat usually resides in a municipality. However, some counties may have multiple seats or no seat. In some counties with no incorporated municipalities, a large settlement may serve as the county seat. The power of county governments varies widely from state to state, as does

Iroquois County, Illinois - Misplaced Pages Continue

4074-473: The median land area of U.S. counties was 622 sq mi (1,610 km ), which is two-thirds of the median land area of a ceremonial county of England , and a little more than a quarter of the median land area of a French département . Counties in the western United States typically have a much larger land area than those in the eastern United States. For example, the median land area of counties in Georgia

4171-692: The 1960s, the TP&W experienced additional declining traffic from losses of interchange partners; in 1960, the Minneapolis and St. Louis was absorbed into the Chicago and North Western (C&NW); in 1964, the NKP and the Wabash were absorbed into the Norfolk and Western Railway (N&W); and in 1968, the PRR and the NYC merged together to create Penn Central (PC). During that time,

4268-451: The 50 states and District of Columbia. There are an additional 100 county equivalents in the territories of the United States . The average number of counties per state is 62, with a range from the three counties of Delaware to the 254 counties of Texas . Southern and Midwestern states generally tend to have more counties than Western or Northeastern states, as many Northeastern states are not large enough in area to warrant

4365-454: The 50 states and the District of Columbia. If the 100 county equivalents in the U.S. territories are counted, then the total is 3,244 counties and county-equivalents in the United States. The idea of counties originated with the counties of England . English (after 1707, British ) colonists brought to their colonies in North America a political subdivision that they already used in

4462-973: The British metropole : the counties. Counties were among the earliest units of local government established in the Thirteen Colonies that would become the United States. Virginia created the first counties in order to ease the administrative workload in Jamestown . The House of Burgesses divided the colony first into four "incorporations" in 1617 and finally into eight shires (or counties) in 1634: James City , Henrico , Charles City , Charles River , Warrosquyoake , Accomac , Elizabeth City , and Warwick River . America's oldest intact county court records can be found at Eastville, Virginia , in Northampton (originally Accomac) County , dating to 1632. Maryland established its first county, St. Mary's in 1637. In 1639,

4559-510: The DO headquarters in Cooperstown, New York . Some TP&W locomotives were painted in the NYS&W's yellow-and-black paint scheme. By 1998, the TP&W reported a revenue profit of $ 13.4 million and hauled over 59,000 freight carloads and intermodal units. In 1999, DO sold the TP&W to RailAmerica for $ 24 million. In late 2012, Genesee & Wyoming Inc. acquired RailAmerica, gaining ownership of

4656-511: The Mississippi River between Hamilton and Keokuk, Iowa ; and one branch line between La Harpe and Lomax . The latter allowed the TP&W to interchange with the CB&;Q, and the railway was granted trackage rights over the CB&Q's branch between Lomax and Burlington, Iowa . Later in the 1870s, the TP&W experienced some financial problems. In 1880, the TP&W was reorganized as

4753-509: The Peoria and Oquawka extended their route to the Illinois-Indiana state line in Effner , where they interchanged with the recently-chartered Logansport, Peoria and Burlington Railroad (LP&B). By 1859, the Peoria and Oquawka fell under receivership, and the company was quickly absorbed into the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q). In 1861, the line between Peoria and Effner

4850-400: The Santa Fe opened an alternate bypass route to Streator, Illinois , where they directly interchanged with the NYC. The TP&W secured trackage rights over the Santa Fe between Lomax and Fort Madison, Iowa , to preserve their interchangeability. In February 1970, the TP&W's Illinois River bridge in Peoria was collapsed by a barge tow , and since the railway was unable to afford to build

4947-509: The TP&W installed their Hoosierlift Intermodal Terminal , which paralleled Interstate 65 near Remington, Indiana . The TP&W's Hoosierlift facility initially struggled to compete with the Santa Fe's own container terminal in Chicago, but within the following years, the TP&W's intermodal operations began turning profits. On December 31, 1983, the TP&W was absorbed into the Santa Fe and became part of their Illinois Division. Absorbing

