Yorkville, Illinois facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Yorkville, Illinois
City
The Kendall County Courthouse is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
Nickname(s):  The Ville, Y-Town
Motto(s):  "The City with a River in Its Heart”
Location of Yorkville in Kendall County, Illinois
Location of Illinois in the United States
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Kendall
Townships	Bristol, Kendall, Fox
Founded	1833
Incorporated	1836
Government
• Type	Mayor–council
Area
• Total	20.09 sq mi (52.04 km2)
• Land	20.00 sq mi (51.79 km2)
• Water	0.10 sq mi (0.25 km2)
Elevation	745 ft (227 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	22,594
• Density	1,076.81/sq mi (415.77/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	60560
Area codes	630 / 331
FIPS code	17-84038
GNIS feature ID	2397394
Wikimedia Commons	Yorkville, Illinois

Yorkville is a city in Illinois, United States. It is part of the larger Chicago area. Yorkville is also the main city, or county seat, of Kendall County. It is located southwest of Chicago. In 2022, about 23,835 people lived there.

History of Yorkville

The Chapel on the Green in Yorkville is the oldest church in Kendall County.

Yorkville was first settled by pioneers in 1836. The main street, Bridge Street, was built for horse-drawn carriages. Later, Hydraulic Street had a trolley. This trolley ran from Ottawa to Aurora. Today, the Illinois Railway operates this route.

Yorkville's downtown was on the south side of the Fox River. The public square was on the north side. This setup was special for the area. The Kendall County Courthouse was close to the downtown shops. Many old homes are still near Bridge Street and the courthouse.

Earl Adams was the first person to settle in the area. He built his cabin in 1833. This was on Courthouse Hill, on the south side of town. A year later, Lyman and Burr Bristol settled in Bristol. This area was north of the river.

Becoming the County Seat

When Kendall County was created in 1841, Yorkville became its county seat. This means it was the center of the county government. For 13 years, Oswego held this title. But in 1859, voters chose Yorkville again. It was a more central location. A new courthouse was finished in 1864. This old building is now used by the Kendall County Forest Preserve. A new courthouse was built in 1997 on the city's north side.

Growth and Merger

The railroad brought growth to Yorkville in the 1870s. Businesses like Squire Dingee's pickle factory opened. There was also the Yorkville Ice Cream Company. The Rehbehn Brothers button factory also started. Some of these old buildings are still standing.

Yorkville used to be two separate towns. Bristol was to the north, and Yorkville was south of the Fox River. They had different governments for over 100 years. In 1957, Bristol and Yorkville joined together. They became the United City of Yorkville. Ellsworth Windett was the first mayor of the combined city. As part of the merger, they also created one school district. High school classes began that same year.

Geography

Yorkville is in northern Kendall County. It is next to Montgomery to the northeast. Oswego is to the east, and Plano is to the west. The city is about 4 miles (6 km) southwest of Aurora. It is also about 13 miles (21 km) southwest of Naperville. Chicago is about 47 miles (76 km) southwest of Yorkville.

In 2020, Yorkville covered about 20 square miles (52 square kilometers). The Fox River flows right through downtown Yorkville. The city is located in three townships: Bristol, Kendall, and Fox.

Population and People

In 2020, there were 22,594 people living in Yorkville. There were 7,035 households. The average household had 2.88 people. The city has about 1,076.8 people per square mile.

Most people in Yorkville are White (68.2%). About 11.5% are African American. About 3.5% are Asian. And 4.0% are from two or more races. People of Hispanic or Latino background make up 17.3% of the population.

About 48.8% of the people in Yorkville are female. About 27.3% are under 18 years old. About 8.1% are 65 years or older. The average age in Yorkville is 32.7 years.

The typical household income in Yorkville is $105,129 per year. The average income per person is $39,765. About 2.88% of the population lives below the poverty line.

Economy

The William Wrigley Company has a large factory in Yorkville. Wrigley planned to start making Skittles candy there. They planned to spend about $50 million. This money would expand their Yorkville factory by 145,000 square feet.

Fun Things to Do

Parks and Recreation

Raging Waves waterpark is in Yorkville. It calls itself the largest waterpark in Illinois. It opened in 2008. The park covers about 45 acres (18 hectares) of land.

The Marge Cline Whitewater Park opened in 2010. It is on the Fox River. This is the only whitewater park of its kind in Illinois. It is similar to the East Race in South Bend, Indiana. You can do freestyle kayaking and river tubing there. The park is named after Marge Cline. She was a former president of American Whitewater. She was also a member of the Chicago Whitewater association.

Education

The Yorkville Community Unit School District 115 serves the area. Schools include Yorkville Middle School and Yorkville High School. A small part of Yorkville is also served by Oswego Community Unit School District 308.

• Autumn Creek Elementary
• Bristol Bay Elementary
• Bristol Grade School
• Circle Center Grade School
• Grande Reserve Elementary
• Yorkville Grade School
• Yorkville Intermediate School
• Yorkville Middle School
• Yorkville Freshman Academy
• Yorkville High School

Notable People

• Jon Blackman, college and NFL football player
• Dennis Hastert, former Speaker of the House
• Mike Radja, ice hockey player, born in Yorkville
• Andy Richter, actor and comedian
• The Giving Tree Band, American indie folk rock group

See also

In Spanish: Yorkville (Illinois) para niños