Kankakee is a city in
Kankakee CountyKankakee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 113,449, which is an increase of 9.3% from 103,833 in 2000. Its county seat is Kankakee....
, Illinois, USA. As of the
2000 censusThe Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
, the city population was 25,561, and 26,840 as of a 2009 estimate. It is the
county seatA county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of
Kankakee CountyKankakee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 113,449, which is an increase of 9.3% from 103,833 in 2000. Its county seat is Kankakee....
. Kankakee is a principal city of the Kankakee–
BradleyBradley is a village in Kankakee County, Illinois, United States. The population was 12,784 at the 2000 census, and 15,070 in 2009....
Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Kankakee County.
Geography
Kankakee is located at 41°7′12"N 87°51′36"W (41.12, −87.86).
According to the
United States Census BureauThe United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 12.8 square miles (33.2 km²), of which, 12.3 square miles (31.9 km²) of it is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²) of it (3.76%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 27,561 people, 10,020 households and 6,272 families residing within the city. The population density was 2,239.8 people per square mile (865.1/km²). There were 10,965 housing units at an average density of 893.4 per square mile (345.0/km²). 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 racesRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.90% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino 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% have 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 the population was spread out with 29.5% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 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% of those age 65 or over.
Government
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. Library service is provided by the Kankakee Public Library. Kankakee and Bradley have libraries. PC's available if you get a card. Must have a bill, unless you have a friend.
Rail transportation
AmtrakThe National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
, the national passenger rail service, provides service to Kankakee. Amtrak Train 59 (the southbound
City of New OrleansThe City of New Orleans is a nightly passenger train operated by Amtrak which travels between Chicago, Illinois and New Orleans, Louisiana. Before Amtrak's formation in 1971, the train was operated by the Illinois Central Railroad along the same route . The train currently operates on a 19½ hour...
), is scheduled to depart Kankakee at 9:23 pm daily with service to Champaign-Urbana,
MattoonMattoon is a city in Coles County, Illinois, United States. The population was 18,555 as of the 2010 census. It is a principal city of the Charleston–Mattoon Micropolitan Statistical Area.Mattoon was the site of the "Mad Gasser" attacks of the 1940s....
,
EffinghamEffingham is a city in Effingham County, Illinois, United States. The population was 12,384 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Effingham County....
,
CentraliaCentralia is a town located in Marion, Washington, Clinton, and Jefferson Counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. The population was 13,032 at the 2010 census. The town was founded because it was the point where the two original branches of the Illinois Central Railroad, built in 1853, converged....
,
CarbondaleCarbondale is a city in Jackson County, in the state of Illinois, within the Southern Illinois region. It is located at the junction of Illinois Route 13 and U.S. Route 51, southeast of St. Louis, Missouri, on the northern edge of the Shawnee National Forest...
,
FultonFulton is a city in Fulton County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 2,775 at the 2000 census. It was once known as the "Banana Capital of the World" because 70% of imported bananas to the U.S. used to be shipped there . U.S...
,
Newbern-DyersburgThe Newbern-Dyersburg Amtrak station is a train station in Newbern, Tennessee, United States served by Amtrak, the national railroad passenger system...
,
MemphisMemphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
,
GreenwoodGreenwood is a city in and the county seat of Leflore County, Mississippi, United States, located at the eastern edge of the Mississippi Delta approximately 96 miles north of Jackson, Mississippi, and 130 miles south of Memphis, Tennessee. The population was 15,205 at the 2010 census. It is the...
,
Yazoo CityYazoo City is a city in Yazoo County, Mississippi, United States. It was named after the Yazoo River, which, in turn was named by the French explorer Robert La Salle. It is the county seat of Yazoo County and the principal city of the Yazoo City Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of the...
,
JacksonJackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
,
HazlehurstHazlehurst is a city in and the county seat of Copiah County, Mississippi, United States, located about 30 miles south of the state capital Jackson along Interstate 55. The population was 4,400 at the 2000 census...
,
BrookhavenBrookhaven is a small city in Lincoln County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 9,861 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Lincoln County...
,
McCombMcComb is a city in Pike County, Mississippi, United States, about south of Jackson. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 13,644. It is the principal city of the McComb, Mississippi, Micropolitan Statistical Area...
