The Fox Valley—also commonly known as the Fox River Valley—is a region centered on the Fox River of

Northern Illinois Northern Illinois is a region generally covering the northern third of the U.S. state of Illinois. The region is by far the most populous of Illinois with nearly 9.7 million residents as of 2010. Economics Northern Illinois is dominated by th ...

, along the western edges of the

Chicago metropolitan area The Chicago metropolitan area, also colloquially referred to as Chicagoland, is a metropolitan area in the Midwestern United States. Encompassing 10,286 sq mi (28,120 km2), the metropolitan area includes the city of Chicago, its suburbs and hi ...

. The region extends from the village of

Antioch Antioch on the Orontes (; grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου, ''Antiókheia hē epì Oróntou'', Learned ; also Syrian Antioch) grc-koi, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου; or Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπ� ...

, in far northern Illinois, to the city of

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

in the south. It includes rural areas, suburban development, and 19th-century downtowns. Around 1 million people live in this area. Native American tribes that historically lived in this region include the

Potawatomi The Potawatomi , also spelled Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie (among many variations), are a Native American people of the western Great Lakes region, upper Mississippi River and Great Plains. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a m ...

Sac SAC or Sac may refer to: Organizations Education * Santa Ana College, California, US * San Antonio College, Texas, US * St. Andrew's College, Aurora, Canada * Students' Administrative Council, University of Toronto, Canada * SISD Student Activiti ...

, and

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

tribes. Some of cities in the Fox River Valley are part of the

Rust Belt The Rust Belt is a region of the United States that experienced industrial decline starting in the 1950s. The U.S. manufacturing sector as a percentage of the U.S. GDP peaked in 1953 and has been in decline since, impacting certain regions and ...

. Within this region is Aurora, the second largest city in the state, Elgin, and the nearby cities of

Batavia Batavia may refer to: Historical places * Batavia (region), a land inhabited by the Batavian people during the Roman Empire, today part of the Netherlands * Batavia, Dutch East Indies, present-day Jakarta, the former capital of the Dutch East In ...

, St. Charles, and

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

, which have been known as the Tri-City area since the early 20th century.

Prominent cities

The following is a list of cities and villages from north to south, along the Fox River Valley: *

* Fox Lake * Johnsburg * McHenry *

Fox River Grove Fox River Grove (FRG) is a village in Algonquin Township, McHenry County and Cuba Township, Lake County, Illinois, United States. As per 2020 census, the population was 4,702. In 1919, the village of Fox River Grove was officially incorpor ...

* Cary * Algonquin * Carpentersville *

East Dundee East Dundee is a village in Kane County with a small section in Cook County. The population was 3,152 at the 2020 census. Geography East Dundee is located at . According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, East Dundee has a total area of , of ...

West Dundee West Dundee is a village in Kane County, Illinois, United States. The population was 7,686 as of the 2020 US Census. It is considered a far northwest Chicago suburb. West Dundee lies across the Fox River from East Dundee and Carpentersville. ...

* Elgin * South Elgin * Wayne *

Campton Hills Campton Hills is a village (United States), village in Kane County, Illinois and is a western suburb of Chicago. The population of the village is 11,131 per the 2010 US Census. The village was established on May 14, 2007, by municipal corporation ...

* St. Charles *

* North Aurora * Aurora * Montgomery * Oswego * Yorkville * Millbrook * Millington *

Sheridan Sheridan may refer to: People Surname *Sheridan (surname) *Philip Sheridan (1831–1888), U.S. Army general after whom the Sheridan tank is named *Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751–1816), Irish playwright (''The Rivals''), poet and politician ...

Notes

{{Coord, 42, 0, N, 88, 15, W, region:US-IL_scale:500000, display=title Chicago metropolitan area Regions of Illinois River valleys of the United States Valleys of Illinois