Kane County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 515,269, making it the fifth-most populous county in Illinois. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

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 ...

, and its largest city is

Aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

. Kane County is one of the

collar counties Collar counties is a colloquialism for DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties, the five counties of Illinois that border Cook County, which is home to Chicago. The collar counties are part of the Chicago metropolitan area and com ...

of the

metropolitan statistical area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...

designated "

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

–

Naperville Naperville ( ) is a city in DuPage and Will counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is in the Chicago metro area, west of the city. Naperville was founded in 1831 by Joseph Naper. The city was established by the banks of the DuPage river, ...

– Elgin, IL– IN– WI" by the US Census.

History

Kane County was formed out of

LaSalle County LaSalle County is located within the Fox Valley and Illinois River Valley regions of the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2020 Census, it had a population of 109,658. Its county seat and largest city is Ottawa. LaSalle County is part of the O ...

in 1836. The county was named in honor of

Elias Kane Elias Kent Kane (June 7, 1794December 12, 1835) was the first Illinois Secretary of State and a U.S. Senator from Illinois. Early life He was born in New York City, to merchant Capt. Elias Kent Kane and Deborah VanSchelluyne of Dutchess County, ...

United States Senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

from Illinois, and the first Secretary of State of Illinois. File:Kane County Illinois 1836.png, Kane County from the time of its creation to 1837, when DeKalb County was split off File:Kane County Illinois 1837.png, Kane County between 1837 and 1841 File:Kane County Illinois 1841.png, Kane County in 1841, reduced to its present size

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the county's area was , of which is land and (0.8%) is water. Its largest cities are along the Fox River.

Climate

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Geneva have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of was recorded in July 1936. The average monthly precipitation ranged from in February to in July.

Adjacent counties

* McHenry County (north) *

Cook County Cook County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Illinois and the second-most-populous county in the United States, after Los Angeles County, California. More than 40% of all residents of Illinois live within Cook County. As of 20 ...

(east) *

DuPage County DuPage County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, and one of the collar counties of the Chicago metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 932,877, making it Illinois' second-most populous county. Its county seat is ...

(east) *

Will County Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

(southeast) * Kendall County (south) *

DeKalb County DeKalb County may refer to one of several counties in the United States, all of which were named for Baron Johan DeKalb: * DeKalb County, Alabama * DeKalb County, Georgia * DeKalb County, Illinois * DeKalb County, Indiana * DeKalb County, Missouri ...

(west)

Parks and recreation

* Fox River Trail *

Great Western Trail The Great Western Trail is a north-south long distance multiple use route that runs from Canada to Mexico through five western states in the United States. The trail has access for both motorized and non-motorized users and traverses through Ar ...

Illinois Prairie Path The Illinois Prairie Path (often called the Prairie Path and abbreviated IPP) is a network of of bicycle trails, mostly in DuPage County, Illinois. Portions of the trail extend west to Kane County and east to Cook County. Most of the trail is ca ...

James "Pate" Philip State Park James "Pate" Philip State Park, originally known as Tri-County State Park, is an Illinois state park in DuPage County and Kane County, Illinois, United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United S ...

Forest preserves

Kane County has an extensive forest preserve program, with numerous nature preserves, historic sites, and trails. *

Almon Underwood Prairie Almon may refer to: People * Almon (surname) * Almon (given name) Places * Almon, Mateh Binyamin, Israel, a settlement in the West Bank * Almon, Georgia, United States, an unincorporated community * Almon, Wisconsin, United States, a town ** ...

* Andersen Woods * Arlene Shoemaker * Aurora West *

Barnes Barnes may refer to: People * Barnes (name), a family name and a given name (includes lists of people with that name) Places United Kingdom *Barnes, London, England **Barnes railway station ** Barnes Bridge railway station ** Barnes Railway Bri ...

* Big Rock Forest Preserve & Campground * Binnie Forest Preserve * Blackberry Maples * Bliss Woods * Bolcum Road Wetlands * Bowes Creek Greenway Forest Preserve * Bowes Creek Woods Forest Preserve * Braeburn Marsh * Brewster Creek Forest Preserve * Brunner Family * Buffalo Park Forest Preserve * Burlington Prairie * Burnidge Forest Preserve/Paul Wolff Campground * Camp Tomo Chi-Chi Knolls * Campton * Cardinal Creek *

Culver Culver may refer to: Places United Kingdom *Culver Down, Isle of Wight United States *Culver, Indiana, a town in northern Indiana * Culver, Kansas, a city in north-central Kansas * Culver, Kentucky, an unincorporated community * Culver, Misso ...

