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LaSalle County, Illinois

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"LaSalle County" redirects here. For the county in Texas, see La Salle County, Texas.

LaSalle County is a county located within the Fox Valley and Illinois River Valley regions of the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2020 Census, it had a population of 109,658.[3] Its county seat and largest city is Ottawa.[4] LaSalle County is part of the Ottawa, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area of Northern Illinois.

LaSalle County
County
LaSalle County Courthouse, Ottawa, Illinois
LaSalle County Courthouse, Ottawa, Illinois
Map of Illinois highlighting LaSalle County
Location within the U.S. state of Illinois
Map of the United States highlighting Illinois
Illinois's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 41°20′38″N 88°53′9″W / 41.34389°N 88.88583°W / 41.34389; -88.88583
Country United States
State Illinois
FoundedJanuary 15, 1831
Named forRené-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle
SeatOttawa
Largest cityOttawa
Area
 • Total
1,148 sq mi (2,970 km2)
 • Land1,135 sq mi (2,940 km2)
 • Water13 sq mi (30 km2)  1.1%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
109,658
 • Estimate 
(2023)
108,309 Decrease
 • Density96/sq mi (37/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional districts14th, 16th
Websitelasallecountyil.gov
[1][2]

LaSalle County borders Woodford, Marshall, Putnam, Bureau, Livingston, Lee, DeKalb, Kendall, and Grundy counties. Though LaSalle County is in the Chicago media market, it retains a unique identity with a mix of river towns and vast expanses of farmland. The county lies at the intersection of the Chicago, Peoria, Quad Cities and Rockford television markets with all four regions broadcasting within its borders and having a strong influence on the area, despite the county being only 60 miles (97 km) southwest of Chicago.

History

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LaSalle County was formed on January 15, 1831,[5] out of Tazewell and Putnam Counties. It is named for the early French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle.[6] La Salle was the first European recorded as entering the area. He traveled the Mississippi River upriver from the Gulf of Mexico, claimed the land for France, or rather as a possession of King Louis XIV of France, and named it Louisiana. In 1680, he and Henry de Tonty built Fort Crevecoeur on the Illinois River in present-day Tazewell County, and in 1683, they constructed Fort St. Louis on Starved Rock in present-day LaSalle County. By 1857, the county was served by the daily arrivals of two trains of the Illinois Central Railroad.

As William D. Boyce reportedly founded the Boy Scouts of America in Ottawa, the council is named for him. He and two other founders established the BSA, but Boyce is given the sole credit since his faction of the BSA adopted the other two competing factions' elements within the organization. LaSalle County is within what is called the Lowaneu District of the W.D. Boyce Council.

In 1838, William Reddick, a local farmer and landowner, was elected sheriff of LaSalle County.[7] He was hired to restore public order resulting from an influx of workmen creating the Illinois and Michigan Canal.[8] Reddick served as sheriff for four consecutive two-year terms.[7] After being elected to the Illinois State Senate, Reddick commissioned the construction of a luxurious Italianate home, now known as the Reddick Mansion.[8] This structure is one of the largest surviving pre-Civil War homes in Illinois.[9] The mansion was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, as part of the Washington Park Historic District.[10]

The tri-county area of DeKalb, LaSalle, and Kendall has been influential in terms of its politics, sports, multimedia, industry, and technology. DeKalb County was the birthplace of plant hybridization (DeKalb, DeKalb Agricultural), the hot-air hand dryer (Sandwich, Sahara-Pak), and is the home of supermodel Cindy Crawford, at least 7 MLB players, two NFL coaches, and three NFL players. LaSalle County was home to the Westclox Company for many years, it was the site of the first Lincoln-Douglas Debates, and was the home to the discoverer of Pluto, as well as a Wild West figure, multiple published authors, a legendary NCAA athletic director and coach, and multiple political figures. Kendall County is the home to a seminal piece of 20th Century architecture, the birthplace of the Harvester Reaper, (as well as the precursor to the International Harvester Company), the plastic tackle box and plastic-injection molding, and is the home of multiple athletes, politicians, and a former Speaker of the House of Representatives. DeKalb, LaSalle, and Kendall Counties have all been featured in major films, with scripts either having been written by residents or former residents.

