Kendall County, Illinois | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofIllinois | |
| Coordinates:41°35′N88°26′W / 41.59°N 88.43°W /41.59; -88.43 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Illinois |
| Founded | 1841 |
| Named after | Amos Kendall |
| Seat | Yorkville |
| Largest village | Oswego |
| Area | |
• Total | 322 sq mi (830 km2) |
| • Land | 320 sq mi (830 km2) |
| • Water | 2.0 sq mi (5.2 km2) 0.61% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 131,869 |
• Estimate (2024) | 143,171 [1] |
| • Density | 410/sq mi (160/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 14th |
| Website | www |
Kendall County is acounty in theU.S. state ofIllinois, within theChicago metropolitan area. According to the2020 census, it has a population of 131,869.[2] Itscounty seat isYorkville,[3] and its most populous municipality isOswego.
Kendall County is part of theChicago metropolitan area and was the fastest-growing county in the United States between 2000 and 2010.[4]
Kendall County was formed in 1841 out ofLaSalle andKane Counties.
The county is named afterAmos Kendall,[5] who was the editor of theFrankfort,Kentucky, newspaper, and went on to be an important advisor to PresidentAndrew Jackson. Kendall became theU.S. postmaster general in 1835.
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Before European settlers arrived, the land that would become Kendall County was inhabited by several Native American tribes, including the Potawatomi, Fox, and Kickapoo. These tribes lived in semi-permanent villages along the Fox River and relied on hunting, fishing, and agriculture for their sustenance. The presence of these indigenous peoples influenced the early European settlers' interactions and land use practices.
The first European-American settlers arrived in the 1820s, primarily from New England and New York. They were attracted to the region's fertile soil and abundant waterways. These pioneers faced numerous challenges, including harsh winters, prairie fires, and conflicts with Native American tribes. Despite these obstacles, they established homesteads, farms, and small communities. Towns like Newark, Lisbon, and Plattville began to take shape, serving as centers of commerce and social activity for the burgeoning population.
Kendall County played a significant role in the Underground Railroad, a network of secret routes and safe houses used by enslaved African Americans to escape to free states and Canada. Abolitionist sentiments ran strong in the area, and many residents actively participated in assisting runaway slaves. Notable figures like the Lewis and Sackett families in Oswego provided shelter and support to freedom seekers, risking their own safety in the process.
During the American Civil War, Kendall County made substantial contributions to the Union cause. Hundreds of local men enlisted in the Union Army, serving in regiments such as the 36th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment and the 104th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment. Additionally, Kendall County residents organized relief efforts, raised funds, and supported families of soldiers serving on the front lines.
The late 19th and early 20th centuries witnessed the rapid industrialization of Kendall County. The construction of railroads, particularly the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, spurred economic development by facilitating the transportation of goods and materials. Industrial centers emerged in towns like Yorkville, Plano, and Sandwich, where factories, mills, and foundries produced agricultural implements, machinery, and other goods.
Agriculture remained the backbone of Kendall County's economy well into the 20th century. The county's rich soil and favorable climate made it ideal for farming, especially for corn, soybeans, and dairy products. Family-owned farms and agricultural cooperatives played a crucial role in sustaining rural communities and providing food and commodities to urban markets.
Following World War II, Kendall County experienced a population boom as suburbanization swept across the United States. Improved transportation infrastructure, including the construction of Interstate 88 and Interstate 55, facilitated commuting to nearby urban centers like Chicago. Subdivisions and housing developments sprang up throughout the county, catering to the needs of a growing population seeking the tranquility of suburban life.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 322 square miles (830 km2), of which 320 square miles (830 km2) are land and 2.0 square miles (5.2 km2) (0.6%) are covered by water.[6]
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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 newsubdivisions 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 endmoraine. 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 800 feet (240 m), in contrast to elevations in southern Kendall County that drop to the lower 500-foot (150 m) range. Minooka, the other major end moraine ridge in Kendall County, runs along its entire eastern border withWill County. The two moraines intersect at almost a right angle in the township ofOswego. The county's only designated state park isSilver Springs State Fish and Wildlife Area.
