Effingham County

Effingham county was formed in 1831 from parts of Crawford County and Fayette County. It is located in southern Illinois and is named for General Edward Effingham who served with General Ewing in the Black Hawk War. Later he surveyed the county and, as was common practice then, the county was then named after him.

The first settlers began arriving in 1814 and were primarily farmers moving west along the Cumberland Trail. There was stagnant growth in the area until the 1850's when the railroad came through and changed the face of the rural setting with its hotels and retail establishments.

The county seat is Effingham and the population on July 1, 1999, was 33,786, an increase of 2,082 over the 1990 census. Effingham is located at the intersection of Interstate 57 and Interstate 70.

Location: Effingham Illinois

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