Morris is a city in and the
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 ...
of
Grundy County,
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 ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
and part of the southwest
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 population was estimated at 15,053 in 2019.
Description
![Downtown Morris, Illinois during the Grundy County Corn Festival](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Downtown_Morris%2C_Illinois_during_the_Grundy_County_Corn_Festival.jpg)
Morris is the Grundy County seat and has a large hospital and modern schools. It is home to the
Morris Community High School
Morris Community High School, or MCHS, is a public four-year high school located in the Chicago suburb of Morris, Illinois, a city 35 miles southwest of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is the school of Morris Community High School Dist ...
Redskins, who have won three state championships in football. There are many small parks, ball diamonds, tennis courts, two golf courses, an outdoor swimming pool, an indoor olympic-sized pool as well as the Gebhard Woods State Park and the William G. Stratton State Park for boat launching on the Illinois River and a skatepark located near White Oak elementary school. Morris Community High School is known to be located on an abandoned mining network that stems for approximately . Morris is home to the Grundy County Speedway, and the city also hosts the annual Grundy County Fair and Grundy County Corn Festival.
Geography
Morris is located in northeast Grundy County along
U.S. Route 6
U.S. Route 6 (US 6), also called the Grand Army of the Republic Highway, honoring the American Civil War veterans association, is a main route of the U.S. Highway system. While it currently runs east-northeast from Bishop, California, to P ...
and
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 near Hebron, to IL 10, just south of Interstate 72 (I-72) near Seymour. IL 47 is in primarily rural ...
and on the north side of the
Illinois River at an elevation of .
According to the 2010 census, Morris has a total area of , of which (or 96.29%) is land and (or 3.71%) is water.
Climate
The annual precipitation for Morris is about 40 inches. The record high for Morris is 109 °F (43 °C) on July 14, 1936. The record low for Morris is -26 °F (−32 °C) in December 1924. The average high temperature for Morris in July is 84.5 °F (43 °C), while the average January low is 15.4 °F (-9.2 °C).
Morris has not been struck by any major tornadoes in recent history, although they occur in Northern Illinois annually. Morris was the first town hit by the
Super Outbreak of April 3–4, 1974. However, the damage within the city was relatively minor, and nobody was injured.
The city can receive heavy snowfall and experience blizzards periodically.
Demographics
As of the
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
of 2000, there were 11,928 people, 4,831 households, and 3,067 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 5,084 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 86.7%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...
, 4.3%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.3%
Native American, 1.4%
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.0%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...
, 6.7% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 2.9% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 15.5% of the population.
There were 5,084 households, out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.8% were
married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.5% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.0% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $62,563 and the median income for a family was $54,987. Males had a median income of $44,071 versus $25,206 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the city was $22,256. About 5.0% of families and 6.6% 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 7.2% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.
Industries
The
Allen Paper Car Wheel Works were based on East North Street in Morris, which supplied the
Pullman Palace Car Company
The Pullman Company, founded by George Pullman, was a manufacturer of railroad cars in the mid-to-late 19th century through the first half of the 20th century, during the boom of railroads in the United States. Through rapid late-19th century ...
in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
from 1867 to 1890 with composite wheels for their railway carriages.
[John H. Lienhard]
''Engines of Our Enginuity, No. 758: Paper railroad wheels.''
/ref> By the 1920s, the paper mill had become one of the largest employers in Morris, producing cardboard boxes of various shapes, sizes, and colors that were shipped throughout the US.[''Then & Now: Morris Paper Mills – Morris.''](_blank)
In: ''The Herald-News'', 18 October 2017.
The Lyondell Chemical Company is located about from the city center. The plant, located just off U.S. Route 6 heading eastbound away from Morris, employs many Morris residents. In addition to the chemical plant, three nuclear power plants are located within a radius of the center of Morris. The closest nuclear plant is only away, called the Dresden Nuclear Power Station. The LaSalle Nuclear Station is away, and Braidwood Generating Station is about away. All of the stations are owned by Exelon Corp. Among the stations, Dresden Generating Station generates energy for Chicago and surrounding areas.