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5044-467: The TP&W permitted the Santa Fe to abandon most of their Pekin Branch. On February 3, 1989, the Santa Fe sold the former TP&W Lomax-Peoria-Logansport main line to a pair of investors, former Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M) managers Cynthia O'Connor and Michael Smith. The two investors revived the TP&W railway name and operated it as an independent company. In 1995, when the Santa Fe merged with

5141-524: The TP&W purchased six H-10 class 4-8-4 "Northern" locomotives (Nos. 80-85) from the American Locomotive Company (ALCO). The H-10s were the lightest 4-8-4s ever built for a North American railroad, weighing only 361,000 pounds (164 tonnes). They were equipped with 69-inch (1,800 mm) diameter driving wheels, 23.5-by-30-inch (600 mm × 760 mm) cylinders, and a boiler pressure of 250 psi (1,700 kPa), and they produced

5238-518: The TP&W the Santa Fe's wholly owned subsidiary. In 1981, in accordance with the Staggers Rail Act , Conrail closed their TP&W interchange in Logansport, in favor of their former NYC Streator connection, and the TP&W's traffic consequently further declined. The Santa Fe decided to reverse the TP&W's traffic losses by operating intermodal container trains on their route, so in 1983,

5335-509: The TP&W to have the railway aid the ongoing World War II effort, and John W. Barriger III was appointed their federal manager. In 1945, when World War II ended, control of the TP&W was returned to George McNear, but the thirteen unions instantly reinitiated the strike, consequently shutting the railway down. The strike lasted for nineteen months, and it involved multiple shootings; on two separate occasions, some gun shots were fired into an automobile with non-union employees and into

5432-447: The TP&W-tied unions disagreed with, and they initiated multiple unsuccessful labor strikes to restore the railway's previous conventional rules. On December 28, 1941, another TP&W strike was initiated, after the TP&W announced a new wage scale and another new set of rules. The strike was quickly stopped on March 21, 1942, when U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered for the federal government to confiscate control of

5529-639: The TP&W. The Keokuk Junction Railway (KJRY) now owns portions of the old TP&W line, including the Western Illinois and Keokuk section of TP&W (Fulton, McDonough and Hancock counties in Illinois). In December 1986, the KJRY purchased 33.5 miles (53.9 km) of former TP&W trackage (then owned by the Santa Fe) between Keokuk, Warsaw, and La Harpe . On October 28, 2004, the KJRY's feeder line application with

5626-581: The Toledo, Peoria and Western Railroad (TP&W), and the company became leased by the Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific Railway . The lease lasted until 1884, and then on March 28, 1887, the Toledo, Peoria and Western Rail way was incorporated and took over operations. In 1893, a controlling interest of the TP&W was purchased by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR), who interchanged with the TP&W at Effner, and

5723-644: The U.S. Census Bureau began to also count Connecticut's Councils of Governments , which took over some of the regional powers from the state's former county governments, as county equivalents. Territories of the United States do not have counties; instead, the United States Census Bureau also divides them into county equivalents. The U.S. Census Bureau counts American Samoa 's districts and atolls as county equivalents. American Samoa locally has places called "counties", but these entities are considered to be " minor civil divisions " (not true counties) by

5820-473: The U.S. Census Bureau recognized the state's nine Councils of Governments as replacement for the state's eight legacy counties for all statistical purposes; full implementation was completed in 2024. The average U.S. county population was 104,435 in 2019, while the median county, which is Nicholas County, West Virginia , had a population of 25,965 in 2019. The most populous county is Los Angeles County, California , with 10,014,009 residents in 2020. This number

5917-475: The U.S. Census Bureau treats American Samoa's three districts and two atolls as county equivalents). American Samoa's counties are treated as minor civil divisions. Most territories are directly divided into municipalities or similar units, which are treated as equivalent of counties for statistical purposes: The U.S. Census Bureau counts all of Guam as one county equivalent (with the FIPS code 66010), while

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6014-683: The U.S. Census Bureau. The number of counties per state ranges from the three counties of Delaware to the 254 counties of Texas . County populations also vary widely: in 2017, according to the Census Bureau, more than half the U.S. population was concentrated in just 143 of the more than 3,000 counties, or just 4.6% of all counties; the five most populous counties, ordered from most to least, are Los Angeles County, California ; Cook County, Illinois ; Harris County, Texas ; Maricopa County, Arizona ; and San Diego County, California . As of 2022 , there are 3,144 counties and county-equivalents in

