Minooka

History

Minooka was established as a place in 1852 when the railroad was built through this area. It was incorporated as a village in 1869. The name "Minooka" is derived from a Native American word meaning "maple forest" or "good earth". The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad served the town at Minooka Station.

Geography

The center of the village is in the northeast corner of Grundy County. The village limits extend north into the southeast corner of Kendall County and east into Will County. The village is bordered to the east and south by the village of Channahon. Interstate 80 passes through the north side of the village, with access from Exit 122. I-80 leads northeast to Joliet and west to LaSalle. Downtown Chicago is northeast of Minooka via Interstates 80 and 55. U.S. Route 6 runs along part of the southern border of Minooka; the highway leads east into the center of Channahon and southwest to Morris. According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Minooka has a total area of , of which (or 99.22%) is land and (or 0.78%) is water. The DuPage River, a south-flowing tributary of the Des Plaines River, forms part of the eastern boundary of the village.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  8,033
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  7,067
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  6,972
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  6,635
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  5,347
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  5,041
• Downy Woodpecker

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  4,715
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  4,703

Most recent

• 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
• M 2.6 — 2013-06-10
  4 km NNE of Virgil, Illinois