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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.[7]
Interstate 80
U.S. Highway 30
U.S. Highway 34
U.S. Highway 52
Illinois Route 25
Illinois Route 31
Illinois Route 47
Illinois Route 71
Illinois Route 126| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 143,171 | [8] | 8.6% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[9] 1790-1960[10] 1900-1990[11] 1990-2000[12] 2010[13] 2020[2] | |||
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 131,869. The median age was 35.8 years. 28.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 10.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 96.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.0 males age 18 and over.[14][15]
The racial makeup of the county was 68.4%White, 7.6%Black or African American, 0.6%American Indian and Alaska Native, 3.6%Asian, <0.1%Native Hawaiian andPacific Islander, 8.1% from some other race, and 11.7% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 20.6% of the population.[15]
88.6% of residents lived in urban areas, while 11.4% lived in rural areas.[16]
There were 43,534 households in the county, of which 45.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 62.1% were married-couple households, 11.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 19.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 17.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[14]
There were 45,008 housing units, of which 3.3% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 83.1% were owner-occupied and 16.9% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.6%.[14]
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 1980[17] | Pop 1990[18] | Pop 2000[19] | Pop 2010[20] | Pop 2020[21] | % 1980 | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 35,652 | 37,134 | 48,677 | 85,156 | 84,690 | 95.83% | 94.22% | 89.24% | 74.22% | 64.22% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 180 | 205 | 693 | 6,343 | 9,693 | 0.48% | 0.52% | 1.27% | 5.53% | 7.35% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 44 | 46 | 84 | 129 | 117 | 0.12% | 0.12% | 0.15% | 0.11% | 0.09% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 141 | 210 | 479 | 3,403 | 4,625 | 0.38% | 0.53% | 0.88% | 2.97% | 3.51% |
| Native Hawaiian orPacific Islander alone (NH) | x[22] | x[23] | 11 | 28 | 10 | x | x | 0.02% | 0.02% | 0.01% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 61 | 13 | 45 | 91 | 487 | 0.16% | 0.03% | 0.08% | 0.08% | 0.37% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | x[24] | x[25] | 469 | 1,688 | 5,120 | x | x | 0.86% | 1.47% | 3.88% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 1,124 | 1,805 | 4,086 | 17,898 | 27,127 | 3.02% | 4.58% | 7.49% | 15.60% | 20.57% |
| Total | 37,202 | 39,413 | 54,544 | 114,736 | 131,869 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the2010 United States census, 114,736 people, 38,022 households, and 30,067 families were residing in the county.[26] 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).[6] 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.[26] In terms of ancestry, 28.0% wereGerman, 16.0% wereIrish, 9.5% werePolish, 9.4% wereItalian, 7.5% wereEnglish, and 3.2% wereAmerican.[27]
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.[26]
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 thepoverty line, including 4.6% of those under age 18 and 3.4% of those age 65 or over.[28]
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.[29] The reason for this growth is heavy suburbanization from the metropolitan Chicago area.
The county is an 18-mile (29 km) 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 theTreaty 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.[30]
County board members run in two districts. All other officers run county-wide:
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 andProgressive Party candidateTheodore Roosevelt won 57.56% of the county's vote against conservative incumbent presidentWilliam Howard Taft. Moreover, only one Democratic presidential candidate –Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1932 and 1936 – ever cracked 40% of Kendall County's vote during this span of 38 presidential elections.
In2008, Illinois nativeBarack Obama became the first Democrat to carry the county sinceFranklin Pierce in 1852. Obama did not repeat this feat againstMitt Romney in2012, nor did DemocratHillary Clinton in2016.
Joe Biden won the county with a majority in2020.Kamala Harris in2024 became the first Democratic presidential nominee to carry the county despite losing the presidential election.
