Union

Formed January 2, 1818 (14^th county)

Union County (17,243), Jonesboro (1,709), Anna (4,296)

The Modern brown brick 2013 courthouse replaced the 1857 original courthouse.  It is located at Market Street between Locust and Elm streets.  Illinois State Highway 127 is one block south of the site.  HO & K Architects designed the new courthouse.  Union County was formed on January 2, 1818 from Johnson County as the 14^th county with Jonesboro as the only county seat.  Illinois joined the “Union” that year thus the county name.  Jonesboro is named for Doctor Jones, a settler. 

The area of the county is 413 square miles.  It is 71 out of 102 in the state.  It ranks 61 out of 102 in population in the state.  It has a density of 41.8 persons per square mile making it 57 out of 102 in the state.  Union County has 47.1% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 57 enters from the northeast, Johnson County, and exits to the south, Pulaski County.  United States Highway 51 comes from Jackson County, north, and joins with Interstate Highway 57 to go into Pulaski County.  The Mississippi River forms its western border with Missouri.  The county is rectangular except for the wandering western border.  Jonesboro is slightly south and west of center in the county.  Anna is directly east of Jonesboro.  Jonesboro is the county seat and Anna is the largest city.  Jonesboro is 9.9% of the county population while Anna is 24.9% of the county population. 

Union County government consists of a sheriff, an attorney, a coroner, a clerk, a treasurer, and an assessor (executive).  It has 5 Board Members (legislative.)  Twenty-one Circuit Court Judges serve Union, Alexander, Jackson, Johnson, Massac, Pope, Pulaski, Saline, and Williamson counties and a court clerk serves Union County (judicial.) The county is in extreme southern Illinois on the border with Missouri.  Saint Louis, Missouri is northwest and Paducah, Kentucky is southeast of the county.  The county center is 1.6 miles Northeast of Jonesboro in Anna.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Jackson, Williamson, Johnson, Pulaski, and Alexander counties and Missouri.