Will County, Illinois
| Will County, Illinois | ||
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 Location in the state of Illinois |
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 Illinois's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | 1836 | |
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| Seat | Joliet | |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
849 sq mi (2,199 km²) 837 sq mi (2,168 km²) 12 sq mi (31 km²), 1.47% |
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| Population - (2000) - Density |
502,266 601/sq mi (232/km²) |
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| Website | www.willcountyillinois.com | |
Will County is a county located in the northern part of the U.S. state of Illinois. This county is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. As of 2000, the population was 502,266. In 2007, the estimated population was 673,586, making it one of the fastest growing counties in the United States. The county seat of Will County is Joliet, Illinois. The portion of Will County around Joliet uses the 815 and 779 area codes, 630 and 331 area code for far northern Will County, and 708 area code for eastern Will County.
Contents |
History
Will County was formed in 1836 out of Cook, Iroquois and Vermilion Counties. It was named after Dr. Conrad Will, a businessman involved in salt production in southern Illinois, and also a politician.[1] (At that time, the law allowed slaves to be leased from other states and used in the free state of Illinois only for salt production.) Will was a member of the first Illinois Constitutional Convention and a member of the Illinois Legislature until his death in 1835. On January 12, 1836, Will County was formed from Cook County and Iroquois County. It included besides its present area, the part of Kankakee County, Illinois lying north of the Kankakee River. Will County lost that area when Kankakee County was organized in 1852, but since then its boundaries have been unchanged.
"WILL, a county in the E. N. E. part of Illinois, bordering on Indiana, has an area of 1,236 square miles (3,200 km2). It is intersected by the Kankakee and Des Plaines Rivers, branches of the Illinois. The surface is generally level, and destitute of timber, excepting small groves. The soil is very fertile, and much of it is under cultivation. The soil of the prairies is a deep, sandy loam, adapted to Indian corn and grass. In 1850 the county produced 527,903 bushels of Indian corn; 230,885 of wheat; 334,360 of oats; 32,043 tons of hay, and 319,054 pounds of butter. It contained 14 churches, 3 newspaper offices; 3472 pupils attending public schools, and 200 attending other schools. Quarries of building stone are worked near the county seat. The Des Plaines river furnishes water-power. The county is intersected by the Illinois and Michigan canal, by the Chicago branch of the Central railroad, the Chicago and Mississippi, and by the Chicago and Rock Island railroad. Named in honor of Conrad Will, for many years a member of the Illinois legislature. Capital, Joliet. Population, 16,703."
 Will County before 1852, when Kankakee County's creation reduced it to its current borders |
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 849 square miles (2,200 km²), of which 837 square miles (2,168 km²) is land and 12 square miles (32 km²) (1.47%) is water.
The Kankakee River, Du Page River and the Des Plaines River run through the county and join on its western border. The Illinois and Michigan Canal and the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal run through Will County.
A number of areas are preserved as parks (over 20,000 acres total) under the Forest Preserve District of Will County. The 17,000 acre (69 km²) Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie is a U.S. Forest Service park in the county on the grounds of the former Joliet Arsenal. Other parks include Channahon State Park and the Des Plaines Fish and Wildlife Area.
Major highways
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Interstate 55
Interstate 57
Interstate 355
U.S. Route 6
U.S. Highway 30
U.S. Highway 45
U.S. Highway 52
Illinois Route 1
Illinois Route 7
Illinois Route 43
Illinois Route 50
Illinois Route 53
Illinois Route 59
Illinois Route 102
Illinois Route 113
Illinois Route 126
Illinois Route 129
Illinois Route 171
Illinois Route 394Adjacent counties
- DuPage County (north)
- Cook County (northeast)
- Lake County, Indiana (east)
- Kankakee County (south)
- Grundy County (southwest)
- Kendall County (west)
- Kane County (northwest)
Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1900 | 74,764 |
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| 1910 | 84,371 | 12.8% | |
| 1920 | 92,911 | 10.1% | |
| 1930 | 110,732 | 19.2% | |
| 1940 | 114,210 | 3.1% | |
| 1950 | 134,336 | 17.6% | |
| 1960 | 191,617 | 42.6% | |
| 1970 | 249,498 | 30.2% | |
| 1980 | 324,460 | 30.0% | |
| 1990 | 357,313 | 10.1% | |
| 2000 | 502,266 | 40.6% | |
| Est. 2008 | 681,097 | 35.6% | |
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 502,266 people, 167,542 households, and 131,017 families residing in the county. The population density was 600 people per square mile (232/km²). There were 175,524 housing units at an average density of 210 per square mile (81/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 81.83% White, 10.45% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 2.21% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 3.63% from other races, and 1.63% from two or more races. 8.71% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 18.1% were of German, 12.8% Irish, 10.1% Polish and 9.8% Italian ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 167,542 households out of which 42.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.80% were married couples living together, 9.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.80% were non-families. 17.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.94 and the average family size was 3.36.
In the county the population was spread out with 30.00% under the age of 18, 8.10% from 18 to 24, 32.90% from 25 to 44, 20.60% from 45 to 64, and 8.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 99.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.40 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $62,238, and the median income for a family was $69,608 (these figures had risen to $73,159 and $82,082 respectively as of a 2007 estimate[3]). Males had a median income of $50,152 versus $31,345 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,613. About 3.40% of families and 4.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.60% of those under age 18 and 5.50% of those age 65 or over.
Townships
Will County is divided into these townships:
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Municipalities
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Unincorporated areas
- Andres
- Crystal Lawns
- Fairmont
- Frankfort Square
- Goodings Grove
- Goodenow
- Ingalls Park
- Lakewood Shores
- Preston Heights
- Ridgewood
- Willowbrook - not to be confused with the Village of Willowbrook, Illinois.
