Richland county was created in 1841 from parts of Clay County and Lawrence County. It is located in southeastern Illinois, one county removed from the Ohio River and is named for Richland County, Ohio, which in turn was named for the fertility of the area.
Olney serves as the county seat is and the county population on July 1, 1999, was 16,654, an increase of 109 over the 1990 census. Olney Central College, a community college located in Olney, serves the county's continuing education effort with many students going on to 4-year colleges and universties. Olney also plays host to hundreds of albino squirrels that have the right-of-way on city streets.
For information on county government, contact the National Association of Counties Web site.
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