Will County, Illinois

Will County, Illinois
Location in the state of Illinois
Illinois's location in the U.S.
Founded	1836
Seat	Joliet
Largest city	Joliet
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	849.23 sq mi (2,199 km²) 836.91 sq mi (2,168 km²) 12.32 sq mi (32 km²), 1.45%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	677,560 809/sq mi (312.5/km²)
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. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 677,560, which is an increase of 34.9% from 502,266 in 2000, making it one of the fastest growing counties in the United States. The county seat of Will County is Joliet. 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.

History

Will County was formed in 1836 out of Cook and Iroquois. It was named after Dr. Conrad Will, a businessman involved in salt production in southern Illinois, and also a politician. (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."

— 1854 U.S. Gazetteer

• 

  Will County from its 1836 creation to 1852

• 

  Will County in 1853, reduced to its current borders by the creation of Kankakee County

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 849.23 square miles (2,199.5 km²), of which 836.91 square miles (2,167.6 km²) (or 98.55%) is land and 12.32 square miles (31.9 km²) (or 1.45%) 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 (81 km²) total) under the Forest Preserve District of Will County. The 17,000 acres (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

Interstate 55 Interstate 57 Interstate 80 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 394

Adjacent 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
Census	Pop.		%±
1900	74,764		—
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%
2010	677,560		34.9%

As of the census 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.

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). 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.

Government

Will County is governed via a 26 member county board who are elected from one of 13 districts. Each district elects 2 members. The County Executive, County Clerk, Coroner, Auditor, Treasurer, Recorder of Deeds, State's Attorney and Sheriff are all elected in a countywide vote.

Townships

Will County is divided into these townships:

Channahon Crete Custer DuPage Florence Frankfort Green Garden Homer

Jackson Joliet Lockport Manhattan Monee New Lenox Peotone Plainfield

Reed Troy Washington Wesley Wheatland Will Wilmington Wilton

Municipalities

Aurora - partly in DuPage, Kane, and Kendall County Beecher Bolingbrook - small sections in DuPage and Cook County Braidwood Channahon Coal City - primarily in Grundy County, very small parcel in Will County Crest Hill Crete Diamond - primarily in Grundy County, very small parcel in Will County Elwood Frankfort Godley - small section in Grundy County Homer Glen Joliet - small section in Kendall County Lemont- primarily in Cook County, very small parcel in Will County Lockport Manhattan Minooka - primarily in Grundy County and Kendall County

Mokena Monee Naperville - primarily in DuPage County New Lenox Orland Park- primarily in Cook County, very small parcel in Will County Park Forest - primarily in Cook County Peotone Plainfield Rockdale Romeoville Sauk Village - primarily in Cook County, very small parcel in Will County Shorewood Steger - partly in Cook County Symerton Tinley Park - primarily in Cook County University Park - partly in Cook County Wilmington Woodridge - partly in DuPage and a small parcel in Cook County

Unincorporated areas

• Andres
• Crystal Lawns
• Pue
• 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

Higher education

• Governors State University is a 6,000-student two-year Junior/Senior public university located in University Park, Illinois.
• Lewis University is a 5,200-student four-year private university located in Romeoville, Illinois.
• University of St. Francis is a 3,300-student four-year private university located in Joliet, 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. 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, Interstate 57 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
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

Climate and weather

Joliet, Illinois
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     1.6   30 13     1.6   35 19     2.5   47 28     3.8   60 37     3.9   72 48     4.2   81 58     4.3   85 63     3.8   82 61     3.1   76 53     2.7   64 41     3   48 31     2.4   35 20 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation totals in inches Source: The Weather Channel
Metric conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     40   -1 -11     42   2 -7     62   8 -2     95   16 3     98   22 9     107   27 14     110   29 17     97   28 16     80   24 12     69   18 5     76   9 -1     62   2 -7 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Joliet have ranged from a low of 13 °F (−11 °C) in January to a high of 85 °F (29 °C) in July, although a record low of −26 °F (−32 °C) was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of 104 °F (40 °C) was recorded in June 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.58 inches (40 mm) in January to 4.34 inches (110 mm) in July.

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
• Official Will County Treasurer's Website
• Will County Property Tax Portal
• Will County Republican Central Committee
• Will County Democratic Organization
• Will County Green Party
• Will County Libertarian Party