LaSalle County was founded largely by immigrants from New England. These were old stock Yankee immigrants, who were descended from the English Puritans who settled New England in the 1600s. The completion of the Erie Canal caused a surge in New England immigration to what was then the Northwest Territory. The end of the Black Hawk War led to an additional surge of immigration, once again coming almost exclusively from the six New England states as a result of overpopulation combined with land shortages in that region. Some of these later settlers were from upstate New York and had parents who had moved to that region from New England shortly after the Revolutionary War. New Englanders and New England transplants from upstate New York were the vast majority of LaSalle County's inhabitants during the first several decades of its history. These settlers were primarily members of the Congregational Church, though due to the Second Great Awakening, many of them had converted to Methodism, and some had become Baptists before coming to what is now LaSalle County. The Congregational Church has subsequently gone through many divisions, and some factions, including those in LaSalle County, are now known as the Church of Christ and the United Church of Christ. As a result of this heritage, the vast majority of inhabitants in LaSalle County − much like antebellum New England − were overwhelmingly in favor of the abolitionist movement during the decades leading up to the Civil War.[11] When the New Englanders arrived in what is now LaSalle County, there was nothing but dense virgin forest and wild prairie. They laid out farms, constructed roads, erected government buildings and established post routes. In 1834, Norwegian immigrants settled in the northwest corner of the county. The construction of the Illinois & Michigan Canal brought thousands of Irish and Irish-American workers to Illinois. Many settled in the counties along the canal route. Ottawa and LaSalle County had a large Irish population due to the importance of Ottawa as a trade and industrial center on the canal. The election of the LaSalle County sheriff hinged on the Irish vote when a New Englander Woodruff was replaced as sheriff by William Reddick a successful Irish landowner following Woodruff's role in putting down a riot along the canal in 1837. Irish and German immigration to LaSalle County, especially LaSalle. Ottawa and Peru prior to the Civil War was such that many German immigrants joined Illinois regiments during the war.[12] In the late 1880s and early 1890s, Irish and German migrants began moving into LaSalle County; most of these later immigrants did not move directly from Ireland and Germany, but rather from other areas in the Midwest where they had been living, particularly the state of Ohio.[13] Immigrants around the Peterstown, Troy Grove, Meriden, Mendota, and Earlville area were largely of German descent, with the Mendota area directly being the epicenter of the German community in the county. Norwegian population has been strong in the area around Northville, Serena, Mission, and Miller Townships in LaSalle County, along with Little Rock and Fox Townships in Kendall County, and Sandwich and Somonauk Townships in DeKalb County. One such family, the Borschsenius family, runs the Norway Store in the unincorporated community of Norway, in southern Mission Township, and the family has been deeply involved with businesses and the school district of nearby Serena and Sheridan.

Ottawa was the first site of the famous Lincoln–Douglas debates on August 21, 1858. The community has a strong association with the 16th President, and elements of the downtown area of the city retain much mid-19th century architecture. People in LaSalle County were predominantly abolitionist in attitude, and many Underground Railroad sites were maintained in the county prior to the American Civil War.

Utica (officially North Utica) is considered the gateway to the Starved Rock area. Visiting three parks provides a full experience of the area. Starved Rock State Park, (south of Utica on Illinois Route 178), is the crown jewel. Matthiessen State Park (south of Starved Rock on Ill 178) has many of the same features of Starved Rock, but is smaller, and faces the Vermilion River to the west. Buffalo Rock State Park (east of Utica, and west of Naplate/Ottawa on Dee Bennett Road) has an enclosure which features American bison, as well as the mound sculpture complex, known as the Effigy Tumuli. The village was the site of a F3 tornado that ripped through the downtown and killed nine people on April 20, 2004.

On November 15, 2023, a magnitude 3.6 earthquake hit the county. [1]

  •  
    LaSalle County from the time of its creation to 1836, including a large tract of unorganized territory temporarily attached to it.[5]
  •  
    LaSalle County between 1836 and 1837
  •  
    LaSalle County between 1837 and 1841
  •  
    LaSalle County between 1841 and 1843
  •  
    In 1843, the southwest corner was ceded to Marshall County, reducing LaSalle to its present size

Geography

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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,148 square miles (2,970 km2), of which 1,135 square miles (2,940 km2) is land and 13 square miles (34 km2) (1.1%) is water.[14] It is the second-largest county in Illinois by land area and the fourth-largest by total area.

Adjacent counties

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LaSalle County, Illinois, is one of the few counties in the United States to border as many as nine counties. Illinois has two such counties, with Pike County being the other.

Many of the residents of LaSalle County live in cities and towns along the Illinois River. It is the main population core, with some exceptions, including Streator to the south of the county. Large cities along the river include Ottawa, LaSalle, Peru, and Marseilles. The regions north and south of the Illinois River are mostly agricultural, including the Fox River portion of the county, and have few large towns.

