Profile for Joliet, Illinois, IL

Illinois State Penitentiary, Joliet, IL

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Joliet is a city in Will County, in the Chicago metro area. (The community straddles Will and Kendall counties; ePodunk links to the county with the greater share of population.)

It is the county seat.

The name is disputed. Some say it was directly named after Louis Joliet, the French explorer. Others say that, in 1834, Postmaster John Campbell named the community after his daughter, Juliet. Then, in 1845, the name was changed by President Van Buren to be congruent with Joliet Mound.
[NOTE: This is not the only community in Illinois named Joliet. For links to other places called Joliet, IL, see the Duplicate Names box at right.]

The latitude of Joliet is 41.525N. The longitude is -88.081W.

It is in the Central Standard time zone. Elevation is 541 feet.

The estimated population, in 2003, was 123,570.

INCOME SNAPSHOT

Median household income

Local

$47,761

National

$41,994

Source: 2000 census, U.S. Census Bureau

For more census details and comparisons, see our Joliet demographic reports

ESSENTIALS

EMPLOYMENT:
  Local jobs
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HOUSING:
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  Local homes for sale
LODGING:
  Nearby hotels
PEOPLE:
  Joliet family histories
RECORDS:
  Birth, marriage & death
  Court, land & probate
  Military

Joliet is on the Des Plaines River.

In 1673, a French exploration trip, that included fur trader Louis Joliet, came through the area.

The city was officially settled in 1831, when Charles Reed built his cabin here. The Illinois & Michigan Canal, which was being constructed around that time, helped spur the town's initial development.

In the middle of the 19th century, the area's quarrying industry thrived tremendously. These quarries provided material for the State House and Rock Island Arsenal. Later in the century, large amounts of coal made the city an important steel town.

Crime: The number of violent crimes recorded by the FBI in 2003 was 11. The violent crime rate was per 1,000 people.

Filming location for:
· 1980 movie, "The Blues Brothers"
· 1993 movie, "Rudy"

Well-known residents have included:
· George Mikan, basketball player
· Lynne Thigpen, actress

Coffee: National and regional coffee companies with outlets here include Gloria Jean's, Panera Bread, Starbucks

More info about local coffee quotients

Local festivals include:

Waterway Daze - July 19-21, 2007
Pioneer Festival - March 17-18, 2007
Latin Music Festival - Sept. 14-16, 2007
Pumpkin Fest - Sept. 28-30, 2007

Dates often change. Check Joliet web sites and events links in the sections below.

Send us festival info for Joliet

Joliet attractions: Casinos

Sports teams: JackHammers (Northern League Baseball)

Colleges and universities: University of St. Francis, Joliet Junior College

More colleges info

Support for libraries: Local government funding for the local library system, in fiscal years 2001-2002, was on par with the national average. (See library links below.)

Gays & lesbians
National index: 100
Local index: 83

More info

Quotes:
On the one hand the steel works/ On the other hand the penitentiary.
-- Carl Sandburg

Listed places near Joliet

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Profile for Joliet, Illinois, IL

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