Kankakee, Illinois

Name	Kankakee
Settlement Type	City
Image Skyline
Image Caption	Kankakee County Courthouse
Image Map
Map Caption	Location of Kankakee in Illinois
Image Blank Emblem
Blank Emblem Type	Logo
Pushpin Map	Illinois#USA
Pushpin Relief	yes
Pushpin Label	Kankakee
Coordinates	41°07′12″N, 87°51′40″W
Subdivision Type	Country
Subdivision Name	United States
Subdivision Type1	State
Subdivision Name1	Illinois
Subdivision Type2	County
Subdivision Name2	Kankakee
Established Title	Established
Established Date	1853
Established Title2	Incorporated (city)
Established Date2	1865
Government Type	Mayor–council
Leader Party	R
Leader Title	Mayor
Leader Name	Chris Curtis
Leader Title1	City Council
Leader Name1	14 aldermen
Unit Pref	Imperial
Area Total Km2	40.44
Area Total Sq Mi	15.62
Area Land Sq Mi	15.14
Area Water Sq Mi	0.48
Elevation Ft	617
Population Total	24052
Population As Of	2020
Population Density Km2	613.51
Population Density Sq Mi	1588.95
Population Demonym	Kankakeean
Timezone1	CST
Utc Offset1	−6
Timezone1 Dst	CDT
Utc Offset1 Dst	−5
Postal Code Type	ZIP Code
Postal Code	60901
Area Codes	815, 779
Blank Name Sec1	FIPS code
Blank Info Sec1	17-38934
Blank1 Name Sec1	GNIS feature ID
Blank1 Info Sec1	2395489
Website	www.citykankakee-il.gov
Area Land Km2	39.20
Area Water Km2	1.24

Kankakee (ˌkæŋkəˈkiː ) is a city in and the county seat of Kankakee County, Illinois, United States. Located on the Kankakee River, as of 2020, the city's population was 24,052. 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

The city's name is probably derived from a corrupted version of the Miami-Illinois word «teeyaahkiki», meaning "open country/exposed land/land in open/land exposed to view", in reference to the area's prior status as a marsh. Kankakee was founded in 1854.

Geography

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Kankakee has a total area of 15.54sqmi, of which 15.06sqmi (or 96.92%) is land and 0.48sqmi (or 3.08%) is water.

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

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census there were 24,052 people, 9,540 households, and 5,627 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,548.25PD/sqmi. There were 10,600 housing units at an average density of 682.33/sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 37.31% White, 38.69% African American, 0.75% Native American, 0.50% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 14.05% from other races, and 8.67% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 22.95% of the population.

There were 9,540 households, out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.69% were married couples living together, 17.54% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.02% were non-families. 35.37% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.67% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.34 and the average family size was 2.54.

The city's age distribution consisted of 26.0% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $38,763, and the median income for a family was $48,518. Males had a median income of $36,509 versus $24,622 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,680. About 22.1% of families and 27.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.0% of those under age 18 and 23.9% of those age 65 or over.

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%

Arts and culture

Library service is provided by the Kankakee Public Library.

Architecture

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.
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

Kankakee Valley Park District

Kankakee Valley Park District has 37 parks, comprising a total of 600acre. 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 5acre 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.

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.

Education

Higher education

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.

Primary and secondary education

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.

There are three private high schools: Bishop McNamara Catholic School (Catholic), Grace Christian Academy (non-denominational), and Kankakee Trinity Academy (inter-denominational).

Infrastructure

Transportation

Aerial view of Kankakee. The confluence of Iroquois River and Kankakee River is visible on the left edge of the frame.

Airport

Kankakee is served by the Greater Kankakee Airport, a general aviation facility located in the southern portion of Kankakee.

Railroads

Amtrak provides service to Kankakee from the Kankakee Amtrak Station. Amtrak operates the City of New Orleans, the Illini, and the Saluki, which each run once daily in both directions.

Highways

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

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. 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

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.
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).
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
"City of New Orleans", words and music by Steve Goodman
"Lydia the Tattooed Lady", words and music by Yip Harburg and Harold Arlen. 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

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, one of the gazebos was 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.
This American Life on April 10, 2015, analyzed Kankakee and its title of the worst city in America.

References

External links

City of Kankakee, Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois, Volume 2 by Newton Bateman
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

Category:Cities in Illinois
Category:Cities in Kankakee County, Illinois
Category:County seats in Illinois
Category:Metropolitan areas of Illinois
Category:1865 establishments in Illinois
Category:Majority-minority cities and towns in Kankakee County, Illinois

Table of Contents