Welcome to Aiken ...
Aiken is located in Jo Daviess County<1>.
The pronunciation of Aiken: AY-kin<2>
While we don't have a date for the founding of Aiken, you might get a feel for it by knowing that the earliest mention that we've found (so far) was in a book dated 1895.
When the people of Aiken refer to themselves (known as a demonym), they frequently use Aikenite<3>
Aiken is 640 feet [195 m] above sea level.<4>.
Time Zone: Aiken lies in the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT) and observes daylight saving time
Area Codes for Aiken: 815 & 779<5>
Communities Also Named Aiken ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 10 communities that are also named Aiken - they are located in Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Texas (3).
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Aiken.
Communities near Aiken ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Aiken.
- Dubuque
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dubuque
- Dubuque is located in Dubuque County (IA)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 57,781 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dubuque <6>
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Dubuque
- From Aiken to Dubuque
- Galena
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galena
- Galena is located in Jo Daviess County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,151 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Galena <6>
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Galena
- From Aiken to Galena
- Bellevue
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bellevue have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellevue
- Bellevue is located in Jackson County (IA)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,185 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bellevue <6>
- Cuba City
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north) - East Dubuque
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Dubuque
- East Dubuque is located in Jo Daviess County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,565 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for East Dubuque <6>
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to East Dubuque
- From Aiken to East Dubuque
- Hazel Green
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hazel Green have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazel Green
- Hazel Green is located in Grant County (WI)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,219 people
- Shullsburg
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shullsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shullsburg
- Shullsburg is located in Lafayette County (WI)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,192 people
- Benton
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north) - Hanover
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hanover have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hanover
- Hanover is located in Jo Daviess County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 769 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hanover <6>
- Elizabeth
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elizabeth have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elizabeth
- Elizabeth is located in Jo Daviess County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 722 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elizabeth <6>
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Aiken. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Aiken.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Aiken. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Aiken.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Aiken. See our Newspapers Page for Aiken.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Aiken ...
Looking for more information about Aiken? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
While we are unaware of a Tourism page that is specific to Aiken, there are neighboring communities that do have Tourism pages. A map of those communities can be found with our TripAdvisor Page for Aiken.
Adding Aiken to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Aiken in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Aiken was in the book titled Business Atlas and Shippers' Guide (1895).
We also found Aiken in the book titled SPV's Comprehensive Railroad Atlas of North America - Prairies East & Ozarks.
For more details, see References and Mentions for Aiken.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Aiken. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Jo Daviess County: www.jodaviess.org/
The official website for State of Illinois: https://illinois.gov
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of Illinois' counties, including Jo Daviess, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | The pronunciation we've provided is our attempt to give a phonetic pronunciation for Aiken. While it might not be exactly right, hopefully it will be close. If we have it wrong or there's a better way to pronounce the name, please contact us through our Feedback Page. |
| <3> | A demonym is the name for a resident of a community which is usually derived from (or is related to) the name of that community. In other words, it's how the residents of Aiken refer to themselves. It's important to note that there aren't any rules for taking a community's name and turning it into a demonym. A demonym is informal and while the majority of Aiken may use one name, keep in mind that others may use something different. |
| <4> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Aiken - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <5> | When there's a risk of an area code running out of phone numbers, an 'Overlay Area Code' is created that has the same geographic boundaries as the existing area code. In this case, the 815 code has been Overlayed with the 779 area code. New phone numbers in the Aiken area will be assigned with one of these codes: 815 or 779. As a result, placing a call in the Aiken area will require 10-digit dialing (where you enter both the area code and then the phone number). |
| <6> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <7> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |