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Will County, Illinois
Joliet State Prison
Location in the U.S. state of Illinois
Illinois's location in the U.S.
Founded	January 12, 1836
Named for	Dr. Conrad Will
Seat	Joliet
Largest city	Joliet
Area
• Total	849 sq mi (2,199 km2)
• Land	837 sq mi (2,168 km2)
• Water	12 sq mi (31 km2), 1.5%
Population (est.)
• (2015)	687,263[1]
• Density	810/sq mi (310/km2)
Congressional districts	1st, 2nd, 3rd, 11th, 14th, 16th
Time zone	Central: UTC−6/−5
Website	www.willcountyillinois.com

Will County is a county in the northeastern part of the state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 677,560, which is an increase of 34.9% from 502,266 in 2000,^[2] making it the fourth-most populous county in Illinois. The county seat is Joliet.^[3]

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 area code for far northern Will County, and 708 area code for eastern Will County.

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.^[4] 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.

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  Will County from its 1836 creation to 1852
  

  
  

  
  


• 
  

  

  
  

  
  

  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 an 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.^[5]

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

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.^[6]

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

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 677,560 people, 225,256 households, and 174,062 families residing in the county.^[12] 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).^[5] 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.^[12] 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.^[13]

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.^[12]

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.^[14]

Government

Will County is governed via a 26-member county board who are elected from one of 13 districts. Each district elects 2 members. The County Executive, County Clerk, Coroner, Auditor, Treasurer, Recorder of Deeds, State's Attorney and Sheriff are all elected in a countywide vote.

Politics

Will County, once a Republican stronghold, has become a swing county in recent years.

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.^[16] Joliet Junior College was the first two-year higher education institution in the United States.

Transportation

Will County is served by 4 US Interstate Highways, 4 US Highways, and 12 Illinois Highways.

Major highways

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.

Energy Infrastructure

Pipelines

The county is a major hub in the United States natural gas pipeline grid where pipelines from Canada and the Gulf of Mexico meet and then fan out to serve the Midwest. The following major energy companies own pipeline that run through Will County:

• Alliance Pipeline


• Enbridge


• 
  Integrys Energy Group
  
  • Peoples Gas


• Kinder Morgan Interstate Gas Transmission


• 
  TransCanada
  
  • 
    ANR Pipeline - Fully owned & operated
  
  
  • 
    Northern Border Pipeline - Partially owned & fully operated
  
  


• Vector Pipeline

Joliet Refinery

ExxonMobil owns and operated the Joliet Refinery which is located along the Des Plaines River just east of I-55. According to ExxonMobil, the refinery employs about 600 people and was constructed in 1972.^[17]

Communities

Cities

Villages

Census-designated places

Townships

Will County is divided into these townships:

See also

References

Specific

General

• 
  Forstall, Richard L. (editor) (1996). Population of states and counties of the United States: 1790 to 1990: from the twenty-one decennial censuses. United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Population Division. ISBN 0-934213-48-8. CS1 maint: Extra text: authors list (link)
  

External links

• County website


• Will County Board

Coordinates: 41°26′N 87°59′W / 41.44°N 87.98°W / 41.44; -87.98