Romeoville, Illinois | |
|---|---|
 Fitzpatrick House (1842), on the grounds ofLewis University | |
 Flag  Logo | |
| Nickname: "Stone City" | |
| Motto: Where Community Matters! | |
 Location of Romeoville in Will County, Illinois | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Illinois |
| County | Will |
| Township | DuPage,Lockport,Plainfield,Wheatland |
| Incorporated | January 19, 1895 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | John Noak |
| Area | |
• Total | 20.16 sq mi (52.21 km2) |
| • Land | 19.13 sq mi (49.55 km2) |
| • Water | 1.03 sq mi (2.67 km2) |
| Elevation | 630 ft (190 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 39,863 |
| • Density | 2,083.9/sq mi (804.58/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| ZIP Code(s) | 60446, 60491 |
| Area codes | 815/779 and630/331 |
| FIPS code | 17-65442 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2399114[3] |
| Website | http://www.romeoville.org/ |
Romeoville is a village inWill County, Illinois, United States. The village is located 26 mi (42 km) southwest ofChicago on the Gateway Wetlands, directly west of theDes Plaines River andHistoric U.S. Route 66 (nowIL-53). Per the2020 census, the population was 39,863.[4] Once a smallriver port, Romeoville experienced rapid growth in the 1990s and 2000s. It is located betweenBolingbrook andJoliet nearInterstate 55 andInterstate 355.
Romeoville was one of the last areas of Will County occupied by Native Americans. The village ofRomeo was first settled on September 14, 1835, on Isle a La Cache, a small island in theDes Plaines River. Around this time, the first bridge was built to allow access to the island from the west bank of the river. In 1848, theI&M Canal was finished, drawing new residents to the area. On January 19, 1895, residents of Romeo voted to incorporate and changed the village's name to Romeoville. The community, along with nearbyJoliet, became known as "Stone City" in reference to its prosperouslimestone quarries. TheIllinois State Capitol in Springfield was unveiled in 1888, and is constructed entirely of Romeoville limestone.Lewis University was established on the outskirts of town in 1934.
Romeoville is home toCitgo'sLemont Refinery. The refinery was constructed in 1922 across the river from the village. It was later the site of the1984 Romeoville petroleum refinery disaster.
In 1950, Romeoville had approximately 46 homes and a population of 147. The village remained sparsely populated until 1957, when over 600 acres (240 ha) ofwetlands alongIL-53 became the Hampton Park Subdivision. An additional 400 acres (160 ha) were added in 1964, as Romeoville's population slowly grew. On October 5, 1990, the first interchange onI-55 and Weber Road was built, connecting the village to the rest ofChicagoland. Throughout the following decade, the area along Weber Road quickly became suburbanized as several new housing developments were completed. Romeoville was one of the fastest-growing communities in Illinois throughout the 1990s and 2000s. The population grew rapidly, and the village experienced an influx of over 25,000 new residents in two decades.[5]
According to the 2010 census, Romeoville has a total area of 18.759 square miles (48.59 km2), of which 18.44 square miles (47.76 km2), comprising 98.3%, is land and 0.319 square miles (0.83 km2), comprising 1.7%, is water. Romeoville borders the neighboring communities ofBolingbrook,Plainfield,Crystal Lawns,Crest Hill,Lockport andLemont.[6]
Romeoville is home to aNational Weather Serviceforecast office, although bulletins issued by said office begin, "The National Weather Service in Chicago..."[7]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 113 | — | |
| 1910 | 98 | −13.3% | |
| 1920 | 74 | −24.5% | |
| 1930 | 133 | 79.7% | |
| 1940 | 170 | 27.8% | |
| 1950 | 147 | −13.5% | |
| 1960 | 3,574 | 2,331.3% | |
| 1970 | 12,888 | 260.6% | |
| 1980 | 15,519 | 20.4% | |
| 1990 | 14,074 | −9.3% | |
| 2000 | 21,153 | 50.3% | |
| 2010 | 39,680 | 87.6% | |
| 2020 | 39,863 | 0.5% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[8] 2010[9] 2020[10] | |||
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2010[9] | Pop 2020[10] | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 19,992 | 16,654 | 50.38% | 41.78% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 4,545 | 5,362 | 11.45% | 13.45% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 61 | 32 | 0.15% | 0.08% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 2,486 | 2,718 | 6.27% | 6.82% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 3 | 2 | 0.01% | 0.01% |
| Some Other Race alone (NH) | 53 | 121 | 0.13% | 0.30% |
| Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH) | 657 | 1,166 | 1.66% | 2.93% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 11,883 | 13,808 | 29.95% | 34.64% |
| Total | 39,680 | 39,863 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
Romeoville is home to over 600 businesses.[11] In 2013, the village won a Gold Medal from the International Economic Development Council and Atlas Integrated in the High Performance Economic Development category. They earned the award by creating 1,560 jobs during 2012–2013, which was the most for a town with a population between 25,001 and 100,000.[12]
According to the village website,[13] the top employers in the village are:
| # | Employer | # of Employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amazon | 1,824 |
| 2 | Valley View School District 365U | 1,300 |
| 3 | Green Core | 1,200 |
| 4 | PDV Midwest Refining CITGO | 803 |
| 5 | Aryzta | 600 |
| 6 | Ulta Beauty | 543 |
| 7 | Walmart | 537 |
| 8 | RTC | 530 |
| 9 | Magid Glove and Safety | 529 |
| 10 | Lewis University | 525 |
Other major employers include Kehe Foods, FedEx Ground, and the Village of Romeoville.
Romeoville residents attend the following schools:
Valley View School District 365U
Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202
Lockport Township High School District 205
| Mayors of Romeoville | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Years in Office | Mayor | ||||
| 1895–1899 | Louis Hamann[14] | ||||
| 1899–1903 | John J. Keig[14] | ||||
| 1904–1905 | Henry Brockman[14] | ||||
| 1906–1907 | George Garden[14] | ||||
| 1907–1909 | George Farrell[14] | ||||
| 1910–1915 | Edward Swanson[14] | ||||
| 1915–1919 | Joseph Startz[14] | ||||
| 1919–1920 | John Mitchell[14] | ||||
| 1921–1927 | Fred Boehme[14] | ||||
| 1928–1929 | Anthony Startz[14] | ||||
| 1929–1969 | Neal Murphy[14] | ||||
| 1969–1973 | John O'Hara[14] | ||||
| 1973–1977 | Dewey "Red" Chambers[14] | ||||
| 1977–1981 | Donald Kennedy[14] | ||||
| 1981–1985 | Howard Trippett[14] | ||||
| 1985–1993 | John Strobbe[14] | ||||
| 1993–1997 | Sandra Gulden[14] | ||||
| 1997–2009 | Fred Dewald[14] | ||||
| 2009–present | John Noak[14] | ||||
Major highways in Romeoville include:
Interstate Highways | US Highways |
Places adjacent to Romeoville, Illinois | |
|---|---|
Municipalities and communities ofWill County, Illinois,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Villages | ||
| Townships | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Other communities | ||
| Ghost town | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
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