Adams County, Illinois

Adams County, Illinois

Adams County is located in west-central Illinois, approximately an hour and a half north of St. Louis, Missouri. It is bordered by the Mississippi River on the west and the Illinois River on the east. Adams County is part of the Quincy, IL-MO Metropolitan Statistical Area and covers an area of 741 square miles with a population of 67,103 as of 2020. See list of counties in Illinois.

The county was established in 1825 and named after President John Adams. The county seat is located in Quincy, which is also the largest city in Adams County with a population of 40,633 as of 2020. Quincy is known for its rich history, beautiful architecture, and numerous parks and recreational activities. It boasts several notable attractions such as the Villa Kathrine Museum Complex and the All Wars Museum at Westview Park.

Adams County has a diverse economy based mainly on manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare services, retail trade, education services, finance & insurance services and professional/technical services. Major employers include Blessing Hospital System Inc., Titan Tire Corporation (Quincy), Gardner Denver Inc., Good Samaritan Home (Quincy), K&K Trucking (Hull) and Norwest Grain Inc (Mendon).

Agriculture plays an important role in Adams County’s economy with corn being one of the most popular crops grown here. Livestock are also raised in this area including cattle and hogs as well as horses for show or racing purposes. Other notable industries include construction materials manufacturing with several companies operating quarries throughout Adams County to provide gravel roads to local farmers and other industries needing these materials to operate their businesses successfully.

Adams County offers many recreational activities such as fishing at nearby reservoirs like Lake Waverly or hiking at nearby state parks like Siloam Springs State Park or golfing at any one of its several courses like Westview Golf Course or Spring Lake Country Club Golf Course. Hunting is also popular here with numerous public hunting areas throughout Adams County including Big Creek State Wildlife Area and LaGrange Fish & Wildlife Area where hunters can hunt for deer or turkey depending on season length restrictions set by state laws each year.

Adams County has many educational opportunities available for students from pre-K through college level coursework offered by John Wood Community College located in Quincy which offers associate degrees in a variety of disciplines from accounting to nursing to computer sciences among others plus career training programs like welding technology or industrial maintenance technician training programs just to name a few options available here locally within Adams County’s borders itself!

Adams County provides its citizens with access to excellent healthcare facilities including Blessing Hospital System Inc., Blessing Physician Services Inc., Hannibal Regional Medical Center (Hannibal), Memorial Medical Center (Quincy) just to name a few plus many smaller clinics located throughout this rural area offering primary care services for those without access to larger hospitals or medical centers for their healthcare needs locally within reachable distances from their homes!

In conclusion, it can be said that Adams County provides residents with access to quality education opportunities along with plenty of recreational activities both indoors & outdoors that are sure to please anyone looking for something fun & exciting while living here! With its diverse economy based mainly on agriculture & manufacturing plus excellent healthcare facilities available throughout this rural area makes it an ideal place for anyone looking for a peaceful yet stimulating environment.

History of Adams County, Illinois

Adams County, Illinois is located in the western part of the state, bordering Iowa and Missouri. The county was created in 1825 from parts of Pike and Fulton Counties and was named after John Adams, the second president of the United States.

Prior to settlement by Europeans, the area that would become Adams County was inhabited by Native American tribes such as the Sauk and Fox, Kickapoo, Potawatomi, and Winnebago. In 1819, a treaty with these tribes allowed for European settlement in the area.

The first settler to arrive in what is now Adams County was William Moore in 1820. He established a trading post near what is now Liberty. Other early settlers soon followed suit and began building homesteads throughout the county. By 1830, most of Adams County had been settled by farmers who grew wheat and corn as their main crops.

In 1836, Quincy became the county seat of Adams County due to its location at a river crossing point on the Mississippi River. Quincy quickly grew into an important regional center for trade and commerce as well as a hub for transportation due to its proximity to both railroads and steamboats on the Mississippi River.

During this period of growth several important institutions were established in Quincy such as Illinois College (1829) and Blessing Hospital (1860). These institutions helped give Quincy an important role in education and healthcare for much of western Illinois during this time period.

The Civil War caused significant disruption throughout Adams County with many soldiers from the area fighting for both Union and Confederate forces during this time period. Afterward many soldiers returned home but life was never quite back to normal due to economic hardships caused by war-time destruction throughout much of Illinois.

In 1882, construction began on a dam near Quincy which created Lakeview Park which helped revive tourism within Adams County that continued throughout much of 20th century until present day when visitors flock to Lakeview Park each summer for swimming boating fishing festivals concerts etc.. Additionally other industries such as manufacturing steel production food processing etc.. began setting up shop within Adams County further helping spur economic growth within this region during this time period..

Throughout 20th century, agriculture still remained an important industry within Adams County with corn soybeans oats wheat hay etc.. being grown throughout the region. In addition other industries such as food processing manufacturing steel production etc.. continued grow while modern technology brought new opportunities like telecommunication centers data centers etc.. Throughout last few decades tourism has also become increasingly important industry within region with visitors coming from all across country take part various activities offered including camping fishing boating golfing skiing hunting etc.

Today, Adams County remains vibrant community that continues grow thanks strong focus on education healthcare business development tourism recreation etc. With its rich history diverse cultural offerings abundance natural resources beautiful scenery it’s no wonder why so many people choose make their home here.

Adams County, Illinois