Editing Romeoville, Illinois (section)

==History==
[[Image: EAST PORTAL LOOKING WEST - Romeo Road, Sanitary and Ship Canal Bridge, Spanning Sanitary and Ship Canal, Romeoville, Will County, IL HAER ILL, 99-ROM, 1-4.tif|thumb|Isle a La Cache Bridge on Romeo Road, 1968]]

Romeoville was one of the last areas of Will County occupied by Native Americans. The village of '''Romeo''' was first settled on September 14, 1835, on Isle a La Cache, a small island in the [[Des Plaines River]]. Around this time, the first bridge was built to allow access to the island from the west bank of the river. In 1848, the [[Illinois and Michigan Canal|I&M Canal]] was finished, drawing new residents to the area. On January 19, 1895, residents of Romeo voted to incorporate and changed the village's name to Romeoville. The community, along with nearby [[Joliet, Illinois|Joliet]], became known as "Stone City" in reference to its prosperous [[limestone]] quarries. The [[Illinois State Capitol]] in Springfield was unveiled in 1888, and is constructed entirely of Romeoville limestone. [[Lewis University]] was established on the outskirts of town in 1934.

Romeoville is home to [[Citgo|Citgo's]] [[Lemont Refinery]]. The refinery was constructed in 1922 across the river from the village. It was later the site of the [[1984 Romeoville petroleum refinery disaster]].

In 1950, Romeoville had approximately 46 homes and a population of 147. The village remained sparsely populated until 1957, when over {{Convert|600|acre|ha}} of [[wetlands]] along [[Illinois Route 53|IL-53]] became the Hampton Park Subdivision. An additional {{Convert|400|acre|ha}} were added in 1964, as Romeoville's population slowly grew. On October 5, 1990, the first interchange on [[Interstate 55 in Illinois|I-55]] and Weber Road was built, connecting the village to the rest of [[Chicago metropolitan area|Chicagoland]]. Throughout the following decade, the area along Weber Road quickly became suburbanized as several new housing developments were completed. Romeoville was one of fastest-growing communities in Illinois throughout the 1990s and 2000s. The population grew rapidly, and the village experienced an influx of over 25,000 new residents in two decades.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History {{!}} Romeoville, IL |url=https://www.romeoville.org/184/History |access-date=June 17, 2023 |website=www.romeoville.org |language=en}}</ref>

On September 16–17, 2023, a family of four, consisting of two adults and two children, were killed in a [[mass shooting]] at their home in Romeoville; their three dogs were also killed. Police believed the killings were a targeted attack.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/19/us/romeoville-shooting-illinois-parents-children/index.html|title=Family of four shot dead at home, rattling quiet Illinois neighborhood, 'not a random incident,' according to police|publisher=CNN|last1=Romine|first1=Taylor|last2=Mascarenhas|first2=Lauren|last3=Razek|first3=Raja|last4=Parks|first4=Brad|date=September 19, 2023|accessdate=September 21, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/family-4-fatally-shot-chicago-area-home-was-likely-targeted-romeoville-rcna105921?ex=digest|title=Family of 4 fatally shot in Chicago-area home was likely targeted, Romeoville police say|publisher=NBC News|last1=Plana|first1=Antonio|date=September 19, 2023|accessdate=September 21, 2023}}</ref> The shooter, identified as 31-year-old Nathaniel Huey Jr., was tracked down with his fiancée at [[Catoosa, Oklahoma]], on September 20. During an attempted traffic stop, Huey fled but eventually crashed his vehicle. Afterwards, he fatally shot his fiancée and then himself.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://abc7chicago.com/romeoville-shooting-family-murdered-streamwood-nathaniel-huey/13808403/|title=New details emerge about Romeoville murder suspect fiancée who also named person of interest|publisher=WLS-TV|last1=Pathieu|first1=Diane|last2=Ward|first2=Tre|last3=Kawash|first3=Maher|date=September 21, 2023|accessdate=September 21, 2023}}</ref>