Joliet, Illinois

Joliet is a city in Will and Kendall counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. Located southwest of Chicago, it is the county seat of Will County. The population was 150,362 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Illinois.

History

In 1673, Louis Jolliet, along with Father Jacques Marquette, paddled up the Des Plaines River and camped on a huge earthwork mound, a few miles south of present-day Joliet. Maps from Jolliet's exploration of the area showed a large hill or mound down river from Chicago, labeled Mont Joliet. The mound has since been flattened due to mining.
In 1833, following the Black Hawk War, Charles Reed built a cabin along the west side of the Des Plaines River. Across the river in 1834, James B. Campbell, treasurer of the canal commissioners, laid out the village of "Juliet", a corruption of "Joliet" that was also in use at the time. Just before the economic depression of 1837, Juliet incorporated as a village, but to cut tax expenses, Juliet residents soon petitioned the state to rescind that incorporation.
In 1845, local residents changed the community's name from "Juliet" to "Joliet", reflecting the original name. Joliet was reincorporated as a city in 1852. Cornelius Covenhoven Van Horne was active in getting the city its first charter, and because of this, he was elected Joliet's first mayor. When the city later built a new bridge, it was named the Van Horne Bridge.

Geography

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Joliet has a total area of, of which is land and is water. It has a sprawling, irregular shape that extends into nine different townships, more than any other Illinois city. They are: Joliet, Plainfield, Troy, New Lenox, Jackson, Channahon, and Lockport in Will County, and Na-Au-Say and Seward in Kendall County. Joliet developed along the Des Plaines River, and its downtown is located in the river valley.
Joliet has a "west side" and "east side", referring to areas in relation to the river.
With the construction of highways and suburban development to the west, many businesses moved from the downtown area to the expanding areas west of the river. Many stores relocated to the west side in new strip malls and shopping centers with more parking and easier access. These changes resulted in the decline of the downtown shopping district, which is still felt today. Today, Joliet has a "west side" and a "far west side". This has given rise to a newly referenced "Central Joliet" portion of the city, which essentially is all land west of the Des Plaines River and east of Interstate 55. Although no locals believe this, some internet scholars suggest this new reference may soon change the current meaning of "west side" to west of I-55

Climate

Joliet has a hot summer humid continental climate with hot, humid summers, and cold winters with moderate to heavy snowfall.

Demographics

As of the 2020 census there were 150,362 people, 48,516 households, and 34,726 families residing in the city. The population density was. There were 52,737 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 51.25% White, 16.25% African American, 1.00% Native American, 2.01% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 15.15% from other races, and 14.30% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 33.59% of the population.
There were 48,516 households, out of which 42.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.07% were married couples living together, 14.55% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.42% were non-families. 24.02% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.58 and the average family size was 2.98.
The city's age distribution consisted of 27.1% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 24% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $72,871, and the median income for a family was $86,198. Males had a median income of $48,865 versus $30,185 for females. The per capita income for the city was $29,615. About 8.4% of families and 10.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.0% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.

Race / Ethnicity	Pop 2000	Pop 2010		% 2000	% 2010
White alone	64,811	78,159	67,903	61.02%	53.01%	45.16%
Black or African American alone	19,125	23,025	23,814	18.00%	15.62%	15.84%
Native American or Alaska Native alone	159	192	156	0.15%	0.13%	0.10%
Asian alone	1,190	2,747	2,927	1.12%	1.86%	1.95%
Pacific Islander alone	14	18	21	0.01%	0.01%	0.01%
Other race alone	103	153	464	0.10%	0.10%	0.31%
Mixed race or Multiracial	1,267	2,097	4,567	1.19%	1.42%	3.04%
Hispanic or Latino	19,552	41,042	50,510	18.41%	27.84%	33.59%
Total	106,221	147,433	150,362	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

From April 1, 2010, to July 1, 2011, Joliet was the fastest-growing city in the Midwestern United States and the 18th-fastest growing city in the United States among incorporated places with more than 100,000 people.

