Fayette County, Illinois

Fayette County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

County Seat: Vandalia
Year Organized: 1821
Square Miles: 716

Court House:

221 S 7th
County Courthouse
Vandalia, IL 62471-0000

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Marquis de La Fayette, French nobleman who served in the American Revolution Army commanding French troops at the battle of Yorktown.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

History

Fayette County was created on February 14, 1821 (Laws, 1821, p. 164) and was formed from Bond, Clark, Crawford and Jefferson Counties. Present area, or parts of it, formerly included in: Crawford County (1816–1821), Clark County (1819–1821), Bond County (1817–1821), Madison County (1812–1817), Edwards County (1815–1816), St. Clair County (1790–1812) and Knox, Northwest Territory (1790–1801).

The County was named in honor of the Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de la Fayette, the famous French General who fought for the colonies in the Revolutionary War. The County Seat is Vandalia (1821-Present).

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 725 square miles (1,879 km²), of which, 716 square miles (1,856 km²) of it is land and 9 square miles (23 km²) of it (1.22%) is water.

The soil is fertile and a rich vein of bituminous coal underlies the county. Agriculture, fruit-growing and mining are the chief industries. The old, historic "Cumberland Road," the trail for all west-bound emigrants, .crossed the county at an early date.

Neighboring Counties:

Northeast: Shelby County
East: Effingham County
Southeast: Clay County
South: Marion County
Southwest: Clinton County; Bond County
Northwest: Montgomery County

Cities and Towns:

- Avena	township
- Bear Grove	township
- Bingham	village	Incorporated Area
- Brownstown	village	Incorporated Area
- Carson	township
- Farina	village	Incorporated Area
- Hurricane	township
- Lone Grove	township
- Loudon	township
- Otego	township
- Ramsey	village	Incorporated Area
- Sefton	township
- Seminary	township
- Shafter	township
- Sharon	township
- South Hurricane	township
- St. Elmo	city	Incorporated Area
- St. Peter	village	Incorporated Area
- Vandalia (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area
- Wheatland	township
- Wilberton	township

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

Online High Schools

County Resource Guide

Counties: US Map

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