* Deer Valley Golf Course * Dick Young * Eagles Forest Preserve * Edgewater Greenway Forest Preserve * Elburn Forest Preserve * Elgin Shores * Fabyan * Ferson Creek * Fitchie Creek * Fox River Bluff East & Fox River Bluff West * Fox River Forested Fen Forest Preserve * Fox River Shores * Freeman Kame – Meagher * Glenwood Park Forest Preserve * Grunwald Farms * Gunnar Anderson * Hampshire Forest Preserve * Hampshire South Forest Preserve * Hannaford Woods/Nickels Farm * Helm Woods * Hoscheit Woods Forest Preserve * Hughes Creek Golf Club * Jack E. Cook Park & Forest Preserve * Jelkes Creek * Johnson's Mound * Jon J. Duerr * Kenyon Farm * Lake Run Forest Preserve * LeRoy Oakes * Les Arends * Lone Grove Forest Preserve * McLean Fen Forest Preserve * Meissner Prairie – Corron * Mill Creek * Muirhead Springs * New Haven Park * Oakhurst * Otter Creek * Pingree Grove Forest Preserve * Poplar Creek * Prairie Green * Raceway Woods * Raymond Street * Regole * Rutland Forest Preserve * Sauer Family Prairie Kame * Schweitzer Woods * Settler's Hill * Sleepy Hollow Ravine * Tekakwitha Woods * Tyler Creek Forest Preserve * Virgil Forest Preserve * Voyageur's Landing * Willoughby Farms

Demographics

As of the 2010 census, there were 515,269 people, 170,479 households, and 128,323 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 182,047 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 74.6% white, 5.7% black or African American, 3.5% Asian, 0.6% American Indian, 13.0% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 30.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 24.3% were

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

, 13.0% were

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

, 7.9% were

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

, 7.4% were

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

, 7.1% were

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, and 2.4% were

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

. Of the 170,479 households, 42.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.2% were married couples living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 24.7% were non-families, and 19.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.98 and the average family size was 3.45. The median age was 34.5 years. The median income for a household in the county was $67,767 and the median income for a family was $77,998. Males had a median income of $53,833 versus $39,206 for females. The per capita income for the county was $29,480. About 7.0% of families and 9.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 13.5% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Aurora University Aurora University (AU) is a private university in Aurora, Illinois. In addition to its main campus and the Orchard Center in Aurora, AU offers programs online, at its George Williams College campus in Williams Bay, Wisconsin, and at the Woodsto ...

Elgin Community College Elgin Community College (ECC) is a public community college in Elgin, Illinois. It was founded in 1949 as part of Elgin Area School District U46. Community College District 509 was formed 17 years later in 1966, a year after Illinois legislators ...

Judson University Judson University is a private Baptist university in Elgin, Illinois. It is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA. Judson was formed out of the liberal arts component of Northern Baptist Theological Seminary. When the seminary moved ...

Waubonsee Community College Waubonsee Community College is a Public college, public community college with three campuses in Illinois: Sugar Grove, Illinois, Sugar Grove, Aurora, Illinois, Aurora, and Plano, Illinois, Plano. Founded in 1966, Waubonsee Community College ser ...

Infrastructure

Health care

There are several hospitals serving the county: *

Advocate Sherman Hospital Advocate Sherman Hospital is a hospital located in Elgin, Illinois. It contains 255 beds, and is one of the most premier regional hospitals in the country, specializing in heart surgeries. It is ranked "high performing" in dealing with heart fail ...

, Elgin * Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital, Geneva * Presence Mercy Medical Center, Aurora * Presence Saint Joseph Hospital, Elgin * Rush-Copley Medical Center, Aurora

Transportation

Metra Metra is the commuter rail system in the Chicago metropolitan area serving the city of Chicago and its surrounding suburbs via the Union Pacific Railroad, BNSF Railway, and other railroads. The system operates 242 stations on 11 rail lines. I ...