- Wilton Center
Education
Governors State University is a 6,000-student four-year public university located in University Park, Illinois. Lewis University is a 5,200-student four-year private university located in Romeoville, Illinois. Rasmussen College - Romeoville / Joliet is a private, 4 year, regionally accredited online college with support campuses.
The county is in Community College District 525 and is served by Joliet Junior College in Joliet.[4] Joliet Junior College was the first two year higher education institution in the United States.
Infrastructure
The county is a major hub in the United States natural gas pipeline grid where pipelines from Canada and the Gulf of Mexico meet and then fan out to serve the Midwest.
Major highways in the county include Interstate 55 and Interstate 80. The Interstate 355 toll road extension has been completed and now connects with Interstate 80.
Four different Metra commuter rail lines (Metra Electric Main Line, Southwest Service, Rock Island District and Heritage Corridor) connect the parts of the county with the Chicago Loop.
Historic sites
The following sites are on the National Register of Historic Places listings in Will County, Illinois:
| Place | Address | City | Date Listed |
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| Alternate Route 66, Wilmington to Joilet | IL 53 between Wilmington and Joilet | Joliet | 2006-05-05 |
| Briscoe Mounds | Front Street | Channahon | 1978-12-22 |
| Christ Episcopal Church | 75 W. Van Buren St. | Joliet | 1982-08-12 |
| Downtown Peotone Historic District | Roughly N. First St. and both sides of N. Second St., roughly bounded by the alley S of Main and N by North St. | Peotone | 2005-11-16 |
| Eagle Hotel | 100-104 Water St. | Wilmington | 1994-02-16 |
| Fitzpatrick House | IL 53 | Lockport | 1984-02-09 |
| Flanders House | 405 W. Main St. | Plainfield | 1991-11-14 |
| George, Ron, Round Barn | NE of Romeoville off US 66 | Romeoville | 1982-12-07 |
| Heck, John, House | 1225 S. Hamilton St. | Lockport | 1994-08-16 |
| Henry, Jacob H., House | 20 S. Eastern Ave. | Joliet | 1979-05-14 |
| Illinois and Michigan Canal | 7 mi (11 km). SW of Joliet on U.S. 6, in Channahon State Park | Joliet | 1966-10-15 |
| Joliet YMCA | 215 N. Ottawa St. | Joliet | 2006-02-09 |
| Joliet East Side Historic District | Roughly bounded by Washington and Union Sts., 4th and Eastern Aves. | Joliet | 1980-08-15 |
| Joliet Municipal Airport | 4000 W. Jefferson St. | Joliet | 1980-12-10 |
| Joliet Steel Works | 927 Collins St. | Joliet | 1991-02-28 |
| Joliet Township High School | 201 E. Jefferson St. | Joliet | 1982-08-12 |
| Joliet, Louis, Hotel | 22 E. Clinton St. | Joliet | 1990-02-09 |
| Lockport Historic District | Area between 7th and 11th Sts. and Canal and Washington Sts. | Lockport | 1975-05-12 |
| McGovney-Yunker Farmstead | 10824 LaPorte Rd. | Mokena | 2006-05-31 |
| Milne, Robert, House | 535 E. 7th St. | Lockport | 1979-12-17 |
| Ninth Street Seven Arch Stone Bridge | Ninth St. spanning Deep Run Creek | Lockport | 2004-08-20 |
| Peotone Mill | 433 W. Corning Ave. | Peotone | 1982-03-19 |
| Plainfield Halfway House | 503 Main St. | Plainfield | 1980-09-29 |
| Rubens Rialto Square Theater | 102 N. Chicago St. | Joliet | 1978-07-24 |
| Scutt, Hiram B., Mansion | 206 N Broadway | Joliet | 2003-02-05 |
| Small-Towle House | 515 County Rd. | Wilmington | 2004-05-12 |
| Standard Oil Gasoline Station | 600 W. Lockport St. | Plainfield | 1984-11-13 |
| Stone Manor | SE of Lockport | Lockport | 1980-11-26 |
| U.S. Post Office | 150 N. Scott St. | Joliet | 1981-08-20 |
| Union Station | 50 E. Jefferson St. | Joliet | 1978-08-01 |
| Upper Bluff Historic District | Roughly bounded by Taylor, Center and Campbell Sts. and Raynor Ave. | Joliet | 1991-06-05 |
| Will County Historical Society Headquarters | 803 S. State St. | Lockport | 1972-05-17 |
Notes
- ↑ "Was Dr. Conrad Will really worth his salt?", Ledger-Sentinel, Roger Matile, June 22, 2006
- ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ↑ "Will County, Illinois - Fact Sheet". Factfinder.census.gov. http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ACSSAFFFacts?_event=Search&geo_id=05000US27019&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US27%7C05000US27019&_street=&_county=will&_cityTown=will&_state=04000US17&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=geoSelect&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=050&_submenuId=factsheet_1&ds_name=ACS_2007_3YR_SAFF&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null®=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry=. Retrieved 2010-07-17.
- ↑ retrieved 2007-02-13
References
- Forstall, Richard L. (editor) (1996). Population of states and counties of the United States: 1790 to 1990 : from the twenty-one decennial censuses. United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Population Division. ISBN 0-934213-48-8.
External links
- Official Will County Website
- Official Will County Board Website
- Will County Republican Central Committee
- Will County Democratic Organization
- Will County Green Party
- Will County Libertarian Party
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Kane County | DuPage County | Cook County | |
| Kendall County |  |
Lake County, Indiana | ||
 Will County, Illinois  |
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| Grundy County | Kankakee County |
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