6111-484: The United States is the city and county of Broomfield, Colorado , established in 2001 as a consolidated city-county , previously part of four counties. The newest county equivalents are the Alaskan census areas of Chugach and Copper River , both established in 2019, and the Alaskan boroughs of Petersburg established in 2013, Wrangell established in 2008, and Skagway established in 2007. A consolidated city-county

6208-402: The board. These positions may include county clerk , county treasurer , county surrogate, sheriff , and others. District attorneys or state attorneys are usually state-level as opposed to county-level officials, but in many states, counties and state judicial districts have coterminous boundaries. The site of a county's administration, and often the county courthouse , is generally called

6305-410: The city and the county at least nominally exist, they are properly classified as counties in their own right. Likewise, the boroughs of New York City are coextensive with counties and are therefore by definition also not county equivalents. There are technically no counties in U.S. territories. American Samoa has its own counties , but the U.S. Census Bureau does not treat them as counties (instead,

6402-421: The county (which merely implements state law). A typical criminal defendant will be arraigned and subsequently indicted or held over for trial before a trial court in and for a particular county where the crime occurred, kept in the county jail (if he is not granted bail or cannot make bail), prosecuted by the county's district attorney, and tried before a jury selected from that county. But long-term incarceration

6499-457: The county jail.) In several southern states, public school systems are organized and administered at the county level. As of 2024 , there were 2,999 counties, 64 Louisiana parishes , 19 organized boroughs and 11 census areas in Alaska, 9 Councils of Government in Connecticut, 41 independent cities , and the District of Columbia for a total of 3,144 counties and county equivalents in

6596-538: The county seat; in 1865, it was finally moved to Watseka. The town of Middleport no longer exists, but there is a township of that name. A courthouse was built in Watseka in 1866 at a cost of $ 28,000 and included a jail in the basement; this building was expanded in 1881, and a new jail was built in 1893 just east of the courthouse. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 1,119 square miles (2,900 km), of which 1,117 square miles (2,890 km)

6693-417: The county was $ 23,400. About 8.2% of families and 10.0% of the population were below the poverty line , including 14.1% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over. In 1855, a popular vote resulted in the adoption of township government, which was implemented in 1856. At that time, eleven townships were created; they are listed below. Over the next several decades, more townships were created from

6790-471: The county was 94.7% white, 0.8% black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 2.6% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 5.3% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 36.5% were German , 14.1% were Irish , 12.2% were American , and 10.1% were English . Of the 11,956 households, 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.7% were married couples living together, 9.3% had

6887-700: The existing ones, for a final total of twenty-six. The newer townships are listed below in order of creation. Throughout the rest of its history, Iroquois County has been among the most solidly Republican counties in Illinois. Since 1940 only Lyndon Johnson in his 1964 landslide has garnered forty percent of the county's vote for the Democratic Party, and only Bill Clinton in 1996 has topped 35 percent since 1968. [REDACTED] Media related to Iroquois County, Illinois at Wikimedia Commons 40°44′N 87°49′W  /  40.74°N 87.82°W  / 40.74; -87.82 County (United States) In

6984-399: The four independent municipalities within its borders: Atlantic Beach , Baldwin , Jacksonville Beach , and Neptune Beach . The term county equivalents is used by the United States Census Bureau to describe divisions that are comparable to counties but called by different names: Consolidated city-counties are not designated county equivalents for administrative purposes; since both

7081-461: The general law of the state or by a charter specific to that county. States may allow only general-law counties, only charter counties, or both. Generally, general-law local governments have less autonomy than chartered local governments. Counties are usually governed by an elected body, variously called the county commission , board of supervisors , commissioners' court , county council , county court , or county legislature . In cases in which

7178-622: The geographically largest cities in the world, though often with population densities far below those of most urban areas. There are 40 consolidated city-counties in the U.S., including Augusta–Richmond County; the City and County of Denver, Colorado; the City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii ; Indianapolis–Marion County, Indiana ; Jacksonville–Duval County, Florida ; Louisville–Jefferson County, Kentucky ; Lexington–Fayette County, Kentucky ; Kansas City–Wyandotte County, Kansas ; Nashville–Davidson County, Tennessee ; New Orleans–Orleans Parish, Louisiana ;

