Community
Lawrence County is home to over 17,000 people.
History
The history of Lawrence County Illinois touches every historical era… Tecumseh traveled through its forests; George Rogers Clark marched across the County during the Revolution; Abe Lincoln’s family moved through it and he later returned to visit; the first men enlisting for duty when Lincoln called for recruits during the Civil War were from Lawrence County; it was the first Illinois county to hang a woman; oil was discovered under its soil producing an unrivaled economic boom, and an Army base was built on its prairie during WWII.
To learn more, click here to visit the Lawrence County Historical Society website.
Demographics
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 16,833 people, 6,130 households, and 4,056 families residing in the county. The population density was 45.2 inhabitants per square mile (17.5/km2). There were 6,936 housing units at an average density of 18.6 per square mile (7.2/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 87.3% white, 9.6% black or African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 1.7% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.3% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 12.7% were German, 10.4% were American, 9.5% were Irish, and 7.8% were English.
Of the 6,130 households, 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.7% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.8% were non-families, and 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age was 39.7 years
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Education
Lawrence County is serious about the importance of education. In fact, we have two school districts with impressive facilities, quality instruction, and superior use of technologies. We want our children to have access to the best possible education.
Lawrence County is also very fortunate to be located in the center of Illinois Eastern Community Colleges’ four campuses. Frontier, Lincoln Trail, Olney Central, and Wabash Valley offer continuing, vocational and technical education needs and interests.
Lawrence County Industrial Development Council Scholarships Funds provided by Chevron Corp.
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Location
Lawrence County is located in Southeastern Illinois. We are located at the intersection of US Route 50 and IL Route 1. The Wabash River forms the eastern boundary. Evansville, Indiana is one hour’s drive south of us and Terre Haute, Indiana is one hour’s drive north of us. We are within easy driving distance of Chicago, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Lexington, Louisville, Nashville, St. Louis, Kansas City and Milwaukee.
In addition, Lawrence County is only 35 miles west of the MEDIAN CENTER OF THE U.S. POPULATION. If you are in a logistics sensitive business and need your products and/or services to get to your customers just in time and at a reasonable cost, you need to be in Lawrence County, Illinois.
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Local Government
Contact Information
Lawrence County Courthouse
1100 State St.
Lawrenceville, IL 62439
618-943-2346 – County Clerk
618-943-2815 – Circuit Clerk
618-943-5126 – Recorder
IRAD Depository
Booth Library
600 Lincoln Ave.
Eastern Illinois University
Charleston, IL 61920
217-581-6093
Established
January 16, 1821
Origin of the name of the county
Named for Captain James Lawrence, Commander of the Chesapeake, who was mortally wounded in an engagement between that vessel and the British vessel, Shannon, during the War of 1812.
TOWNSHIP NAMES
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Our Vision & Mission
WHY JOIN US?
Our vision is to create a vibrant and prosperous economy in Lawrence County, where businesses can thrive and residents can enjoy the benefits of an enhanced quality of life
The LCIDC will foster economic development opportunities with a vision for growth and sustainability by promoting the county’s unique assets, providing resources to local businesses, and advocating for strategic investments that benefit the community.
Our Official Mission Statement:
To encourage the development of industrial, commercial, wholesale, retail, service, professional and/or other supporting businesses which will provide job opportunities, broaden the tax base and improve the quality of life in Lawrence County, Illinois.