Pace Pace or paces may refer to: Business *Pace (transit), a bus operator in the suburbs of Chicago, US * Pace Airlines, an American charter airline *Pace Foods, a maker of a popular brand of salsa sold in North America, owned by Campbell Soup Compan ...

Airport

* Aurora Municipal Airport

Major highways

Kane county has an extensive county highway system that includes federal, state and county maintained routes. During the years that the county was represented by

Dennis Hastert John Dennis Hastert (; born January 2, 1942) is an American former politician and convicted felon who represented from 1987 to 2007 and served as the 51st speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1999 to 2007. The longest-se ...

it received many federal earmarks for highway improvements to respond to population growth. In addition, the county has entered into an agreement with the

Illinois State Toll Highway Authority The Illinois State Toll Highway Authority (ISTHA) is an administrative agency of the U.S. state of Illinois charged with building, operating, and maintaining toll roads in the state. The roads, as well as the authority itself, are sometimes referr ...

to operate a limited access toll bridge on the

Longmeadow Parkway The Longmeadow Parkway is a bypass of Algonquin, Illinois, that is partially open with the remainder under construction. It is a four-lane Fox River Bridge crossing and four-lane arterial roadway corridor with a median, approximately in length ...

that is not connected to any other tollway. * I-88

Interstate 88 * I-90

Interstate 90 Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain West, Great Plains, Midwest, and ...

U.S. Highway 20 * US 30

U.S. Highway 30 U.S. Route 30 or U.S. Highway 30 (US 30) is an east–west main route in the system of the United States Numbered Highways, with the highway traveling across the northern tier of the country. With a length of , it is the third longest ...

U.S. Highway 34 U.S. Route 34 (US 34) is an east–west United States highway that runs for from north-central Colorado to the western suburbs of Chicago. Through Rocky Mountain National Park it is known as the Trail Ridge Road where it reaches elevation ...

Illinois Route 19 Illinois Route 19 (abbreviated IL-19, or simply Illinois 19) is a major east–west arterial road in northeastern Illinois, United States. It runs from Illinois Route 25 (Liberty St.) in Elgin, to Lake Shore Drive (U.S. Route 41) on the north ...

Illinois Route 25 Illinois Route 25 (IL 25) is a state route in northeast Illinois. It runs north from U.S. Route 34 in Oswego to Illinois Route 62 (Algonquin Road) in Algonquin. Illinois 25 is in length. Route description Illinois Route 25 was opened in Augus ...

Illinois Route 31 Illinois Route 31 (IL 31) is a north–south state highway in northeastern Illinois, United States. It travels from U.S. Route 34 (US 34) in Oswego north to US 12, near the Wisconsin state line, just south of Richmond ...

Illinois Route 38 Illinois Route 38 is an west–east state highway that runs across northern Illinois. It runs from U.S. Route 52 (US 52) in downtown Dixon to US 12/ US 20/ US 45 (Mannheim Road) in Westchester. It runs concurrently with ...

Illinois Route 47 Illinois Route 47 (IL 47) is a largely rural north–south state highway that runs from the Wisconsin state border at Highway 120 (Wisconsin), Highway 120 near Hebron, Illinois, Hebron, to Illinois Route 10, IL 10, just south of Int ...

Illinois Route 56 Illinois Route 56 (IL 56) is a east–west state highway in northern and northeastern Illinois. It runs from the interchange of Illinois Route 47 at U.S. Route 30 (US 30) in Sugar Grove east to US 12/US 20/US 45 (Mannheim Road) by Bellwoo ...

Illinois Route 58 Illinois Route 58 (IL 58, Illinois 58), also known as Golf Road for most of its route, is a state highway in northeast Illinois. It runs from Illinois Route 25 (Liberty Street) in Elgin east to U.S. Route 41 (Skokie Boulevard) in Skokie. This i ...

Illinois Route 62 Illinois Route 62 (IL 62) is a east–west state road in northeast Illinois. It runs from western Algonquin at IL 31 (Western Algonquin Bypass) to the intersection with IL 83 (Elmhurst Road) by industrial Mount Prospect. Route ...