7275-405: The judicial branch of the state government rather than county governments. In many states, the county controls all unincorporated lands within its boundaries. In states with a township tier, unincorporated land is controlled by the townships. Residents of unincorporated land who are dissatisfied with county-level or township-level resource allocation decisions can attempt to vote to incorporate as

7372-560: The least extensive county equivalent is Kingman Reef , with a land area of 0.01 square miles (0.03 km ). In some states, a municipality may be in only one county and may not annex territory in adjacent counties, but in the majority of states, the state constitution or state law allows municipalities to extend across county boundaries. At least 32 states include municipalities in multiple counties . Dallas , for example, contains portions of five counties, while numerous other cities comprise portions of four counties. New York City

7469-416: The legislative power to enact laws for the county; it has the executive power to oversee the executive operations of county government; and it has quasi-judicial power with regard to certain limited matters (such as hearing appeals from the planning commission if one exists). In many states, several important officials are elected separately from the board of commissioners or supervisors and cannot be fired by

7566-663: The marketing of their operations as a bypass route and an originator for Peoria traffic, and they boosted their interchange traffic with the PRR, the Santa Fe, the CB&Q, the Minneapolis and St. Louis (M&StL), the Nickel Plate Road (NKP), and the New York Central. In January 1960, the PRR and the Santa Fe jointly purchased the TP&W from the McNear estate, with the two companies gaining an equal amount of shares. During

7663-674: The matter to the states. Subsequently, state constitutions conceptualized county governments as arms of the state. Louisiana instead adopted the local divisions called parishes that dated back to both the Spanish colonial and French colonial periods when the land was dominated by the Catholic Church . In the twentieth century, the role of local governments strengthened and counties began providing more services, acquiring home rule and county commissions to pass local ordinances pertaining to their unincorporated areas . In 1955, delegates to

7760-514: The next most common source of county names are geographic features and locations, with some counties even being named after counties in other states, or for places in other countries, such as the United Kingdom (the latter is most common in the area of the original Thirteen Colonies in the case of the United Kingdom, or in places which had a large number of immigrants from a particular area for other countries). The most common geographic county name

7857-424: The official record of all real estate transactions. Other key county officials include the coroner / medical examiner , treasurer , assessor , auditor , comptroller , and district attorney . In most states, the county sheriff is the chief law enforcement officer in the county. However, except in major emergencies where clear chains of command are essential, the county sheriff normally does not directly control

7954-448: The police departments of city governments, but merely cooperates with them (e.g., under mutual aid pacts). Thus, the most common interaction between county and city law enforcement personnel is when city police officers deliver suspects to sheriff's deputies for detention or incarceration in the county jail. In most states, the state courts and local law enforcement are organized and implemented along county boundaries, but nearly all of

8051-409: The purchase allowed the PRR to move their western terminus to Keokuk, and to interchange with the CB&Q at Lomax. The CB&Q and the PRR both quickly became joint owners of the TP&W. By the early 1900s, the Peoria area became a primary hub for multiple class I railroads with their own direct routes to the area, including the CB&Q and the PRR. The TP&W consequently began to operate at

8148-578: The relationship between counties and incorporated cities. The powers of counties arise from state law and vary widely. In Connecticut and Rhode Island , counties are geographic entities, but not governmental jurisdictions. At the other extreme, Maryland counties and the county equivalent City of Baltimore handle almost all services, including public education , although the state retains an active oversight authority with many of these services. Counties in Hawaii also handle almost all services since there

8245-541: The state's French and Spanish colonial periods. Before the Louisiana Purchase and granting of statehood, government was often administered in towns where major church parishes were located. Of the original 19 civil parishes of Louisiana that date from statehood in 1807, nine were named after the Roman Catholic parishes from which they were governed. The structure and powers of a county government may be defined by

