Will County, Illinois facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Will County
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.jpg)  Flanders House in Plainfield (1840), Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie.
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Location within the U.S. state of Illinois
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 Illinois's location within the U.S. |
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Illinois |
| Founded | January 12, 1836 |
| Named for | Dr. Conrad Will |
| Seat | Joliet |
| Largest city | Joliet |
| Area | |
| • Total | 849 sq mi (2,200 km2) |
| • Land | 837 sq mi (2,170 km2) |
| • Water | 12 sq mi (30 km2) 1.5% |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 696,355 |
| • Estimate
(2019)
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690,743 |
| • Density | 810/sq mi (310/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional districts | 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 11th, 14th, 16th |
Will County is a county in the northeastern part of the state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 696,355, an increase of 2.8% from 677,560 in 2010, making it Illinois's fourth-most populous county. The county seat is Joliet. Will County is one of the five collar counties of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI Metropolitan Statistical Area. The portion of Will County around Joliet uses the 815 and 779 area codes, 630 and 331 are for far northern Will County, and 708 is for central and eastern Will County.
Contents
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. 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.
Thirty-six locations in Will County are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
"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."
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Will County from its 1836 creation to 1852
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Will County in 1853, reduced to its current borders by the creation of Kankakee County
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 (2,170 km2) is land and 12 square miles (31 km2) (1.5%) 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.
Climate and weather
| Weather chart for Joliet, Illinois | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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1.6
30
13
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1.6
35
19
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2.5
47
28
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3.8
60
37
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3.9
72
48
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4.2
81
58
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4.3
85
63
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3.8
82
61
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3.1
76
53
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2.7
64
41
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3
48
31
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2.4
35
20
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| temperatures in °F precipitation totals in inches source: The Weather Channel |
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Metric conversion
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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.
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 population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1840 | 10,167 | — | |
| 1850 | 16,703 | 64.3% | |
| 1860 | 29,321 | 75.5% | |
| 1870 | 43,013 | 46.7% | |
| 1880 | 53,422 | 24.2% | |
| 1890 | 62,007 | 16.1% | |
| 1900 | 74,764 | 20.6% | |
| 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% | |
| 2020 | 696,355 | 2.8% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2019 |
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As of the 2010 Census, there were 677,560 people, 225,256 households, and 174,062 families residing in the county. The population density was 809.6 inhabitants per square mile (312.6/km2). There were 237,501 housing units at an average density of 283.8 per square mile (109.6/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 76.0% white, 11.2% black or African American, 4.6% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 5.8% 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, 21.6% were German, 18.6% were Irish, 13.3% were Polish, 11.1% were Italian, 5.9% were English, and 2.1% were American.
Of the 225,256 households, 44.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.9% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 22.7% were non-families, and 18.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.97 and the average family size was 3.41. The median age was 35.4 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $75,906 and the median income for a family was $85,488. Males had a median income of $60,867 versus $40,643 for females. The per capita income for the county was $29,811. About 5.0% of families and 6.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.0% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation
Will County is served by 4 US Interstate Highways, 4 US Highways, and 12 Illinois Highways.
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
Rail
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.
Transportation
Will County is served by 4 US Interstate Highways, 4 US Highways, and 12 Illinois Highways.
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
Rail
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.
Communities
Cities
- Aurora (part)
- Braidwood
- Crest Hill
- Joliet
- Lockport
- Naperville (part)
- Wilmington
Villages
- Beecher
- Bolingbrook
- Braceville
- Channahon (part)
- Coal City (part)
- Crete
- Diamond (part)
- Elwood
- Frankfort (part)
- Godley (part)
- Homer Glen
- Lemont (part)
- Manhattan
- Minooka (part)
- Mokena
- Monee
- New Lenox
- Orland Park (part)
- Park Forest (part)
- Peotone
- Plainfield (part)
- Rockdale
- Romeoville
- Sauk Village (part)
- Shorewood
- Steger (part)
- Symerton
- Tinley Park (part)
- University Park (part)
- Woodridge (part)
Census-designated places
- Crystal Lawns
- Fairmont
- Frankfort Square
- Goodings Grove (former CDP)
- Ingalls Park
- Lakewood Shores
- Preston Heights
- Willowbrook
Townships
Will County is divided into these townships:
Education
- Governors State University is a 6,000-student 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.
- 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.
See also
- In Spanish: Condado de Will