Illinois Route 64 Illinois Route 64 (IL 64, Illinois 64) is an east–west state highway in Northern Illinois. Its western terminus is at the Iowa state line, connecting with U.S. Route 52 (US 52) and Iowa Highway 64 via the Dale Gardner Veterans Memo ...

Illinois Route 68 Illinois Route 68 (IL 68) is a east–west state highway in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Illinois. It travels east from IL 72 (Higgins Road) in the Dundee area to the concurrency of Interstate 94 (I-94)/U.S. Route ...

Illinois Route 72 Illinois Route 72 is an east–west state road in northern Illinois. It runs from the intersection with Illinois Route 73 north of Lanark east to Illinois Route 43 (Harlem Avenue) in Chicago. This is a distance of . Route description Illin ...

Illinois Route 110 110 may refer to: *110 (number), natural number *AD 110, a year *110 BC, a year *110 film, a cartridge-based film format used in still photography *110 (MBTA bus), Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority bus route *110 (song), 2019 song by Capi ...

Army Trail Road Army Trail Road is a county road in parts of DuPage and Kane Counties, Illinois. Army Trail Road begins at Illinois Route 25 in Wayne and ends at the Addison Village Hall east of John F. Kennedy Drive in a cul de sac in Addison. Parts of Army ...

Randall Road Randall Road is a major north-south county highway in McHenry and Kane County, Illinois. The road is named after Norman Randall, a prominent area landowner in the 1930s. It serves as the western extent of the Fox Valley suburbs in the Chicago m ...

* Kane County Route 37 *

Lake Cook Road Lake Cook Road (alternatively referred to as County Line Road or Main Street in some areas) is a major east–west highway in Cook, Lake, McHenry, and Kane Counties in Illinois. For much of its length, it marks the border between Cook and La ...

Communities

Cities

(mostly) *

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 ...

(mostly) * Elgin (mostly) *

* St. Charles (mostly) * Yorkville (part)

Villages

Algonquin Algonquin or Algonquian—and the variation Algonki(a)n—may refer to: Languages and peoples *Algonquian languages, a large subfamily of Native American languages in a wide swath of eastern North America from Canada to Virginia **Algonquin la ...

(part) *

Barrington Hills Barrington Hills is a village located about northwest of Chicago in the U.S. state of Illinois. Per the 2020 census, the population was 4,114. It straddles approximately over four counties, Cook, Kane, Lake, and McHenry. The Village of Barrin ...

(part) * Bartlett (part) * Big Rock *

Burlington Burlington may refer to: Places Canada Geography * Burlington, Newfoundland and Labrador * Burlington, Nova Scotia * Burlington, Ontario, the most populous city with the name "Burlington" * Burlington, Prince Edward Island * Burlington Bay, no ...

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 ...

* Carpentersville * East Dundee (mostly) * Elburn *

Gilberts The Gilbert Islands ( gil, Tungaru;Reilly Ridgell. ''Pacific Nations and Territories: The Islands of Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia.'' 3rd. Ed. Honolulu: Bess Press, 1995. p. 95. formerly Kingsmill or King's-Mill IslandsVery often, this n ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

Hoffman Estates Hoffman Estates is a village (Illinois), village in Illinois, United States. The village is located primarily in Cook County, Illinois, Cook County, with a small section in Kane County, Illinois, Kane County. It is a suburb of Chicago. Per the 2 ...

(part) * Huntley (part) * Kaneville * Lily Lake * Maple Park (part) * Montgomery (mostly) * North Aurora * Pingree Grove * Sleepy Hollow * South Elgin * Sugar Grove *

Virgil Publius Vergilius Maro (; traditional dates 15 October 7021 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: t ...

* Wayne (part) *

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. ...

Census-designated place

* Prestbury

Other unincorporated communities

* Allens Corners *

Almora Almora ( Kumaoni: ''Almāḍ'') is a municipal board and a cantonment town in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Almora district. Almora is located on a ridge at the southern edge of the Kumaon Hills of the ...

* Bald Mound *

Bowes Bowes is a village in County Durham, England. Located in the Pennine hills, it is situated close to Barnard Castle. It is built around the medieval Bowes Castle. Geography and administration Civic history Bowes lies within the historic count ...

