Pike

Formed January 31, 1821 (26^th county)

Pike County (14,737), Pittsfield (4,200)                

An outstanding Romanesque stone courthouse was built in 1894 on a square at Washington, Monroe, Adams and Madison streets.  Washington Street is United States Highway 54 in the city.  The courthouse was designed by Henry Elliott.  The structure sits in a park setting.  An annex sits across the street.  Pike County was established on January 31, 1821 as the 26^th county.  Coles Gove (1821), Atlas (1824), and Pittsfield (1833) have all served as county seat.  It was taken for a part of Madison County.  The county is named for explorer Zebulon Pike.  Pittsfield is named for Pittsfield, Massachusetts. 

Pike County government consists of a sheriff and 9 Commissioners.  Thirteen Circuit Court Judges serve Pike, Adams, Brown, Calhoun, Cass, Mason, Menard, and Schuyler counties.  The county is in western Illinois on the Mississippi River border with Missouri.  The Illinois River forms its eastern border.  Saint Louis, Missouri is southeast and Peoria, Illinois is northeast of the county.  The county center is 3.8 miles South-Southwest of Pittsfield.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Brown, Scott, Morgan, Greene, and Calhoun counties and Missouri and Adams County. 

The area of the county is 831 square miles.  It is 14 out of 102 in the state.  It ranks 73 out of 102 in population in the state.  It has a density of 17.7 persons per square mile making it 97 out of 102 in the state.  Pike County has 66.8% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 72 enters from the east, Scott County, and exits to the west, Missouri.  United States Highway 36 is joined with Interstate Highway 72 from Scott County to Missouri.  United States Highway 54 originates in the county and travels west into Missouri.  The county looks like a chair with a short back.  Pittsfield is in the eastern half of the county.  Pittsfield is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 28.5% of the county population.