Coles County is a county in Illinois. As of the 2020 census, the population was 46,863. Its county seat is Charleston, which is also the home of Eastern Illinois University.

Coles County is coterminous with the Charleston–Mattoon, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, which is an area consisting of Coles County, anchored by the cities of Charleston and Mattoon. The micropolitan area previously included Cumberland County, Illinois.

History Coles County was organized on December 25, 1830, from Clark and Edgar counties. It was named after Edward Coles, the second governor of Illinois, from 1822 to 1826. The majority of the American settlers who founded Coles County were either from the six New England states, or were born in upstate New York to parents who had moved to that region from New England shortly after the American Revolution. They were part of a wave of farmers who headed west into the frontier of the Northwest Territory during the early 1800s. The completion of the Erie Canal led to an increase in such migrants heading west. When these settlers originally reached what is today Coles County, they found dense virgin forest and prairie.

The New England settlers laid out farms, constructed roads, erected government buildings and established post routes. They brought with them many of their "Yankee" values, such as staunch support for abolitionism as well as a passion for education. They quickly established schools in their communities. They were mostly members of the Congregationalist Church, though some were Episcopalian. As a result of the second Great Awakening, many had become Baptists or switched to Protestant denominations such as Methodism or Presbyterianism before moving to what is now Coles County. The prevalence of settlers with New England heritage resulted in their establishing a culture that was continuous with that of New England for the first several decades of its history. As a result of this, county residents largely supported abolitionism in the antebellum period, and also the Republican Party as of the 1850s and 1860s.

Beginning in 1849, numerous German immigrants arrived in Coles County, refugees from the rebellions the year before in various principalities. This population overwhelmingly supported the abolition of slavery.

Irish Catholic immigrants who had fled the famine in their country also settled here. Illinois Democratic Senator Stephen Douglas was extremely popular amongst Irish Catholic immigrants in Coles County at this time. During the Civil War the Irish Catholic community of Coles County would overwhelmingly be Copperheads.The Yankee Exodus: An Account of Migration from New England (1968) by Stewart H. HolbrookThe Yankee West: Community Life on the Michigan Frontier (1996) by Susan E. GrayYankee Colonies across America: Cities upon the Hills (2015) by Chaim M. RosenbergBonds of Loyalty: German-American and World War I by Frederick C. Luebke, Northern Illinois University Press, 1974 -

Folklore representation in other media Coles County has generated several well-known legends and folktales, including the Mad Gasser of Mattoon and accounts of the ghost of Mary Hawkins at Pemberton Hall. Michael Kleen has compiled many of these tales, including the "witch's grave" of St. Omer Cemetery and the story of "Rag Doll Cemetery," in his book Tales of Coles County, Illinois (2010).

The legend of "Rag Doll Cemetery" was adapted for the screenplay of the independent film Rag Doll, filmed in 2010 primarily in and around Mattoon, Illinois. The novel A Family Possessed (2000) by L. W. Stevenson, is based on a rural family's account of poltergeist activity at their home in the 1980s.

Ashmore Estates has long been a part of local folklore. Originally serving as the almshouse at the Coles County Poor Farm, it is considered a haunted attraction and a place of interest for paranormal investigators.

Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.4%) is water.

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Charleston have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1994 and a record high of was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in January to in July.

Adjacent counties Douglas County - north Edgar County - northeast Clark County - southeast Cumberland County - south Shelby County - southwest Moultrie County - west

Major highways Interstate 57 US Route 45 Illinois Route 16 Illinois Route 49 Illinois Route 121 Illinois Route 130 Illinois Route 133

Public transit Dial-A-Ride Rural Public Transportation Mattoon station

Demographics

As of the 2000 census, the Charleston–Mattoon micropolitan area had a population of 64,449 (though a July 1, 2009 estimate placed the population at 62,781).

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 46,863. The median age was 38.8 years, with 19.5% of residents under the age of 18 and 19.0% aged 65 years or older. For every 100 females there were 94.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 91.6 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 87.1% White, 4.4% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.9% from some other race, and 4.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 3.8% of the population.

Of the county's residents, 73.7% lived in urban areas while 26.3% lived in rural areas.

There were 19,861 households in the county, of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 41.0% were married-couple households, 21.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 29.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 35.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 22,739 housing units, of which 12.7% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 61.1% were owner-occupied and 38.9% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 12.5%.

Racial and ethnic composition +Coles County, Illinois – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)50,81049,90150,29849,33040,35297.23%96.62%94.55%91.57%86.11%Black or African American alone (NH)8719101,2082,0222,0431.67%1.76%2.27%3.75%4.36%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)43759379820.08%0.15%0.17%0.15%0.17%Asian alone (NH)1923344135236170.37%0.65%0.78%0.97%1.32%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census211024xx0.04%0.02%0.05%Other race alone (NH)1081934372110.21%0.04%0.06%0.07%0.45%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census3927171,766xx0.74%1.33%3.77%Hispanic or Latino (any race)2364057371,1551,7680.45%0.78%1.39%2.14%3.77%Total52,26051,64453,19653,87346,863 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

2010 census As of the 2010 United States census, there were 53,873 people, 21,463 households, and 11,963 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 23,425 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 92.9% white, 3.8% black or African American, 1.0% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.6% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.1% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 25.6% were German, 16.4% were Irish, 11.1% were American, 10.0% were English, 3.4% were Polish, 2.9% were Italian, 2.5% were French, 2.1% were Dutch and 1.9% were Scots-Irish.

Of the 21,463 households, 25.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.8% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 44.3% were non-families, and 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.87. The median age was 31.6 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,457 and the median income for a family was $54,170. Males had a median income of $38,915 versus $28,781 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,601. About 10.6% of families and 20.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.6% of those under age 18 and 5.9% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities Charleston (seat) Mattoon Oakland

Villages Ashmore Humboldt Lerna

Census-designated places

Janesville Trilla

Unincorporated communities Bushton Campbell Coles Cooks Mills Diona Dorans Embarrass Etna Fairgrange Fuller Hutton Jones Loxa Magnet Paradise Rardin Wabash Point

Townships Coles County is divided into these twelve townships:

Ashmore Charleston East Oakland Humboldt Hutton Lafayette Mattoon Morgan North Okaw Paradise Pleasant Grove Seven Hickory

Education Tertiary: Eastern Illinois University Lake Land College Lakeview College of Nursing (Charleston)

School districts in the county include: - Text list

Arcola Consolidated Unit School District 306 Arthur Community Unit School District 305 Casey-Westfield Community Unit School District 4C Charleston Community Unit School District 1 Kansas Community Unit School District 3 Mattoon Community Unit School District 2 Oakland Community Unit School District 5 Sullivan Community Unit School District 300

Politics Coles County leans strongly towards the Republican Party in presidential elections. Although it was carried by Illinoisian Barack Obama in 2008, the GOP regained the county in 2012 and all subsequent presidential elections.

Notable people

Thomas Lincoln, father of President Abraham Lincoln, moved to Coles County in 1831 and died there in 1851.

See also National Register of Historic Places listings in Coles County, Illinois List of school districts in Illinois Coles Together, economic development organization Donica Creek, a stream in Coles county

References

External links County website Coles County Online Community Illinois State Archives