8342-499: The strike quickly ended. The labor strike disputes resulted in 50% of the TP&W's traffic being lost, and they resulted in some traffic employees and executives leaving the company, but by the early 1950s, the railway regained their lost traffic and profitability, under Coulter's leadership. One task Coulter did for the TP&W was to dieselize their locomotive roster, and the process was completed in October 1950. The railway boosted

8439-421: The substantive and procedural law adjudicated in state trial courts originates from the state legislature and state appellate courts. In other words, most criminal defendants are prosecuted for violations of state law, not local ordinances, and if they, the district attorney, or police seek reforms to the criminal justice system, they will usually have to direct their efforts towards the state legislature rather than

8536-399: The term "county equivalent" to describe places that are comparable to counties, but called by different names. Louisiana parishes, the organized boroughs of Alaska, independent cities, and the District of Columbia are equivalent to counties for administrative purposes. Alaska's Unorganized Borough is further divided into 11 census areas that are statistically equivalent to counties. In 2024,

8633-438: The west part of the county on its route between Champaign and Chicago . From north to south, it passes through or near Chebanse, Clifton, Ashkum, Danforth, Gilman, Onarga, Buckley, and Loda. The county is bisected by the east–west U.S. Route 24 , which passes through Gilman, Crescent City, the county seat of Watseka, and Sheldon. Several railroad lines pass through the county. The Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway operates

8730-558: Was a former New York Central (NYC) executive and investor. George McNear became the TP&W's newest president, and he quickly brought the railway out of receivership by selling some of their property for $ 500,000, including a terminal facility to the Peoria and Pekin Union Railway , and he floated a bond issue for $ 800,000. One of McNear's other tasks for the TP&W was the abandonment of their surplus CB&Q connection in Lomax, which

8827-440: Was dissolved by the District of Columbia Organic Act . Jefferson County , for Thomas Jefferson , is next with 26. The most recent president to have a county named for him was Warren G. Harding , reflecting the slowing rate of county creation since New Mexico and Arizona became states in 1912. The most common names for counties not named after a president are Franklin (25), Clay (18), and Montgomery (18). After people,

8924-585: Was named for the Iroquois River , which was itself named for the Iroquois people. The first county seat was established at the town of Iroquois in 1837, though no official buildings were constructed there and offices were rented. Several other sites for the county seat were examined, and in 1839 it was moved to Middleport; a court house and jail were built there. There was a long battle between Middleport and Watseka (also known as South Middleport) as to which should be

9021-463: Was originally formed, lies to the south. To the west is Ford County . The Iroquois River enters the county from Indiana and flows westward along the south side of the village of Iroquois, then along the north side of the city of Watseka, whereupon it veers to the north and joins the larger Kankakee River near the city of Kankakee in the county of the same name; the Kankakee River then flows into

9118-603: Was recorded in January 1999 and a record high of 105 °F (41 °C) was recorded in August 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.61 inches (41 mm) in January to 4.62 inches (117 mm) in June. Transit service in the county is provided by SHOW Bus , which operates a local bus route within Watseka. Amtrak provides intercity passenger rail service on the Illini and Saluki at Gilman station . Interstate 57 passes through

9215-500: Was replaced with a new connection with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (Santa Fe). The railway began marketing their operations as a bypass route around the congested railroad traffic of Chicago and St. Louis , to which multiple surrounding railroads favored. The TP&W also worked to upgrade their equipment roster and to speed up their freight operations, and they discontinued their passenger and mail operations. In 1937,

9312-537: Was sold to the LP&;B, and then in 1864, the LP&B was reorganized as the Toledo, Peoria and Warsaw Railway (TP&W). Despite "Toledo" being incorporated in the name, the railway never extended their route to Toledo, Ohio . In 1868, the TP&W absorbed the Mississippi and Wabash Railroad, which had constructed a route between Peoria and Warsaw, Illinois . In 1871, the TP&W opened two routes; one main line over

9409-511: Was the Peoria and Oquawka Railroad, which was chartered in 1849, with the goal of providing a rail connection between the Illinois River in Peoria and the Mississippi River . In 1857, they completed construction on their route between Peoria and East Burlington, Illinois. Despite "Oquawka" being incorporated in the name, the railroad was forced to bypass Oquawka , since town officials were reluctant to permit trains in their area. By 1860,

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