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Kendall County, Illinois facts for kids

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Kendall County
Kendall County Courthouse
Map of Illinois highlighting Kendall County
Location within the U.S. state of Illinois
Map of the United States highlighting Illinois
Illinois's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Illinois
Founded 1841
Named for Amos Kendall
Seat Yorkville
Largest village Oswego
Area
 • Total 322 sq mi (830 km2)
 • Land 320 sq mi (800 km2)
 • Water 2.0 sq mi (5 km2)  0.61%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 131,869 Increase
 • Estimate 
(2019)
128,990
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional districts 11th, 14th
Kendallmoraine
Terminal moraines, such as this one in central Kendall County, rise dramatically from the surrounding plain.

Kendall County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, within the Chicago metropolitan area. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 131,869. Its county seat is Yorkville, and its most populous municipality is Oswego.

Kendall County is part of the Chicago metropolitan area and was the fastest-growing county in the United States between 2000 and 2010.

History

Kendall County was formed in 1841 out of LaSalle and Kane counties.

The county is named after Amos Kendall. Kendall was the editor of the Frankfort, Kentucky newspaper, and went on to be an important advisor to President Andrew Jackson. Kendall became the U.S. Postmaster General in 1835.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 322 square miles (830 km2), of which 320 square miles (830 km2) is land and 2.0 square miles (5.2 km2) (0.6%) is water.

Kendall County is a small, but rapidly growing county that has the majority of its population in the northeast, and along the Fox River (the only river in the county) which runs through the northwestern section of the county. Many new subdivisions have been constructed in this county, which has produced considerable population growth. Southern Kendall still remains largely agricultural. Kendall County has two primary ranges of low-lying hills formed by what is known as an end moraine. Ransom, the more predominant of the two moraines, runs through the west and north-central part of the county. This moraine has created elevations of over 800 feet (240 m), in contrast to elevations in southern Kendall County that drop to the lower 500 feet (150 m) range. Minooka, the other major end moraine ridge in Kendall County, runs along its entire eastern border with Will County. The two moraines intersect at almost a right angle in the township of Oswego. The only designated state park in the county is Silver Springs State Fish and Wildlife Area.

Climate and weather

Weather chart for Yorkville, Illinois
J F M A M J J A S O N D
 
 
1.6
 
29
10
 
 
1.5
 
35
16
 
 
2.6
 
46
26
 
 
3.9
 
59
36
 
 
3.9
 
71
46
 
 
4.3
 
81
56
 
 
4.4
 
84
61
 
 
4.4
 
82
58
 
 
3.5
 
75
50
 
 
2.7
 
63
38
 
 
3.2
 
47
28
 
 
2.4
 
34
16
temperatures in °F
precipitation totals in inches
source: The Weather Channel

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Yorkville have ranged from a low of 10 °F (−12 °C) in January to a high of 84 °F (29 °C) in July, although a record low of −26 °F (−32 °C) was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of 111 °F (44 °C) was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.52 inches (39 mm) in February to 4.39 inches (112 mm) in July.

Major highways

  • I-80.svg Interstate 80
  • US 30.svg U.S. Highway 30
  • US 34.svg U.S. Highway 34
  • US 52.svg U.S. Highway 52
  • Illinois 25.svg Illinois Route 25
  • Illinois 31.svg Illinois Route 31
  • Illinois 47.svg Illinois Route 47
  • Illinois 71.svg Illinois Route 71
  • Illinois 126.svg Illinois Route 126

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1850 7,730
1860 13,074 69.1%
1870 12,399 −5.2%
1880 13,083 5.5%
1890 12,106 −7.5%
1900 11,467 −5.3%
1910 10,777 −6.0%
1920 10,074 −6.5%
1930 10,555 4.8%
1940 11,105 5.2%
1950 12,115 9.1%
1960 17,540 44.8%
1970 26,374 50.4%
1980 37,202 41.1%
1990 39,413 5.9%
2000 54,544 38.4%
2010 114,736 110.4%
2020 131,869 14.9%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2019
USA Kendall County, Illinois age pyramid
2000 census age pyramid for Kendall County

As of the 2010 United States Census, 114,736 people, 38,022 households, and 30,067 families were residing in the county. The population density was 358.2 inhabitants per square mile (138.3/km2). The 40,321 housing units averaged 125.9 per square mile (48.6/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 83.6% White, 5.7% African American, 3.0% Asian, 0.3% Native American, 5.0% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 15.6% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 28.0% were German, 16.0% were Irish, 9.5% were Polish, 9.4% were Italian, 7.5% were English, and 3.2% were American.

Of the 38,022 households, 47.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.8% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 20.9% were not families, and 16.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 3.01, and the average family size was 3.41. The median age was 32.9 years.

The county's median household income was $79,897 and its median family income was $87,309. Males had a median income of $64,048 versus $42,679 for females. The county's per capita income was $30,565. About 2.9% of families and 3.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.6% of those under age 18 and 3.4% of those age 65 or over.

Kendall County was listed as the fastest-growing county in the US from 2000 to 2009, experiencing a population growth rate of 110.4% in this period. The reason for this growth is heavy suburbanization from the metropolitan Chicago area.

Communities

Cities

Villages

Census-designated place

Other unincorporated communities

Townships

The county is an 18-mile (29 km) square which is divided up into 9 townships. Each township is divided into 36 1 mile square sections, except that the Fox River is used as a Township border, resulting in Bristol being the smallest township with the extra area being assigned to Oswego and Kendall Townships. There are also two exceptions to the section grid to reflect Indian land grants under the Treaty of Prairie du Chien in 1829: the Mo-Ah-Way Reservation in Oswego Township and the Waish-Kee-shaw Reservation in Na-Au-Say Township. These areas were eventually sold to European settlers.

  • Big Grove Township
  • Bristol Township
  • Fox Township
  • Kendall Township
  • Lisbon Township
  • Little Rock Township
  • Na-au-say Township
  • Oswego Township
  • Seward Township

In popular culture

Various locations within and around the City of Plano was used as a stand-in for Clark Kent's hometown of Smallville, Kansas in the 2013 film Man of Steel as well as the 2016 film Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Plano has also been used in the film Witless Protection, with both films having been filmed in Plano's historic downtown area. Filming has also been done south of Plano at the Farnsworth House, a Modern architectural landmark for various documentaries and commercials.

Education

  • Lisbon Community Consolidated School District 90
  • Newark Community Consolidated School District 66
  • Newark Community High School District 18
  • Oswego Community Unit School District 308
  • Plano Community Unit School District 88
  • Yorkville Community Unit School District 115
  • School District #101
  • School District #201
  • School District #202
  • School District #429
  • School District #430 (Sandwich Community School District #430)

The northern half of the county is in Community College District 516 and is served by Waubonsee Community College in Sugar Grove, Aurora, and Plano. The southern half is in Community College District 525 and is served by Joliet Junior College in Joliet.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Kendall (Illinois) para niños

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