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. Originally settled in 1852 as a steel mill town on the Des Plaines River, Joliet later became known for being the first major city outside of Chicago on U.S. Route 66. It is home to Old Joliet Prison, a historic decommissioned correctional facility that was the largest in the state at the time of its construction. The prison has been featured prominently in several films and television shows, including the 1980 film The Blues Brothers. As of the 2020 census, the population was 150,362, 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. 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 and the nearby village of Romeoville. At the time of its opening, it was the largest state prison in Illinois. The facility closed in 2002, but opened for tours in 2018.
U.S. Route 66 was completed in 1926 and runs directly through Joliet. It crosses the Des Plaines River at Ruby Street Bridge and continues through the downtown area and south of Interstate 80. It runs concurrent with IL-53 and is home to several tourist stops, including the first-ever Dairy Queen location.
Joliet was a prosperous community through the early 1900s until the Great Depression. During the 1930s many residents were no longer financially able to afford the upkeep of their large residences. The Jacob A. Henry Mansion, along with many other properties, became boarding houses. The mansion was later used as a funeral parlor. In the 1940s, when single-family housing became scarce during World War II, large Victorian homes were divided to accommodate multiple families. After the war, absentee landlords and deferred maintenance exacerbated the slowly deteriorating condition of the area. Extensive use of vinyl siding in exterior renovations also played a role in Joliet's decline, altering several historic limestone structures. In 1975, Joliet became eligible for federal financial assistance under the HUD Block Grant Program. The program provided incentives for homeowners and landlords to restore historic structures. Efforts to revitalize Joliet are ongoing, and were aided in part by the establishment of the Joliet East Side Historic District in 1980. The Upper Bluff Historic District was established in 1991. Both neighborhoods are listed in the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
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
Climate Joliet has a hot summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa) 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. +Joliet city, Illinois – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 2000Pop 2010% 2000% 2010White alone (NH)64,81178,15967,90361.02%53.01%45.16%Black or African American alone (NH)19,12523,02523,81418.00%15.62%15.84%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)1591921560.15%0.13%0.10%Asian alone (NH)1,1902,7472,9271.12%1.86%1.95%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)1418210.01%0.01%0.01%Other race alone (NH)1031534640.10%0.10%0.31%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)1,2672,0974,5671.19%1.42%3.04%Hispanic or Latino (any race)19,55241,04250,51018.41%27.84%33.59%Total106,221147,433150,362100.00%100.00%100.00%
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 (the nation's second-most populous 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 (Duly Health and Care Field), 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."." Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice. Retrieved on October 27, 2012.
Largest employers According to the city's 2017 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the largest employers in the city are:
# Employer Employees 1Amazon3,5002AMITA Health Saint Joseph Medical Center3,0233Will County2,2004Joliet Junior College1,5535Joliet Public Schools District 861,2566Joliet Township High School District 2049167City of Joliet8948Harrah's Joliet8009ExxonMobil68010Hollywood Casino Joliet600
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.Filming Locations of Chicago and Los Angeles: Stir Of Echoes. Itsfilmedthere.com. Retrieved on August 17, 2013. 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 (NASCAR) and the Route 66 Raceway (NHRA).
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.UUCJ 175th Anniversary. Uucj.com. Retrieved on August 17, 2013.
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 (completed in 1876). 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 (wrapped individually and shipped by barge to Joliet). 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.