LIST OF COUNTIES.

Showing Origin of Name, Date of Organization, County Seat, Area and Population in 1900.

The nineteen counties marked * are not under township organization. The others have adopted township organization.

MUNICIPALITIES OF ILLINOIS.

The municipalities of Illinois consist of cities, villages and towns. Under the general law of 1872 for the incorporation of municipalities, cities and villages only may be organized. All municipalities now legally designated as towns are such as were incorporated prior to 1872 and have failed to reorganize under the act of 1872. Under the existing law. a municipality to organize as a city, must contain a population of 1,000 or more, and to organize as a village 300 or more. Many villages and towns of the State are eligible to reorganization as cities.

The following list of 1,018 municipalities corrected up to January 1, 1906, includes 218 cities, 745 villages, fifty-two towns and three unclassified municipalities.

Of these, 948 are incorporated under the general act of 1872. Of this number, 633 were not previously incorporated by special acts, but many of them were organized under the general laws existing prior to 1872, the date of such former organization under prior general laws not appearing on the records of the Secretary of State. These 633 names of municipalities not previously incorporated by special acts are printed in plain Roman type.

These

Three hundred fifteen municipalities, incorporated under special acts prior to 1872, have since reorganized under the general law now in force. names appear in italics.

Fifty-nine municipalities, incorporated under special acts prior to 1872, still retain their original charters, and are indicated by SMALL CAPITALS.

Seven municipalities, incorporated under general laws existing prior to 1872. still maintain their original organization and are indicated on this list by LARGE CAPITALS.

Four municipalities are included in this list, known to have a de facto organization, and claiming to be incorporated under the laws of this State, but having no transcript of organization proceedings on file in the office of the Secretary of State. These towns are distinguished by black-faced type.

Ninety-six of these municipalities are not mentioned in the census returns of 1900, some of them having been organized after the enumeration was made and others omitted in error, and are indicated by a star (*).

One hundred ten of these municipalities were previously organized under other names; the date here given being, in some cases, the date of change of name and not of the original incorporation, and are indicated by a dagger (†).

The act of 1895 amending the general law of 1872, authorized the Secretary of State to issue certificates of incorporation to cities and villages organizing under the general law upon filing transcripts of organization proceedings in his office. Two hundred ninety-one such charters or certificates of incorporation, have been issued since July 1, 1895, of which number 205 have been issued since May 10, 1901.

Of these 1,018 municipalities. 703 have a population less than 1,000 each, and 960 have less than 5,000. Of the fifty-two cities containing more than 5,000. twenty-five have an excess of 10.000, eleven more than 20.000, seven more 25,000. while but two, Chicago and Peoria, have an excess of 50.000, and Chicago alone exceeds 100,000. Chicago's population of 1,698,575 is more than 35 per cent of the entire population of the State.

7 Formerly Grossdale. P. O. Lovejoy. "Formerly Brooklyn.