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.[a]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1892 | 1,691 | 59.46% | 848 | 29.82% | 305 | 10.72% |
| 1896 | 2,128 | 71.51% | 774 | 26.01% | 74 | 2.49% |
| 1900 | 2,121 | 72.04% | 713 | 24.22% | 110 | 3.74% |
| 1904 | 2,120 | 78.84% | 423 | 15.73% | 146 | 5.43% |
| 1908 | 1,948 | 73.87% | 556 | 21.08% | 133 | 5.04% |
| 1912 | 534 | 20.14% | 531 | 20.03% | 1,586 | 59.83% |
| 1916 | 3,316 | 75.38% | 1,008 | 22.91% | 75 | 1.70% |
| 1920 | 3,459 | 87.99% | 439 | 11.17% | 33 | 0.84% |
| 1924 | 3,513 | 79.68% | 432 | 9.80% | 464 | 10.52% |
| 1928 | 3,589 | 75.53% | 1,154 | 24.28% | 9 | 0.19% |
| 1932 | 2,749 | 52.77% | 2,398 | 46.04% | 62 | 1.19% |
| 1936 | 3,138 | 54.86% | 2,374 | 41.50% | 208 | 3.64% |
| 1940 | 4,200 | 67.79% | 1,978 | 31.92% | 18 | 0.29% |
| 1944 | 4,022 | 70.55% | 1,673 | 29.35% | 6 | 0.11% |
| 1948 | 3,925 | 71.77% | 1,517 | 27.74% | 27 | 0.49% |
| 1952 | 4,982 | 77.11% | 1,476 | 22.84% | 3 | 0.05% |
| 1956 | 5,057 | 78.15% | 1,407 | 21.74% | 7 | 0.11% |
| 1960 | 5,975 | 72.62% | 2,242 | 27.25% | 11 | 0.13% |
| 1964 | 5,710 | 62.47% | 3,430 | 37.53% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 7,184 | 70.45% | 2,228 | 21.85% | 786 | 7.71% |
| 1972 | 9,373 | 78.65% | 2,525 | 21.19% | 19 | 0.16% |
| 1976 | 9,011 | 67.50% | 4,202 | 31.48% | 136 | 1.02% |
| 1980 | 10,028 | 69.99% | 3,143 | 21.94% | 1,156 | 8.07% |
| 1984 | 10,872 | 73.81% | 3,789 | 25.72% | 69 | 0.47% |
| 1988 | 10,653 | 70.62% | 4,347 | 28.82% | 84 | 0.56% |
| 1992 | 8,521 | 46.29% | 5,423 | 29.46% | 4,462 | 24.24% |
| 1996 | 8,958 | 50.69% | 6,499 | 36.78% | 2,215 | 12.53% |
| 2000 | 13,688 | 60.12% | 8,444 | 37.09% | 637 | 2.80% |
| 2004 | 19,776 | 60.80% | 12,497 | 38.42% | 254 | 0.78% |
| 2008 | 21,380 | 45.75% | 24,742 | 52.95% | 609 | 1.30% |
| 2012 | 24,047 | 50.71% | 22,471 | 47.39% | 900 | 1.90% |
| 2016 | 24,961 | 46.18% | 24,884 | 46.03% | 4,210 | 7.79% |
| 2020 | 29,492 | 45.93% | 33,168 | 51.66% | 1,545 | 2.41% |
| 2024 | 31,970 | 48.04% | 32,977 | 49.55% | 1,602 | 2.41% |
Kendall County was the fastest growing county in the US, more than doubling in population between the 2000 and 2010 censuses.[32]
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.[32]
K-12 school districts include:[33]
Secondary school districts include:[33]
Elementary school districts include:[33]
The northern half of the county is in Community College District 516 and is served byWaubonsee Community College inSugar Grove,Aurora, andPlano. The southern half is in Community College District 525 and is served byJoliet Junior College inJoliet.[34]
Locations within and around the City of Plano were stand-ins forClark Kent's hometown of Smallville, Kansas, in the 2013 filmMan of Steel as well as the 2016 filmBatman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Plano has also been used in the filmWitless 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.
{{cite book}}:|first= has generic name (help)Places adjacent to Kendall County, Illinois | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofKendall County, Illinois,United States | ||
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| Villages | ||
| Townships | ||
| CDP | ||
| Other unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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