Climate

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Ottawa, Illinois
Climate chart (explanation)
J
F
M
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M
J
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A
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1.5
 
 
30
12
 
 
1.3
 
 
37
18
 
 
2.6
 
 
49
29
 
 
3.4
 
 
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39
 
 
4
 
 
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50
 
 
4.1
 
 
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3.6
 
 
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3.8
 
 
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3.5
 
 
77
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2.6
 
 
65
41
 
 
3
 
 
49
30
 
 
2.3
 
 
36
18
█ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
█ Precipitation totals in inches
Source: The Weather Channel[15]
Metric conversion
J
F
M
A
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J
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37
 
 
−1
−11
 
 
34
 
 
3
−8
 
 
66
 
 
9
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87
 
 
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4
 
 
102
 
 
23
10
 
 
105
 
 
28
15
 
 
92
 
 
29
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96
 
 
28
16
 
 
89
 
 
25
12
 
 
66
 
 
18
5
 
 
75
 
 
9
−1
 
 
58
 
 
2
−8
█ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
█ Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Ottawa have ranged from a low of 12 °F (−11 °C) in January to a high of 85 °F (29 °C) in July, although a record low of −25 °F (−32 °C) was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of 112 °F (44 °C) was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.32 inches (34 mm) in February to 4.13 inches (105 mm) in June.[15]

Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18409,348—
185017,81590.6%
186048,332171.3%
187060,79225.8%
188070,40315.8%
189080,79814.8%
190087,7768.6%
191090,1322.7%
192092,9253.1%
193097,6955.1%
194097,8010.1%
1950100,6102.9%
1960110,80010.1%
1970111,4090.5%
1980112,0030.5%
1990106,913−4.5%
2000111,5094.3%
2010113,9242.2%
2020109,658−3.7%
2023 (est.)108,309[16]−1.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[17]
 
2000 census age pyramid for LaSalle County

As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 109,658 people, 45,089 households, and 29,344 families residing in the county.[18] The population density was 95.5 inhabitants per square mile (36.9/km2). There were 49,812 housing units at an average density of 43.4 per square mile (16.8/km2).[14] The racial makeup of the county was 85.6% white, 2.4% black or African American, 0.8% Asian, 0.4% American Indian, 3.6% from other races, and 7.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 10.4% of the population.[19] In terms of ancestry, 27.8% were German, 18.0% were Irish, 8.7% were Italian, 8.1% were English, 7.6% were Polish, 4.4% were Norwegian, 3.8% were American, and 3.1% were French.[20]

Of the 45,089 households, 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.6% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.9% were non-families, and 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.86. The median age was 42.1 years. For every 100 females there were 101.4 males.[21]

The median income for a household in the county was $60,069 and the median income for a family was $72,583. Males had a median income of $50,214 versus $26,424 for females. The per capita income for the county was $31,020. About 9.7% of families and 13.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.8% of those under age 18 and 5.2% of those age 65 or over.[22]

Education

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School districts

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For a more comprehensive list, see List of school districts in Illinois § LaSalle County.

Secondary schools

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Public

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Private

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Colleges and universities

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Infrastructure

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Transportation

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Transit

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Airports

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Major highways

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Utilities

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Communities

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Cities

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Villages

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Census-designated places

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Other unincorporated communities

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Townships

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LaSalle County is divided into thirty-seven townships:

Ghost towns

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Politics

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LaSalle County, Illinois
Position Person Party
Auditor Stephanie Jo Thompson Republican
County Board Chairman Donald E. Jensen Republican
County Board Majority 20-9[24] Republican
Circuit Clerk Greg Vacarro Republican
County Clerk Jennifer Ebner Republican
Coroner Rich Ploch Democratic
Recorder Karen Friestad Miller Republican
Sheriff Adam Diss Republican
State's Attorney Joe Navarro Democratic
Regional Superintendent Chris Dvorak Democratic
Treasurer James L. Spelich Republican

LaSalle has generally been a Republican-leaning swing county, more competitive than most in urbanized Northern Illinois.

In its early years, LaSalle County supported the Democratic Party, being southwest of the Free Soil strongholds in the far northeast of the state. Following the formation of the Republican party, LaSalle County voted for that party in every election until 1884, when it supported Democrat Grover Cleveland three consecutive times. Although the county gave a plurality to Woodrow Wilson in 1912 and supported Franklin D. Roosevelt in his first three elections, it otherwise voted Republican until 1960.

A Democratic trend, typical of Yankee Northern Illinois, saw Michael Dukakis carry LaSalle despite failing to win the election in 1988, and no Republican would carry the county again until George W. Bush in 2004.

