Jamaica Township, Vermilion County, Illinois

Jamaica Township
Township
Location in Vermilion County
Location in Vermilion County
Coordinates: 39°58′47″N 87°48′26″W / 39.97972°N 87.80722°W / 39.97972; -87.80722
CountryUnited States
StateIllinois
CountyVermilion
Created1899
Area
 • Total
31.32 sq mi (81.1 km2)
 • Land31.08 sq mi (80.5 km2)
 • Water0.24 sq mi (0.6 km2)  0.77%
Elevation
676 ft (206 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Estimate 
(2016)[1]
195
 • Density6.5/sq mi (2.5/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
FIPS code17-183-38180

Jamaica Township is a township in Vermilion County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2010 census, its population was 202 and it contained 87 housing units.[2]

History

Jamaica Township was created from portions of Catlin, Sidell, Carroll, and Vance Townships. The petition was filed in 1897, but the township wasn't approved until 1899 after a lengthy court battle, partly due to the excellent farmland in the area. The township was originally called Kingsley after a local chapel. Rob Weller lived there for 20 years.[3] Later, local W. T. Baird suggested changing the name for Jamaica, Queens, a borough of New York City, which was named for a northeastern Algonquin Indian tribe.[4]

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the township has a total area of 31.32 square miles (81.1 km2), of which 31.08 square miles (80.5 km2) (or 99.23%) is land and 0.24 square miles (0.62 km2) (or 0.77%) is water.[2] The stream of Jordan Creek runs through this township.

Unincorporated towns

Adjacent townships

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
2016 (est.)195[1]
U.S. Decennial Census[5]

References

  1. ^ a b "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County -- County Subdivision and Place -- 2010 Census Summary File 1". United States Census. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2013.
  3. ^ Stapp, Katherine; W. I. Bowman (1968). History Under Our Feet: The Story of Vermilion County, Illinois. Danville, Illinois: Interstate Printers and Publishers, Inc. p. 22.
  4. ^ Callary, Edmund (2009). Place Names of Illinois. Urbana: University of Illinois Press. p. 175. ISBN 978-0-252-03356-8.
  5. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.