Channahon, Illinois
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Channahon ( ) is a village in Grundy and
Will 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 ...
counties 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 so ...
of
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
. The population was 13,383 at the 2020 census. Located in a rural area southwest of
Joliet, Illinois Joliet ( ) is a city in Will County, Illinois, Will and Kendall County, Illinois, Kendall counties in the U.S. state of Illinois, located southwest of Chicago. It is the county seat of Will County, Illinois, Will County. It had a population of ...
, Channahon lies at the confluence of the Des Plaines, Kankakee, and DuPage rivers, where they form the
Illinois River The Illinois River () is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River at approximately in length. Located in the U.S. state of Illinois, the river has a drainage basin of . The Illinois River begins with the confluence of the Des Plaines ...
. The
Illinois and Michigan Canal The Illinois and Michigan Canal connected the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. In Illinois, it ran from the Chicago River in Bridgeport, Chicago to the Illinois River at LaSalle-Peru. The canal crossed the Chicago ...
runs through the village, intersecting the DuPage at Channahon State Park. Most of the village is within Channahon Township of Will County.


History

Archaeological evidence suggests that the land on which the village now stands was inhabited as long as three to four thousand years ago by
Mound Builders Many pre-Columbian cultures in North America were collectively termed "Mound Builders", but the term has no formal meaning. It does not refer to specific people or archaeological culture but refers to the characteristic mound earthworks that in ...
. When white settlers arrived in the early 1830s, the region was populated by
Potawatomi The Potawatomi (), also spelled Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie (among many variations), are a Native American tribe of the Great Plains, upper Mississippi River, and western Great Lakes region. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, ...
, with whom the early settlers had friendly relations. The settlers came to call the area "Channahon," a Potawatomi phrase translated as "meeting of the waters." When construction of the Illinois and Michigan Canal began in 1836, Channahon's location was chosen as the site for two of the waterway's locks. In 1845, Myrvin Benjamin plotted a new settlement to take advantage of the two rivers and the almost-completed canal surrounding the location. At first called "Du Page," the settlement was officially named Channahon when the township government was organized in 1850. By the 1870s Channahon was home to a growing population and contained a post office, a schoolhouse, a Methodist church, two blacksmithies, and several stores. The community prospered until the rise of railroad transportation in the late 19th century caused commerce and population in the canal town to diminish. The Village of Channahon was first incorporated in 1896, but dissolved in 1908 to avoid liability after an automobile fell into the DuPage River due to a bridge failure. Becoming a mainly agricultural community after the decline of canal commerce, Channahon saw slow growth in the first half of the 20th century. On December 11, 1961 the area was reincorporated as the Village of Channahon. In the following decades, Channahon's proximity to two major interstates,
I-80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one of the ori ...
and I-55, resulted in the village's rapid industrialization—notably including such facilities as a
Mobil Mobil Oil Corporation, now known as just Mobil, is a petroleum brand owned and operated by American oil and gas corporation ExxonMobil, formerly known as Exxon, which took its current name after history of ExxonMobil#merger, it and Mobil merge ...
oil refinery An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial processes, industrial process Factory, plant where petroleum (crude oil) is transformed and refining, refined into products such as gasoline (petrol), diesel fuel, Bitumen, asphalt base, ...
, two
petrochemical Petrochemicals (sometimes abbreviated as petchems) are the chemical products obtained from petroleum by refining. Some chemical compounds made from petroleum are also obtained from other fossil fuels, such as coal or natural gas, or renewable s ...
plants, a
soybean The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean. Soy is a staple crop, the world's most grown legume, and an important animal feed. Soy is a key source o ...
oil production facility, an Amazon warehouse Amazon LLC facility] enterPoint Intermodal Center in neighboring Elwood, and numerous warehouses in both Elwood and Joliet, among which are
Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek myth ...
and
Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores in the United States and 23 other ...
distribution centers. Experiencing significant residential and commercial development in response to its industrial economy, Channahon has since grown into an affluent semirural suburb of Chicago.


Geography

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Channahon has a total area of , of which (or 92.50%) is land and (or 7.50%) is water. Channahon borders the neighboring communities of Minooka, Shorewood, Joliet, Elwood, Wilmington, and Morris.


Climate

Channahon experiences cold winters with plenty of snow. Its summers are hot and humid, with cooling rains occurring frequently. The temperatures vary from 18 °F to 84 °F on average, with extremes reaching -2 °F and 92 °F on average. Cloud coverage in Channahon varies from month to month. The time of the year with the most clouds is October 27 to June 13. The cloudiest month on average is December, and the least cloudy month on average is August. Channahon has differing amounts of precipitation throughout the year. The time with the most rain is between March 27 to September 24. The month with the most precipitation is June.


Demographics

As of the 2020 census, there were 13,383 people, 4,342 households, and 3,665 families within the village. The population density was . There were 4,684 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 86.25% White, 1.27% Black or African American, 0.40% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.74% Asian, 3.27% from other races, and 8.0% from two or more races. 10.37% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 4,342 households, of which 39% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 74.8% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present, 12.1% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present, and 3.7% were cohabitating couples. 11.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.15 and the average family size was 3.44. The village's population was 27.4% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 22.1% from 25 to 44, 27.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.3 males. The median income for a household in the village was $105,156, and the median income for a family was $111,662. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the village was $40,721. About 2.3% of families and 3.8% 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 ...
, including 0.6% of those under age 18 and 3.7% of those age 65 or over.


Arts and culture


Historic sites

The
Illinois and Michigan Canal The Illinois and Michigan Canal connected the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. In Illinois, it ran from the Chicago River in Bridgeport, Chicago to the Illinois River at LaSalle-Peru. The canal crossed the Chicago ...
runs through the village, where it passes the locktender's house at Canal Lock No. 6 as well as the Dresden Mule Barn. The Briscoe Mounds stand near the Des Plaines River.


Parks and recreation

Formed in 1971, the Channahon Park District maintains over of public parks. Facilities include: * Channahon State Park, offering fishing and recreation beside the DuPage River; site of Forgotten Warrior Memorial *McKinley Woods, featuring over 4 miles of walking trails near the banks of the Des Plaines River * Community Park, Central Park, and Arroyo Trails * Heritage Bluffs Public Golf Club * Heritage Crossing Field House, with two gymnasiums, an indoor track, and fitness center.


Government

Channahon is run by a Village Board of Trustees. The current President of the board of trustees is Missey Schumacher (elected in April 2015). At the county level, Will County residents are located within Board District 6, and are represented by Don Gould (R- Shorewood) and Joe VanDuyne (D- Wilmington). Grundy County residents are part of Board District 2, and they are represented by Chris Balkema (R), Debra Jo Kinsella (R), Lana Phillips (D), Eric Rasmusson (R), Greg Ridenour (R), and Deb Warning (R). In the Illinois State Senate, Channahon is represented by: In 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 constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 representativ ...
, Channhon is represented by: At the federal level, Channahon is represented by Senators
Dick Durbin Richard Joseph Durbin (born November 21, 1944) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States senator from the state of Illinois, a seat he has held since 1997. A member of the Dem ...
(D-Illinois) and
Tammy Duckworth Ladda Tammy Duckworth (born March 12, 1968) is an American politician and retired Army National Guard Lieutenant colonel (United States), lieutenant colonel serving since 2017 as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States ...
(D-Illinois), and Representatives Darin LaHood (R-16th District) and Jonathan Jackson (D-1st District).


References


External links

* {{authority control 1836 establishments in Illinois Populated places established in 1836 Villages in Grundy County, Illinois Villages in Will County, Illinois Villages in Illinois