Kendall County is a
county
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
in the
U.S. state of
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...
, within the
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...
metropolitan area. According to the
2020 census, it has a population of 131,869.
Its
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...
is
Yorkville,
and its most populous municipality is
Oswego.
Kendall County is part of the
Chicago metropolitan area
The Chicago metropolitan area, also colloquially referred to as Chicagoland, is a metropolitan area in the Midwestern United States. Encompassing 10,286 sq mi (28,120 km2), the metropolitan area includes the city of Chicago, its suburbs and hin ...
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
Amos Kendall (August 16, 1789 – November 12, 1869) was an American lawyer, journalist and politician. He rose to prominence as editor-in-chief of the '' Argus of Western America'', an influential newspaper in Frankfort, the capital of the U.S ...
, who was the editor of the
Frankfort,
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...
, newspaper, and went on to be an important advisor to President
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...
. Kendall became the
U.S. Postmaster General
The United States Postmaster General (PMG) is the chief executive officer of the United States Postal Service (USPS). The PMG is responsible for managing and directing the day-to-day operations of the agency.
The PMG is selected and appointed by ...
in 1835.
File:Kendall County Illinois 1841.png, Kendall County at the time of its creation in 1841
Geography
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the county has an area of , of which are land and (0.6%) are covered by 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 county's northwestern section. 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
A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris ( regolith and rock), sometimes referred to as glacial till, that occurs in both currently and formerly glaciated regions, and that has been previously carried along by a glacier or ice sh ...
. Ransom, the more predominant of the two moraines, runs through the west and north-central part of the county. This moraine has created elevations over , in contrast to elevations in southern Kendall County that drop to the lower 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 county's only designated state park is
Silver Springs State Fish and Wildlife Area.
Climate and weather
In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Yorkville have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in February to in July.
Major highways
*
Interstate 80
Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from downtown San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one ...
*
U.S. Highway 30
*
U.S. Highway 34
U.S. Route 34 (US 34) is an east–west United States highway that runs for from north-central Colorado to the western suburbs of Chicago. Through Rocky Mountain National Park it is known as the Trail Ridge Road where it reaches elevation , ...
*
U.S. Highway 52
U.S. Route 52 (US 52) is a major United States highway in the central United States that extends from the northern to southeastern region of the United States. Contrary to most other even-numbered U.S. Highways, US 52 primarily follows ...
*
Illinois Route 25
*
Illinois Route 31
*
Illinois Route 47
*
Illinois Route 71
*
Illinois Route 126
Adjacent counties
*
DeKalb County DeKalb County may refer to one of several counties in the United States, all of which were named for Baron Johan DeKalb:
* DeKalb County, Alabama
* DeKalb County, Georgia
* DeKalb County, Illinois
* DeKalb County, Indiana
* DeKalb County, Mis ...
- northwest
*
Kane County - north
*
DuPage County
DuPage County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, and one of the collar counties of the Chicago metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 932,877, making it Illinois' second-most populous county. Its county seat ...
- northeast
*
Will County - east
*
Grundy County - south
*
LaSalle County
LaSalle County is located within the Fox Valley and Illinois River Valley regions of the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2020 Census, it had a population of 109,658. Its county seat and largest city is Ottawa. LaSalle County is part of the ...
- west
Demographics
As of the
2010 United States Census
The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators serving ...
, 114,736 people, 38,022 households, and 30,067 families were residing in the county.
The population density was . The 40,321 housing units averaged .
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
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
, 16.0% were
Irish, 9.5% were
Polish, 9.4% were
Italian, 7.5% were
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ...
, and 3.2% were
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
.
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
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, 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
*
Aurora
An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...
(part)
*
Joliet (part)
*
Plano
*
Sandwich
A sandwich is a food typically consisting of vegetables, sliced cheese or meat, placed on or between slices of bread, or more generally any dish wherein bread serves as a container or wrapper for another food type. The sandwich began as a po ...
(part)
*
Yorkville (mostly)
Villages
*
Lisbon
Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administrative limits w ...
*
Millbrook
*
Millington (mostly)
*
Minooka (mostly)
*
Montgomery (part)
*
Newark
*
Oswego
*
Plainfield (part)
*
Plattville
Census-designated place
*
Boulder Hill
Other unincorporated communities
*
Ament Corners
*
Bristol
Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city, Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Glouces ...