Religion

According to the official website for the city of Joliet:

Joliet's diverse faith community represents over 60 denominations and offers residents services at more than 150 churches, synagogues, and houses of worship. Along with their spiritual offerings, these houses of worship enrich the Joliet area by providing some of the area's finest examples of Romanesque, Gothic, Byzantine, and Renaissance architecture. The spiritual community in Joliet welcomes newcomers with open arms, offering regular worship services and religious education.

Catholic institutions in Joliet include Joliet Catholic Academy and the University of St Francis.

Economy

Like many Midwestern and East Coast cities dependent on manufacturing industries, Joliet has experienced past economic troubles., the rate of unemployment in Joliet was around 6.4%. The city is evolving from a steel and manufacturing suburb to a commuter suburb in the Chicago metropolitan area. Some new migrants to the Chicago area are working in bordering Cook County and living in Joliet.
The downtown area of Joliet has slowly attracted new businesses to the area. The main attractions in Joliet's city center are the Harrah's Casino, Joliet Slammers baseball, Hollywood Casino, and the Rialto Square Theatre, also known as the 'Jewel of Joliet'.
The Illinois Youth Center Joliet, a juvenile correctional facility of the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice, opened in April 1959.

Largest employers

According to the city's 2017 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the largest employers in the city are:

#	Employer	Employees
1	Amazon	3,500
2	AMITA Health Saint Joseph Medical Center	3,023
3	Will County	2,200
4	Joliet Junior College	1,553
5	Joliet Public Schools District 86	1,256
6	Joliet Township High School District 204	916
7	City of Joliet	894
8	Harrah's Joliet	800
9	ExxonMobil	680
10	Hollywood Casino Joliet	600

Government

Arts and culture

The Rialto Square Theatre, a favorite haunt of Al Capone and filming location for scenes from Kevin Bacon's film Stir of Echoes, is on Chicago Street, downtown. Near the theatre, the Joliet Area Historical Museum commemorates the history of Joliet, especially its heritage as a stopping point on U.S. Route 66. Among local landmarks are the Chicagoland Speedway and the Route 66 Raceway.
The Auditorium Building is located at the northeast corner of Chicago and Clinton Streets. Designed by G. Julian Barnes and built of limestone in 1891, it was controversial as one of the first buildings to combine religious, civic, and commercial uses. Nonetheless, people such Theodore Roosevelt visited and spoke at the building. The building was originally built for the Universalist Unitarian Church of Joliet, but the church sold the building in 1993, and it is no longer home to the congregation.
The Jacob A. Henry Mansion, 20 South Eastern Avenue, is a three-story, red-brick, Second Empire/Italian Renaissance-style structure built on a Joliet limestone foundation in 1873. The structure is set on bedrock and the entire basement floor is made of Joliet limestone from the building owner's quarry. The walls of the structure are constructed of red Illinois sandstone and deep red brick specially fired in Ohio. A commanding three-story tower is the focal point of the structure. The structure has steel trim with slate shingles on a mansard roof. The front and side porches are single slabs of limestone. The largest stone ever quarried lies in the sidewalk under the front entry gate. The stone is 9×22×20 ft. In 1885, an immense Byzantine dome was added to the south façade.
The interior of the Jacob A. Henry Mansion has elaborate polished-walnut woodwork, massive, carved pocket doors, original wood mantles, and a solid-walnut staircase. The original owner, Mr. Henry, was a railroad magnate, building railroads in Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois. He had ownership in a local quarry and was a principal stockholder in Will County National Bank. The mansion won the architecture award at the American Centennial Celebration in Philadelphia in 1876. The structure is a local landmark, part of the East Side National Register District and individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Joliet Prison is located near Joliet's downtown district on Collins Street. The prison has been featured in both television shows and movies. One such television series filmed there was Prison Break. The prison was also used for the opening scenes in the 1980 movie, The Blues Brothers, which starred John Belushi as "Joliet" Jake Blues and Dan Aykroyd as Elwood Blues.
The first Dairy Queen store opened in Joliet. The location is now occupied by Universal Church.
Two casinos originated as riverboat casino in Joliet: the Hollywood Casino near Channahon and a Harrah's hotel and casino downtown.
The Louis Joliet Mall is located near the intersection of I-55 and U.S. Route 30.
The former Joliet Arsenal is in nearby Elwood.