,
HammondHammond is the largest city in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 20,049 at the 2009 census. It is home to Southeastern Louisiana University...
, and New Orleans. Amtrak Train 58, the northbound City of New Orleans, is scheduled to depart Kankakee at 7:13 am daily with service to
HomewoodHomewood is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 19,543 at the 2000 census. Homewood is a sister city to Homewood, Alabama.- Geography :...
and
ChicagoUnion Station is a major train station that opened in 1925 in Chicago, replacing an earlier 1881 station. It is now the only intercity rail terminal in Chicago, as well as being the city's primary terminal for commuter trains. The station stands on the west side of the Chicago River between Adams...
. Kankakee is also served by Amtrak Train 390/391, the
SalukiThe Saluki is a 310-mile passenger train line operated by Amtrak running between Chicago and Carbondale, Illinois. The train is a part of the Illinois Service rail network and is partially funded by the Illinois Department of Transportation...
, daily in the morning, and Amtrak Train 392/393, the
IlliniThe Illini is a 310-mile passenger train operated by Amtrak that runs between Chicago and Carbondale, Illinois. The train is a part of the Illinois Service rail network and is partially funded by the Illinois Department of Transportation and by local governments along the route...
, daily in the afternoon/evening. Both the Saluki and the Illini operate between Chicago and Carbondale.
Kankakee Valley Park District
Kankakee Valley Park District has 28 parks with a total of 600 acres (2.4 km²) all together. Facilities include a vita course, an ice skating rink, 5 Field houses, Civic Auditorium, 96-slip marina, 13 baseball diamonds, 15 football fields, 24 playgrounds, 15 basketball courts, 24 tennis courts, 5 boat landings, a bandshell, and 25 recreational groups and clubs.
College
Organized in 1966 by a group of citizens,
Kankakee Community CollegeKankakee Community College is a two-year institution of higher learning located in Kankakee, northeastern Illinois. The main campus is located on the southern border of the city of Kankakee and spans along the banks of the Kankakee River. KCC is accredited by the Commission on Institutions of...
was established to provide a post-secondary educational resource for the people of the Kankakee area. The college offered its first classes in September 1968. It serves as an educational, vocational, and recreational center for residents of Community College District 520, an area encompassing all or part of Kankakee County, Iroquois County,
Ford County,
Grundy County,
Livingston CountyLivingston County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 38,950, which is a decrease of 1.8% from 39,678 in 2000. Its county seat is Pontiac....
, and Will County and serving a population of approximately 150,000. In its College Credit Division, KCC awards associate degrees, associate in
Applied ScienceApplied science is the application of scientific knowledge transferred into a physical environment. Examples include testing a theoretical model through the use of formal science or solving a practical problem through the use of natural science....
degrees and certificates of completion. Students attend KCC both to prepare to transfer to four-year institutions and complete bachelor's degrees and to prepare to enter the job market directly from KCC. Kankakee Community College serves over 6,000 students annually and the average class size is 16. The ratio of part-time to full-time students at Kankakee Community College is 3 to 1.
High schools
The City of Kankakee is home to 4 high schools,
Kankakee High SchoolKankakee High School is a public secondary school in Kankakee, Illinois and is part of the Kankakee School District 111. KHS serves grades nine through twelve....
,
Bishop Martin D. McNamaraBishop McNamara High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Kankakee, Illinois. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Joliet in Illinois.-History:...
, Grace Baptist Academy and Kankakee Trinity Academy. Kankakee High School is the public high school for the city and is the most populous school in Kankakee. Bishop McNamara, Kankakee Trinity Academy and Grace Baptist Academy are private high schools. Bishop McNamara is a Catholic high school, Kankakee Trinity Academy is a Inter-Denominational Christian School while Grace Baptist is Independent
BaptistBaptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
. Kankakee High has notable Math, Science, and Art departments.
In popular culture
- 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), Child's Play (1988), "Chain Reaction
Chain Reaction is a 1996 American film starring Keanu Reeves, Morgan Freeman, Rachel Weisz, Brian Cox, Kevin Dunn and Fred Ward. It presents a fictional account of the invention of bubble fusion using sonoluminescence and the attempts by the United States Government to prevent the spreading of this...
