Morris, Illinois

Template:Geobox The city of Morris is the county seat of Grundy County, Illinois, United States. The population was 13,636 at the 2010 census, making it the largest community in Grundy County.

Morris is home to the Dresden Nuclear Power Plant, which provides a substantial portion of the electricity supply for the Chicago metropolitan area. Included among the Dresden plant's reactors is the first commercial nuclear reactor, housed in a spherical concrete and steel shell; it has since been decommissioned, and two more modern reactors (of 1970s vintage) now generate its electricity.

Description

Visitors and shoppers come a distance to enjoy the tranquil small town shopping atmosphere in the city's downtown. In addition to the downtown, there are outlying businesses such as five motels, a theater, restaurants, a furniture store, two drug stores, boat sales, three grocery stores, hardware stores, banquet hall, and numerous retail stores and gift shops.

Morris is the Grundy County seat and has a large hospital and modern schools. There are many small parks, ball diamonds, tennis courts, two golf courses, a swimming pool as well as the Gebhard Woods State Park and the William G. Stratton State Park for boat launching on the Illinois River and a skatepark located near White Oak elementary school. Morris Community High School is known to be located on an abandoned mining network that stems for approximately five miles.

Morris is situated along the Illinois River at the intersections of U.S. Route 6, Illinois Route 47, and Interstate 80.

Geography

Morris is located at 41°22′31″N 88°25′41″W (41.3751416, -88.4281240), at an elevation of 525 feet (160 m). According to the 2010 census, the city has a total area of 9.81 square miles (25.4 km²), of which 9.44 square miles (24.4 km²) (or 96.23%) is land and 0.36 square miles (0.93 km²) (or 3.67%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 11,928 people, 4,831 households, and 3,067 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,734.0 people per square mile (669.4/km²). There were 5,084 housing units at an average density of 739.1 per square mile (285.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 86.7% White, 4.3% African American, 0.3% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 6.7% from other races, and 2.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15.5% of the population.

There were 5,084 households out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.8% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.5% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.0% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 95.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $62,563 and the median income for a family was $54,987. Males had a median income of $44,071 versus $25,206 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,256. About 5.0% of families and 6.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.2% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.

Environmental Information

The Lyondell Chemical Company is about five miles from the city center. The plant, located just off U.S. Route 6 heading eastbound away from Morris, employs many Morris residents. Along with the chemical plant, there are 3 nuclear power plants within a 15 mile radius of the center of Morris. The closest nuclear plant is only 3 miles away, called the Dresden Nuclear Power Station. One of the others is 14–15 miles away; this station is called LaSalle Nuclear Station. The last is called Braidwood Generating Station; this station is about 13 miles away. All of the stations are owned by Exelon Corp. Among the stations, Dresden Generating Station generates energy for Chicago and surrounding areas.

Start of Super Outbreak

Morris was the first town hit by the Super Outbreak tornado system of April 3–4, 1974. However the damage was relatively minor and nobody was injured.

Notable people

• Ed Brady, (b. 1960), former NFL linebacker
• Jessie Bartlett Davis, (c. 1859–1861–1905), operatic singer and actress
• Jack Boyle, (1889-1971), third baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies
• Kelly Dransfeldt, (b. 1975), former shortstop for the Texas Rangers and Chicago White Sox
• Annie Cunnea Fitzgerald, (c. 1851), first female bank director in Illinois
• Careen M. Gordon, (b. 1972), Member of the Illinois House of Representatives from the 75th district from 2003-2011
• Philip C. Hayes, (1833–1916), congressman
• Albert Kingsbury, (1863–1943), engineer, inventor and entrepreneur
• Eric J. Magnuson, (b. 1951), lawyer and Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court
• Billy Petrick, (b. 1984), former pitcher for the Chicago Cubs
• Walter M. Pierce, (1861–1954), congressman from Oregon's 2nd congressional district and 17th governor of Oregon
• Scott Spiezio, (b. 1972), former Major League Baseball third baseman
• Jimmy Stafford, (b. 1964), lead guitarist and original member of the Grammy award winning band Train
• Ronald Steel, (b. 1931), award-winning writer, historian, and professor
• Jerry Weller, (b. 1957), former congressman from the 11th District

References

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External links

• Official website