Hillsboro is a city in and the county seat of Montgomery County, Illinois, United States. The population was 5,902 at the 2020 census.

History

The community was founded in 1823 and incorporated on March 26, 1913. There is some doubt about the origin of the city's name. The local terrain is quite hilly, as a result of the drainage of the Shoal Creek watershed, causing widespread belief that this is the name's source. Alternatively, there is the belief that it was named for Hillsborough, North Carolina, the home of some of the early settlers, including Hiram Rountree and John Nussman.

Geography

Hillsboro is located south of the center of Montgomery County at 39.165°N, -89.48444°W (39.164973, −89.484572). It is bordered to the east by Schram City and to the south by Taylor Springs. Illinois Route 16 passes through the city center, leading west 9 mi to Litchfield and northeast 28 mi to Pana. Illinois Route 127 enters Hillsboro from the northwest with IL 16 but continues south as Vandalia Road; IL 127 leads north-northwest 12 mi to Raymond and south 20 mi to Greenville. Vandalia is 27 mi to the southeast via Illinois Route 185. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Hillsboro has a total area of 10.4 sqmi, of which 8.7 sqmi are land and 1.8 sqmi, or 16.84%, are water. The Middle Fork of Shoal Creek passes just west of the city limits, flowing south toward the Kaskaskia River. Lake Glenn Shoals, north of the city, is a reservoir on the Middle Fork, and the Hillsboro city limits extend north more than 6 mi to encompass the lake. Lake Hillsboro is a smaller reservoir on a tributary of the Middle Fork, northeast of the city center.

Climate

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 4,359 people, 1,800 households, and 1,189 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,214.9 PD/sqmi. There were 1,944 housing units at an average density of 541.8 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 97.22% White, 1.10% African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.39% from other races, and 0.53% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.19% of the population. There were 1,800 households, out of which 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.2% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.9% were non-families. 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.91. In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.8% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $33,075, and the median income for a family was $40,135. Males had a median income of $31,821 versus $18,668 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,458. About 14.3% of families and 17.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.9% of those under age 18 and 11.9% of those age 65 or over.

Protected areas

The Bremer Wildlife Sanctuary, north of Hillsboro, is the southeastern terminus of the Arches Rail Trail. The 3 mi rail trail connects the Hillsboro area with nearby Butler.

Notable people