" (1996), "Road to PerditionRoad to Perdition is a 2002 American crime film directed by Sam Mendes. The screenplay was adapted by David Self, from the graphic novel of the same name by Max Allan Collins. The film stars Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, Jude Law, and Daniel Craig...
" (2002), "Adia" (2006, short film), "The Missing Peace" (2006, short film), "The Merry GentlemanThe Merry Gentleman is a 2009 drama film about a woman who leaves an abusive relationship to start a new life in Chicago, where she forms a friendship with a hitman who is undergoing his own emotional crisis...
" (2008), and "Demon Joe" (2009).
- Kankakee has been immortalized in the folk song, "City of New Orleans
"City of New Orleans" is a folk song written by Steve Goodman , describing a train ride from Chicago to New Orleans via the Illinois Central Railroad in bittersweet and nostalgic terms. Goodman got the idea while traveling on the eponymous train for a visit to his wife's family...
", written by Steve GoodmanSteve Goodman was an American folk music singer-songwriter from Chicago, Illinois. The writer of "City of New Orleans", made popular by Arlo Guthrie, Goodman won two Grammy Awards.-Personal life:...
. The best known version was performed by Arlo GuthrieArlo Davy Guthrie is an American folk singer. Like his father, Woody Guthrie, Arlo often sings songs of protest against social injustice...
in 1972 and appeared on the album "Hobo's LullabyHobo's Lullaby is a 1972 LP by American folk singer Arlo Guthrie. This album features Guthrie's most recent Top 40 hit to date, a cover of Steve Goodman's "City of New Orleans."-Track listing:# Anytime - 1:46 Hobo's Lullaby is a 1972 LP by American folk singer Arlo Guthrie. This album features...
". The song tells the story of a trip on the passenger train "The City of New Orleans", originating in Chicago and stopping at Kankakee en route to New Orleans.
- Kankakee is also mentioned in several other songs, including:
- "Lydia the Tattooed Lady
"Lydia the Tattooed Lady" is a 1939 song written by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg. It first appeared in the 1939 Marx Brothers movie At the Circus and became one of Groucho Marx's signature tunes...
" (1939) written by Harold ArlenHarold Arlen was an American composer of popular music, having written over 500 songs, a number of which have become known the world over. In addition to composing the songs for The Wizard of Oz, including the classic 1938 song, "Over the Rainbow,” Arlen is a highly regarded contributor to the...
and Yip HarburgEdgar Yipsel Harburg , known as E.Y. Harburg or Yip Harburg, was an American popular song lyricist who worked with many well-known composers...
. It first appeared in the 1939 Marx BrothersThe Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act, originally from New York City, that enjoyed success in Vaudeville, Broadway, and motion pictures from the early 1900s to around 1950...
movie "At the CircusAt the Circus is a 1939 Marx Brothers comedy film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in which they save a circus from bankruptcy...
". The song was also used in the 1940 movie "The Philadelphia Story", humorously performed by Virginia Wiedler in the role of Dinah Lord .
- "Innocent Bessie Brown", words and music by Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin was an American composer and lyricist of Jewish heritage, widely considered one of the greatest songwriters in American history.His first hit song, "Alexander's Ragtime Band", became world famous...
, written in 1910, sung by the Broadway performer Ethel Green
- "They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back from the Dead!! Ahhhh!", words and music by Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens is an American singer-songwriter and musician born in Detroit, Michigan. Stevens first began releasing his music on Asthmatic Kitty, a label co-founded with his stepfather, beginning with the 1999 release, A Sun Came...
, from his 2005 album "IllinoiseIllinois is a 2005 concept album by American indie folk songwriter Sufjan Stevens. His fifth studio album, Illinois features songs referencing places, events, and persons related to the U.S. state of Illinois...
".
Culture
- In 1999, Kankakee County [not just the City of Kankakee] was rated the worst metropolitan area to live in (out of 354 rated metropolitan areas) in the United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and CanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
by the Places Rated Almanac. Late night television host David LettermanDavid Michael Letterman is an American television host and comedian. He hosts the late night television talk show, Late Show with David Letterman, broadcast on CBS. Letterman has been a fixture on late night television since the 1982 debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC...
gave the city two identical gazebos, hoping the town could turn itself around as the "Home Of The Twin Gazebos". City leaders have since improved on this ranking by bringing in a water park, ice rink, revitalizing downtown, and other community improvement projects.
- Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
designed two houses in the Riverview section of the city, located on South Harrison Ave. The B. Harley Bradley House & Stable and the Warren Hickox HouseWarren Hickox House, also known as the Hickox/Brown house, is a Frank Lloyd Wright designed Prairie school home that was constructed in Kankakee, Illinois in 1900. Warren Hickox's wife was the sister of Mrs. B. Harley Bradley, of the Wright designed B. Harley Bradley House which is located next...
both still stand today.
Notable residents
Notable people from Kankakee include actors
Fred MacMurrayFrederick Martin "Fred" MacMurray was an American actor who appeared in more than 100 movies and a successful television series during a career that spanned nearly a half-century, from 1930 to the 1970s....
(
Double Indemnity,
My Three SonsMy Three Sons is an American situation comedy. The series ran from 1960 to 1965 on ABC, and moved to CBS until its end on August 24, 1972. My Three Sons chronicles the life of a widower and aeronautical engineer named Steven Douglas , raising his three sons.The series was a cornerstone of the CBS...
) and Nick Adams (TV Series "The Rebel"), Olympic distance runner
Joie RayJoseph Reynolds "Joie" Ray Jr. was an American open-wheel and stock-car racer.Ray was born in Louisville, Kentucky. In 1947, Ray was the first African American licensed by the American Automobile Association...
, pro football players
Jimmy SmithJames Kevin Smith is a former American football running back in the National Football League for the Los Angeles Raiders, the Washington Redskins, and the Minnesota Vikings. He played college football at Elon College and was drafted in the fourth round of the 1984 NFL Draft...
and
Ted PetersenTed Petersen, also known as "Denunez" is a former professional American football player who played offensive lineman for nine seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Cleveland Browns, and the Indianapolis Colts. Petersen is the athletic director at Kankakee Community College in Kankakee, Illinois....
, Major League baseball catcher
Tom PrinceThis article is about the former professional baseball player. For the bodybuilder, see Tom Prince .Thomas Albert Prince is a former Major League Baseball player...
, college basketball coach
Harv SchmidtHarv Schmidt is a former American professional basketball player and coach. A 6'6", 195 pound small forward from Kankakee, Illinois. Schmidt attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he played from 1954-1957 for the men's basketball team...
, former Illinois governors Lennington Small,
Samuel H. ShapiroSamuel Harvey Shapiro was the 34th Governor of Illinois, serving from 1968 to 1969. He was a member of the Democratic Party....
and
George RyanGeorge Homer Ryan, Sr. was the 39th Governor of the U.S. state of Illinois from 1999 until 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party. Ryan became nationally known when in 2000 he imposed a moratorium on executions and "raised the national debate on capital punishment"...
and
Little Orphan AnnieLittle Orphan Annie was a daily American comic strip created by Harold Gray and syndicated by Tribune Media Services. The strip took its name from the 1885 poem "Little Orphant Annie" by James Whitcomb Riley, and made its debut on August 5, 1924 in the New York Daily News...
creator
Harold GreyHarold Grey was the International Boxing Federation super flyweight champion twice in the mid 1990s. He was born in Arjona, Bolívar.-Pro career:...
, Randy Spears (Actor) and Richard Harper, drummer of the Chicago-based rock groups Plastics Hi-Fi, The Sam Saunders Machine, and Team Band.
See also
- Kankakee River
The Kankakee River is a tributary of the Illinois River, approximately long, in northwestern Indiana and northeastern Illinois in the United States. At one time the river drained one of the largest wetlands in North America and furnished a significant portage between the Great Lakes and the...
- Kankakee Outwash Plain
The Kankakee Outwash Plain is a flat plain in the Kankakee River valley in northwestern Indiana and northeastern Illinois. It is just south of the Valparaiso Moraine. It was formed during the Wisconsin Glaciation. As the glacier, stopped at the Valparaiso Moraine, melted, the meltwater was carried...
External links