Randolph county is located in southern Illinois on the banks of the Mississippi River. It was one of the earliest of all Illinois counties, being formed in 1795 from parts of St. Clair County and the Northwest Territory.
The county was named for Edmund Randolph, a one-time Governor of Virginia who later went on to serve as U.S. Secretary of State and Attorney General.
Chester, the county seat, is the birthplace of Elzie Segar, creator of the cartoon character "Popeye, the Sailor Man."
The Kaskaskia River flows through the county from north to south before emptying into the Mississippi.
The county population on July 1, 1999, was 33,600, a decrease of 983 over the 1990 census.
For information on county government, contact the National Association of Counties Web site.
Additional information is available at these pages:
