Dixon Township, Lee County, Illinois
township in Lee County, Illinois
Dixon Township is one of twenty-two townships in Lee County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2020 census, its population was 17,379 and it contained 7,299 housing units.
History
Dixon Township was established on November 6, 1849. Two additional townships were created from it; Nelson Township was created on February 28, 1860, and South Dixon Township was created on February 12, 1867.
Geography
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Dixon Township has a total area of 29.86 square miles (77.34 km2), of which 28.95 square miles (74.98 km2) (or 96.93%) is land and 0.92 square miles (2.38 km2) (or 3.07%) is water.
Cities, towns, villages
Dixon (north three-quarters)
Cemeteries
The township contains these five cemeteries: Burket, Chapel Hill, Dixon State School, Mount Union and Oakwood.
Demographics
As of the 2020 census there were 17,379 people, 6,600 households, and 3,469 families residing in the township. The population density was 582.00 inhabitants per square mile (224.71/km2). There were 7,299 housing units at an average density of 244.43 per square mile (94.37/km2). The racial makeup of the township was 79.70% White, 9.93% African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.83% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 3.68% from other races, and 5.60% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.26% of the population.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Dixon Township, Lee County, Illinois” as township in Lee County, Illinois. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as township in Lee County, Illinois. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Apr 20, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q5284977. Authority coordinates are 41.868, -89.459. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2020, 1849, 1860 and 1867.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Dixon Township, Lee County, Illinois”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Dixon Township, Lee County, Illinois primary sources, Dixon Township, Lee County, Illinois archive and Dixon research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Dixon Township, Lee County, Illinois”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Dixon Township, Lee County, Illinois” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.