* Five Island Park *

Freeman Freeman, free men, or variant, may refer to: * a member of the Third Estate in medieval society (commoners), see estates of the realm * Freeman, an apprentice who has been granted freedom of the company, was a rank within Livery companies * Free ...

* La Fox * Mooseheart * North Plato * Nottingham Woods * Plato Center * Rainbow Hills * Starks *

Udina Udina (russian: Удина) is a volcanic massif located in the central part of the Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia. It comprises two conical stratovolcanoes: Bolshaya Udina (2,920 m) and Malaya Udina (1,945 m). The basaltic Malaya Udina rises above ...

* Valley View *

Wasco Wasco is the name of four places in the United States: Places United States * Wasco, California, a city in California ** Wasco State Prison, located in Wasco, California * Wasco, Illinois, a former hamlet (unincorporated town) in Illinois, now pa ...

Townships

* Aurora Township * Batavia Township * Big Rock Township * Blackberry Township * Burlington Township * Campton Township * Dundee Township * Elgin Township * Geneva Township * Hampshire Township * Kaneville Township * Plato Township * Rutland Township * St. Charles Township * Sugar Grove Township * Virgil Township

Politics

Kane County is coterminous with the 16th Judicial Circuit. The 16th Judicial Circuit is divided into four subcircuits. The first subcircuit consists of the majority of Aurora Township. The second subcircuit consists of most of Elgin and

Dundee Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...

townships. The fourth subcircuit consists the tri-cities area of

, and Saint Charles. The third subcircuit consists of all territory not included in the other three subcircuits, which corresponds to an area of roughly the western two thirds of the county. As one of the

Yankee The term ''Yankee'' and its contracted form ''Yank'' have several interrelated meanings, all referring to people from the United States. Its various senses depend on the context, and may refer to New Englanders, residents of the Northern United St ...

-settled and prosperous suburban “

”, Kane County was a stronghold of the

Free Soil Party The Free Soil Party was a short-lived coalition political party in the United States active from 1848 to 1854, when it merged into the Republican Party. The party was largely focused on the single issue of opposing the expansion of slavery into ...

in its first few elections, being one of nine Illinois counties to give a plurality to

Martin van Buren Martin Van Buren ( ; nl, Maarten van Buren; ; December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862) was an American lawyer and statesman who served as the eighth president of the United States from 1837 to 1841. A primary founder of the Democratic Party (Uni ...

in 1848. Kane County then unsurprisingly became solidly Republican for the century and a half following that party's formation. It voted for the GOP presidential nominee in every election between 1856 and 2004 except that of 1912 when the Republican Party was mortally divided and

Progressive Progressive may refer to: Politics * Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform ** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context * Progressive realism, an American foreign policy par ...

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

carried the county with a majority of the vote over conservative incumbent

William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) was the 27th president of the United States (1909–1913) and the tenth chief justice of the United States (1921–1930), the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected pr ...

. The gradual shift of the GOP towards white

Southern Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, M ...

Evangelicals, however, has led the generally moderate electorate of Kane and the other “collar counties” to trend towards the Democratic Party. In 2008, then-Illinois Senator

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

became the first Democrat to carry Kane County since

Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. He was a northern Democrat who believed that the abolitionist movement was a fundamental threat to the nation's unity ...

in 1852, and the first ever to win an absolute majority of the county's vote (the previous two Democratic winners, Pierce and

James K. Polk James Knox Polk (November 2, 1795 – June 15, 1849) was the 11th president of the United States, serving from 1845 to 1849. He previously was the 13th speaker of the House of Representatives (1835–1839) and ninth governor of Tennessee (183 ...

in 1844 had both gained only pluralities due to strong Free Soil votes). Obama won a plurality in 2012, and

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

improved upon Obama's showing to become the second Democrat to win a majority in 2016. In 2020, Joe Biden had the best performance ever by a Democrat in the county, even besting Obama's 2008 victory.

Notable people

* Patricia Golden * Frank D. Weir

References

;General *

External links

Kane County government website
{{Coord, 41, 57, N, 88, 26, W, type:adm2nd_region:US-IL, display=title 1836 establishments in Illinois Chicago metropolitan area Illinois counties Populated places established in 1836