Telephone switching history
In early 1960, the world's first electronic switching system was installed at the Morris central office. The system was a milestone in telephone switching history, an experiment whose planning started in the early 1950s, and led to the largest sustained research and development program toward a single goal in the Bell System. After conversion of the existing manual telephone system using telephone operators for completing telephone calls, with an automatic electromechanical crossbar switching system starting in ca. 1958, a few hundred subscribers received dial service from June 1960 through January 1962 from the first mostly electronic system, that used cold-cathode electron tubes, instead of mechanical relays and switches. For telephone subscribers, the most notable characteristic of what is usually called the ''Morris System'' was the use of electronic tone ringers which used up to eight different tones produced by a tweeter, rather than the traditional bell ringer.
Notable people
* Jessie Bartlett Davis
Jessie Bartlett Davis (1860 – May 14, 1905) was an American operatic singer and actress from Morris, Illinois, who was billed as "America's Representative Contralto".
Opera and acting
She was born Jessie Fremont Bartlett, one of ten child ...
, (c. 1859–1861–1905), operatic singer and actress
* Jack Boyle
John Anthony Boyle (March 22, 1866 – January 7, 1913), nicknamed "Honest Jack", was an American catcher and first baseman in Major League Baseball. His younger brother, Eddie Boyle, played in 1896.
Baseball career
Born in Cincinnati, Boyle be ...
, (1889-1971), third baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...
* Ed Brady
Ed John Brady (born June 17, 1962) is a former American football player.
Brady was raised in Morris, Illinois, and attended Morris Community High School, where he led the Morris Redskins football team to a state championship. Brady played for ...
, (b. 1960), former NFL linebacker
* Kelly Dransfeldt, (b. 1975), former shortstop for the Texas Rangers and Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...
* Careen M. Gordon, (b. 1972), Member of the Illinois House of Representatives
The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the current constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 re ...
from the 75th district from 2003-2011
* Philip C. Hayes
Philip Cornelius Hayes (February 3, 1833 – July 13, 1916) was a United States House of Representatives, U.S. Representative from Illinois, as well as an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War.
Background
Born in Granb ...
, (1833–1916), congressman
* Albert Kingsbury
Albert Kingsbury (23 December 1863 – 28 July 1943) was an American engineer, inventor and entrepreneur. He was responsible for over fifty patents obtained between the years 1902 to 1930. Kingsbury is most famous for his hydrodynamic thrust bear ...
, (1863–1943), engineer, inventor and entrepreneur
* Eric J. Magnuson, (b. 1951), lawyer and Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court
* Billy Petrick
William John Petrick III (born April 29, 1984) is an American Major League Baseball pitcher who is currently playing for Carson’s tap slow pitch softball team in Ransom, Illinois.
Petrick made his major league debut on June 27, for the Chicag ...
, (b. 1984), former pitcher for the Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...
* Walter M. Pierce
Walter Marcus Pierce (May 30, 1861 – March 27, 1954) was an American politician, a Democrat, who served as the 17th Governor of Oregon and a member of the United States House of Representatives from . A native of Illinois, he served in the ...
, (1861–1954), congressman from Oregon's 2nd congressional district and 17th governor of Oregon
The governor of Oregon is the head of government of Oregon and serves as the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The title of governor was also applied to the office of Oregon's chief executive during the provisional and U.S. ter ...
* Lyman Beecher Ray (1831–1916), lieutenant governor of Illinois 1889–93, politician and Morris shopkeeper
* Scott Spiezio
Scott Edward Spiezio (; born September 21, 1972) is an American former professional baseball infielder. He is well-known for his time as a member of the Anaheim Angels, when he hit a three-run home run in Game Six of the 2002 World Series against ...
, (b. 1972), former Major League Baseball third baseman
* Ronald Steel
Ronald Lewis Steel (born March 25, 1931) is an American writer, historian, and professor. He is the author of the definitive biography of Walter Lippmann.
Biography
Ronald Steel was born in 1931 in Morris, Illinois outside of Chicago. He earn ...
, (b. 1931), award-winning writer, historian, and professor
* James R. Washburn (1921–2007), Illinois state representative and mayor of Morris
* Jerry Weller
Gerald Cameron Weller (born July 7, 1957) is an American politician who was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing . As of 2015, Weller is the managing principal of New World Group Public Affairs, a lobbying grou ...
, (b. 1957), former congressman from the 11th District of Illinois
References
External links
*
{{authority control
Cities in Illinois
County seats in Illinois
Cities in Grundy County, Illinois
Populated places established in 1853
1853 establishments in Illinois