United States presidential election results for LaSalle County, Illinois[25]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 30,113 56.09% 22,442 41.80% 1,132 2.11%
2016 26,689 53.65% 19,543 39.29% 3,511 7.06%
2012 23,256 49.06% 23,073 48.67% 1,076 2.27%
2008 21,872 43.47% 27,443 54.55% 995 1.98%
2004 26,101 51.45% 24,263 47.83% 365 0.72%
2000 21,276 46.25% 23,355 50.76% 1,376 2.99%
1996 15,299 36.01% 21,643 50.94% 5,549 13.06%
1992 16,078 32.20% 23,276 46.62% 10,577 21.18%
1988 22,166 49.64% 22,271 49.88% 213 0.48%
1984 27,388 56.89% 20,532 42.65% 219 0.45%
1980 27,323 57.12% 16,818 35.16% 3,694 7.72%
1976 25,114 51.39% 23,105 47.28% 646 1.32%
1972 31,190 59.20% 21,405 40.63% 92 0.17%
1968 26,054 50.48% 22,940 44.45% 2,616 5.07%
1964 21,216 40.69% 30,923 59.31% 0 0.00%
1960 27,552 49.98% 27,532 49.94% 41 0.07%
1956 33,461 64.52% 18,318 35.32% 83 0.16%
1952 32,857 60.54% 21,321 39.28% 99 0.18%
1948 24,453 55.02% 19,666 44.25% 321 0.72%
1944 28,179 54.32% 21,489 41.42% 2,210 4.26%
1940 25,296 45.66% 29,704 53.62% 399 0.72%
1936 22,240 43.44% 26,926 52.59% 2,035 3.97%
1932 19,179 40.30% 27,500 57.79% 908 1.91%
1928 24,039 53.15% 20,807 46.00% 382 0.84%
1924 21,417 60.47% 6,216 17.55% 7,784 21.98%
1920 23,751 73.23% 6,626 20.43% 2,057 6.34%
1916 20,662 56.62% 14,625 40.08% 1,203 3.30%
1912 4,858 24.56% 7,036 35.56% 7,890 39.88%
1908 11,159 55.59% 7,589 37.81% 1,326 6.61%
1904 11,967 62.67% 5,628 29.47% 1,500 7.86%
1900 11,781 56.22% 8,671 41.38% 504 2.41%
1896 11,548 57.60% 8,108 40.44% 391 1.95%
1892 7,957 44.12% 9,365 51.93% 711 3.94%

Visitor attractions

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Notable people

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See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ "La Salle County, Illinois – Fact Sheet". American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. 2000. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved February 26, 2010.
  2. ^ "LaSalle County". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  3. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  4. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  5. ^ a b "Origin and Evolution of Illinois Counties" (PDF). Illinois Secretary of State. March 2010. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 30, 2021. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
  6. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 182.
  7. ^ a b Catlin, Betty (1971). Reddick's Library (PDF). Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. pp. 3–8. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 23, 2019. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
  8. ^ a b Sprague, Paul E.; Dring, William (1975). History, Significance, and Feasibility for Adaptive Use of the William Reddick Mansion at Ottawa, Illinois (PDF). National Trust for Historic Preservation; Ottawa Silica Company. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign University Library. pp. 1–150. OCLC 665222949. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 23, 2019.
  9. ^ Brown, Janet Rabenstein; Pielemeier, Nancy Rabenstein; Scott, Ann Rabenstein (1995). Ottawa, Illinois in Nineteen Hundred. LaSalle County Genealogy Guild. p. 42.
  10. ^ National Park Service (October 10, 1972). "Illinois SP Washington Park Historic District". Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  11. ^ History of La Salle County, Illinois: Together with Sketches of Its Cities, Villages and Towns, Educational, Religious, Civil, Military, and Political History, Portraits of Prominent Persons, and Biographies of Representative Citizens : Also a Condensed History of Illinois, Embodying Accounts of Prehistoric Races, Aborigines, Winnebago and Black Hawk Wars, and a Brief Review of Its Civil and Political History, Volume 1 by Inter-state Publishing Company, 1886
  12. ^ History of LaSalle County, Illinois, by Elmer Baldwin Rand McNally & Company, 1877
  13. ^ History of LaSalle County, Illinois, Volume 1 by Michael Cyprian O'Byrne Higginson Book Company, 1924
  14. ^ a b "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  15. ^ a b "Monthly Averages for Ottawa, Illinois". The Weather Channel. Archived from the original on September 15, 2010. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
  16. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
  17. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". Census.gov. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
  18. ^ "Explore Census Data".
  19. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  20. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  21. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  22. ^ "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  23. ^ "About Us". Ottawa Christian Academy. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
  24. ^ "LaSalle County board". lasallecounty.org. Archived from the original on December 1, 2016.
  25. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Archived from the original on March 23, 2018.

References

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  • Forstall, Richard L. (1996). Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790 to 1990: From the Twenty-One Decennial Censuses. United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Population Division. ISBN 0-934213-48-8.
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