Randolph County, Illinois

Randolph County is a located in the  of. As of 2000, the population was 33,893. Its is.

Owing to its role in the state's history, the county motto is "Where Illinois Began."

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 1,547 (597 ). 1,498 km² (578 sq mi) of it is land and 49 km² (19 sq mi) of it (3.15%) is water.

The flows into the  in Randolph County. At this point the Mississippi, which usually defines the border between Illinois and, is entirely in Illinois. The Mississippi changed its course in the late-nineteenth century, leaving Kaskaskia, the former state capitol, on the west side of the River. The boundary of the State, however, follows the old course of the River, leaving Illinois with an enclave on the western shore of the Mississippi River.

Adjacent Counties

 * (north)
 * (northeast)
 * (east)
 * (southeast)
 * (south)
 * (southwest)
 * (northwest)

History
Randolph County was organized in 1795 out of a part of. It was named in honor of, Governor of Virginia. The was captured from the British near the end of the  by the army of. Illinois then became, for a brief time, Illinois County, Virginia. Edmund Randolph was Governor of Virginia at the time Virginia ceded the Northwest Territory to the United States. The county's boundaries were last changed in 1827, when land was taken to form.

The has played a prominent role in the county's history, altering its boundaries in 1881 when it severed the  that connected Kaskaskia to the Illinois mainland, destroying the original village of  and forcing its historic cemetery to be relocated across the river to. Crains Island, southeast of, is another of Illinois west of the Mississippi that was created by a change in the river's course.

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 33,893 people, 12,084 households, and 8,362 families residing in the county. The was 23/km² (59/sq mi). There were 13,328 housing units at an average density of 9/km² (23/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 88.71%, 9.29% or , 0.16% , 0.24% , 0.04% , 0.81% from , and 0.76% from two or more races. 1.54% of the population were or  of any race.

There were 12,084 households out of which 31.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.00% were living together, 9.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.80% were non-families. 26.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the county the population was spread out with 22.10% under the age of 18, 9.60% from 18 to 24, 30.40% from 25 to 44, 22.30% from 45 to 64, and 15.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 116.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 119.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $37,013, and the median income for a family was $44,766. Males had a median income of $30,837 versus $21,501 for females. The for the county was $17,696. About 7.10% of families and 10.00% of the population were below the, including 14.10% of those under age 18 and 8.50% of those age 65 or over.

Media
There are two AM radio stations licensed in the county, WHCO 1230AM in Sparta and KSGM 980AM in Chester.

There are several weekly newspapers in the county. They are The County Journal, which is based in Percy but also covers Perry and Jackson Counties, the North County News in Red Bud, the Randolph County Herald-Tribune in Chester and the Sparta News-Plaindealer.