Kankakee, Illinois
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Kankakee (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell)<ref>Template:Cite AV media</ref> is a city in and the county seat of Kankakee County, Illinois, United States.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> Located on the Kankakee River, as of 2020, the city's population was 24,052.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Kankakee is a principal city of the Kankakee-Bourbonnais-Bradley Metropolitan Statistical Area. It serves as an anchor city in the rural plains outside Chicago.
History
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The city's name is probably derived from a corrupted version of the Miami-Illinois word Template:Lang, meaning "open country/exposed land/land in open/land exposed to view",<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Johnson, Vic. 1994. "L'Riviere Theakiki--'The Fabulous River of 2,000 BendsTemplate:'", The Daily Journal (July 31, 1994), p. 24.</ref><ref>Temple, Wayne C. 1958. Indian Villages of the Illinois Country Template:Webarchive. Illinois State Museum Scientific Papers, vol. 2, Part 2, p. 145, fn 104</ref><ref>Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Kankakee County , Volume 2, Issue 1, edited by Newton Bateman, Paul Selby; edited by William F. Kenaga, George R. Letourneau, p. 623.</ref> in reference to the area's prior status as a marsh. Kankakee was founded in 1854.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Geography
[edit]According to the 2010 census, Kankakee has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert (or 96.72%) is land and Template:Convert (or 3.28%) is water.<ref name="census-g001">Template:Cite web</ref>
The Kankakee River runs through Kankakee. It is approximately 133 miles long and serves as a major attraction and defining landmark of Kankakee. The river water is refined at the Kankakee Water Company, and electricity is generated at the Kankakee River Dam, providing vital resources to the community. Its winding path, including inlets and eddies, creates desirable fishing conditions for outdoor enthusiasts.
Climate
[edit]Demographics
[edit]2020 census
[edit]| Race / ethnicity (NH = non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>Template:Cite web</ref> | Pop. 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref> | Template:Partial<ref name=2020CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref> | % 2000 | % 2010 | Template:Partial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 13,130 | 10,432 | 8,096 | 47.76% | 37.88% | 33.66% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 11,216 | 11,128 | 9,233 | 40.80% | 40.41% | 38.39% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 58 | 54 | 62 | 0.21% | 0.20% | 0.26% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 86 | 175 | 116 | 0.31% | 0.64% | 0.48% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 7 | 3 | 3 | 0.03% | 0.01% | 0.01% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 49 | 39 | 107 | 0.18% | 0.14% | 0.44% |
| Mixed race or multiracial (NH) | 401 | 599 | 916 | 1.46% | 2.18% | 3.81% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2,544 | 5,107 | 5,519 | 9.25% | 18.55% | 22.95% |
| Total | 27,491 | 27,537 | 24,052 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
2000 census
[edit]As of the census<ref name="GR2">Template:Cite web</ref> of 2000, there were 27,561 people, 10,020 households and 6,272 families residing within the city. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 10,965 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the city was 50.92% White, 41.07% African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 5.50% from other races, and 1.90% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 9.25% of the population.
There were 10,020 households, out of which 34.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.4% were married couples living together, 21.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.4% were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60, and the average family size was 3.28.
In the city, 29.5% of the population was under the age of 18, 9.7% was from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,469, and the median income for a family was $36,428. Males had a median income of $30,894 versus $22,928 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,479. About 18.1% of families and 21.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.3% of those under age 18 and 11.7% aged 65 or over.
Arts and culture
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Library service is provided by the Kankakee Public Library.
Architecture
[edit]- Frank Lloyd Wright designed two houses in the Riverview section of the city, located on South Harrison Avenue. The B. Harley Bradley House and the Warren Hickox House both still stand today.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
- The current Kankakee courthouse was built from 1909 to 1912 in the Neo-classical Revivalist style in the wake of the 1893 Columbian Exposition (the Chicago World's Fair) as part of the City Beautiful movement. The architect was Zachary Taylor Davis, who had previously worked with Frank Lloyd Wright when both were draftsmen for Louis Sullivan.
Parks and recreation
[edit]Kankakee Valley Park District
[edit]Kankakee Valley Park District has 37 parks, comprising a total of Template:Convert. Facilities include an indoor ice skating rink, a recreation center, dog park, campground and a 72 boat slip marina on the Kankakee River. Fishing is plentiful as the district has 13 riverfront parks as well as a Template:Convert stocked quarry.
