Joliet

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. Joliet went on to build a system of four more Moveable drawbridges along the river to allow for the passage of large shipping boats. Joliet Iron and Steel Works was once the second largest steel mill in the United States. Joliet Iron Works was initially run from 1869 to 1936. Joliet Steel Works eventually became unprofitable, and all operations were ceased by the early 1980s. It is now preserved on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Joliet Correctional Center (also known as "Old Joliet Prison") was completed in 1858. The prison was constructed entirely out of local Limestone sourced from Joliet…

Geography

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Joliet has a total area of , of which (or 98.87%) is land and (or 1.13%) 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" (which includes all city limits in Kendall County). 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 Joliet has a hot summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa) with hot, humid summers, and cold winters with moderate to heavy snowfall.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  9,746
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  8,709
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  8,090
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  7,312
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  6,503
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  6,429
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  6,234
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  5,713

Largest nearby schools

• Lockport Township High Sch East
  High · Lockport · 3,872 students · 17.2:1 ratio
• Joliet West High School
  High · Joliet · 3,541 students · 21.1:1 ratio
• Joliet Central High School
  High · Joliet · 3,377 students · 18.4:1 ratio
• Lincoln Way West
  High · New Lenox · 1,994 students · 19.5:1 ratio
• Plainfield High School
  High · Plainfield · 1,986 students · 16.3:1 ratio
• Romeoville High School
  High · Romeoville · 1,922 students · 13.6:1 ratio
• Hufford Junior High School
  Middle · Joliet · 1,151 students · 15.8:1 ratio
• Troy Middle School
  Middle · Plainfield · 912 students · 13.2:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.9 — 2026-07-08
  21 km ENE of Kenilworth, Illinois
• M 2.6 — 2025-03-15
  6 km W of Dwight, Illinois
• M 3.1 — 2024-07-15
  2 km WNW of Somonauk, Illinois
• M 3.6 — 2023-11-15
  1 km SSW of Standard, Illinois
• M 2.9 — 2015-03-25
  3 km WNW of Lake in the Hills, Illinois
• M 3.2 — 2013-11-04
  1 km SSW of Lyons, Illinois