De Soto is a village in Jackson County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,590 at the 2010 census, down from 1,653 at the 2000 census. It is named for Hernando de Soto, the discoverer of the Mississippi River. Geography De Soto is located in northeastern Jackson County at . U.S. Route 51 passes through the center of the village, leading north to Du Quoin and south to Carbondale. Illinois Route 149 crosses US-51 in the village center, leading southwest to Murphysboro, the Jackson county seat, and east to Hurst. According to the 2010 census, De Soto has a total area of , of which (or 98.7%) is land and (or 1.3%) is water. The Big Muddy River, a tributary of the Mississippi River, flows to the east and south of the village limits. History De Soto was laid out in 1854 when the railroad was extended to that point. The village's name honors Hernando de Soto (c. 1496/1497–1542), a Spanish conquistador who explored the region in 1541-2. A post office has been in operation at De Soto since 1855. De Soto was largely destroyed by the Great Tri-State Tornado of 1925. Sixty-nine people died in De Soto when approximately 30% of the town was destroyed, and of this total 33 were children at a local school that collapsed from the winds. The tornado affected Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana, killing 695 and injuring over 2,000. Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 1,653 people, 673 households, and 444 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 726 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 97.58% White, 0.73% African American, 0.06% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.18% from other races, and 1.03% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.57% of the population. There were 673 households, out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.4% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.9% were non-families. 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.02. In the village, the population was spread out, with 26.1% under the age of 18, 10.0% from