The city has two softball complexes that have both been inducted into the Softball Hall of Fame. They host annual state and international tournaments drawing nearly 50,000 spectators throughout the year. Some Kankakee youth baseball leagues have won state championships.<ref name="GR3">Template:Cite web</ref>
Government
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Kankakee is governed by the mayor council system. The city council consists of fourteen members who are elected from seven wards (two per ward). The mayor and city clerk are elected in a citywide vote.Template:Citation needed
Education
[edit]Higher education
[edit]Organized in 1966 by a group of citizens, Kankakee Community College was established to provide a post-secondary educational resource for the people of the Kankakee area.<ref name="GR4">Template:Cite web</ref>
Primary and secondary education
[edit]Public schools are part of the Kankakee School District 111, which includes five elementary schools (Edison, Mark Twain, Lincoln Cultural Center Montessori, Steuben, and Taft), two middle schools (Kennedy and King), one junior high school (Kankakee Junior High), and one high school (Kankakee High), which from 1966 to 1983 was two separate high schools, Eastridge and Westview.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
There are three private high schools: Bishop McNamara Catholic School (Catholic), Grace Christian Academy (non-denominational),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Kankakee Trinity Academy (inter-denominational).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Infrastructure
[edit]Transportation
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Airport
[edit]Kankakee is served by the Greater Kankakee Airport, a general aviation facility located in the southern portion of Kankakee.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Railroads
[edit]Amtrak provides service to Kankakee from the Kankakee Amtrak Station.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Amtrak operates the City of New Orleans, the Illini, and the Saluki, which each run once daily in both directions.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Highways
[edit]Interstate 57 runs east–west in the southern part of the city and turns north–south in the eastern part of Kankakee. United States Highways US 45 and US 52 run concurrently forming, along with Illinois Route IL 50, the major north–south thoroughfares through Kankakee. Illinois Route IL 17 is the major east–west road that bisects the city.
Public transportation
[edit]The River Valley Metro Mass Transit District (RVMMTD; River Valley Metro or METRO, for short) operates the region's transit bus system. Service runs seven days a week to locations in Kankakee as well as the nearby cities of Aroma Park, Bradley, Bourbonnais, and Manteno. All of the Kankakee routes are stationed out of the Chestnut & North Schuyler Transfer Station.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> River Valley Metro operates 12 fixed-regular bus routes and two commuter routes. The Midway and University Park commuter routes were added January 5, 2014, and in August 2015 River Valley Metro added a second Midway route to its schedule. In January 2016, a second University Park route was added.
In popular culture
[edit]- The movie The Accountant (2016) showcases Kankakee by directly mentioning the town as well as displaying Kankakee High School hats on some of the actors.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- The movie The Unborn (2009) was partially filmed in Samuel H. Shapiro Developmental Center in Kankakee. Other movies to have been filmed in Kankakee County are The Hunter (1980) and Child's Play (1988).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Kankakee is mentioned in several songs:
- "Innocent Bessie Brown", words and music by Irving Berlin, written in 1910, sung by the Broadway performer Ethel Green<ref>Sheet Music Art Of Irving Berlin / Thomas Inglis. – Atglen, PA : Schiffer Pub., c2003 (p. 21 & 23)</ref>
- "City of New Orleans", words and music by Steve Goodman<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- "Lydia the Tattooed Lady", words and music by Yip Harburg and Harold Arlen.<ref name=AS>Template:Cite book</ref> This song first appeared in the Marx Brothers movie At the Circus (1939) and became one of Groucho Marx's signature tunes.
- "Took Her to the O" by Chicago rapper King Von<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- In 1999, the city was mocked on the Late Show with David Letterman after being named America's worst place to live. As a gag, Letterman donated two gazebos to the city in the hopes it would proclaim itself as "The home of the world famous twin gazebos." In 2015, the gazebos were torn down. A rocking chair was built from the wood, and was sent to Letterman for his retirement. This was organized by Kankakee students who felt the gazebos were symbols of a past they wanted to forget.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- This American Life on April 10, 2015, analyzed Kankakee and its title of the worst city in America.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- List of Kankakee Valley Park District Activities and Offerings
- Description of Kankakee from Illinois.com
External links
[edit]Template:Wikivoyage Template:NIE Poster
- City of Kankakee, Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois, Volume 2 by Newton Bateman
- Template:Cite EB9
- Official City page
- St. Joseph-Kankakee Portage—Its Location and Use by Marquette, La Salle and the French Voyageurs by George A. Baker, 1899, page 11
- "Kankakee Knows What's Coming," Life magazine, vol. 30, no. 1, January 1, 1951
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