*
Fox
*
Helmar
*
Little Rock
( The "Little Rock")
, government_type = Council-manager
, leader_title = Mayor
, leader_name = Frank Scott Jr.
, leader_party = D
, leader_title2 = Council
, leader_name2 ...
Townships
The county is an square, which is divided up into 9 townships. Each township is divided into 36 one-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. Two exceptions to the section grid 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
Government
County board members run in two districts. All other officers run county-wide:
* County Board Members: Judy Gilmour, Scott Gengler, Brian Debolt, Elizabeth Flowers, Robyn Vickers, Amy Cesich, Scott R. Gryder, Matt Kellogg, Dan Koukol;
* County Board Chairman – Scott R. Gryder
* Forest Preserve President – Judy Gilmour
* Clerk of the Circuit Court – Matthew G. Prochaska
* Coroner – Jacquie Purcell
* County Clerk and Recorder – Debbie Gillette
* Sheriff – Dwight Baird
* State's Attorney – Eric Weis
* Treasurer – Jill Ferko
Politics
For years, Kendall County was one of the most Republican counties in Illinois. Between the 1856 and 2004 elections, the only time Kendall County did not give a plurality to the GOP Presidential nominee was in 1912 when the Republican Party was mortally divided and
Progressive Party candidate
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...
won 57.56% of the county's vote against conservative incumbent President
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) was the 27th president of the United States (1909–1913) and the tenth chief justice of the United States (1921–1930), the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected pr ...
. Moreover, only one Democratic Presidential candidate –
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
in 1932 and 1936 – ever cracked 40% of Kendall County's vote during this span of 38 presidential elections. As a measure of how Republican the county was at the time, it gave
Barry Goldwater
Barry Morris Goldwater (January 2, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was an American politician and United States Air Force officer who was a five-term U.S. Senator from Arizona (1953–1965, 1969–1987) and the Republican Party nominee for president ...
62 percent of the vote, his strongest showing in the state, even as
Lyndon Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...
won the state and the nation in a landslide.
In
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
, Illinois native
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...
became the first Democrat to carry the county since
Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. He was a northern Democrat who believed that the abolitionist movement was a fundamental threat to the nation's unity ...
in 1852. Obama did not repeat this feat against
Mitt Romney
Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American politician, businessman, and lawyer serving as the junior United States senator from Utah since January 2019, succeeding Orrin Hatch. He served as the 70th governor of Massachusetts ...
in
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...
, nor did Democrat
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...
defeat
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
in
2016.
Joe Biden won the county in the
2020 United States Presidential election
The 2020 United States presidential election was the 59th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. The Democratic ticket of former vice president Joe Biden and the junior U.S. senator from California Kamala H ...
.
Kendall County is one of only thirteen counties to have voted for Obama in 2008, Romney in 2012, Trump in 2016, and Biden in 2020.
Property values
Kendall County was the fastest growing county in the US, more than doubling in population between the 2000 and 2010 censuses.
All five Kendall County communities analyzed saw their real home prices fall dramatically from 2007 to 2015, from a low of 17 percent in Montgomery to a high of 44 percent in Plano. Minooka and Oswego both saw their home values fall 34 percent. In Yorkville, they fell 36 percent.
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
Yorkville Community Unit School District 115 is a school district headquartered in Yorkville, Illinois, and serving portions of Kane County and Kendall County in the suburbs of Chicago. In addition to Yorkville, its service area includes Bristol ...
* 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
An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...
, and
Plano. The southern half is in Community College District 525 and is served by
Joliet Junior College
Joliet Junior College (JJC) is a public community college in Joliet, Illinois. Founded in 1901, it was the first public community college founded in the United States.
In Spring 2014, the college enrolled 16,375 students. Every year, 48,000 stu ...
in
Joliet.
retrieved 2007-02-13
In popular culture
Locations within and around the City of Plano were stand-ins for Clark Kent
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book '' Action Comics'' #1 ( cover-dated June 1938 and pu ...
'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 taken place south of Plano at the Farnsworth House, a modern architectural landmark for documentaries and commercials.
See also
*
Notes
References
;Specific
;General
*
External links
Official website
{{Coord, 41.59, -88.43, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-IL_source:UScensus1990
Illinois counties
1841 establishments in Illinois
Populated places established in 1841
Chicago metropolitan area