Kane County, Illinois

Kane County
County
The Fabyan Windmill in Geneva is on the National Register of Historic Places in Kane County, Illinois.
Official seal of Kane County
Map of Illinois highlighting Kane County
Location within the U.S. state of Illinois
Map of the United States highlighting Illinois
Illinois's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 41°57′N 88°26′W / 41.95°N 88.43°W / 41.95; -88.43
Country United States
State Illinois
FoundedJanuary 16, 1836
Named forElias Kane
SeatGeneva
Largest cityAurora
Area
 • Total524 sq mi (1,360 km2)
 • Land520 sq mi (1,300 km2)
 • Water4.1 sq mi (11 km2)  0.8%
Population
 • Total516,522 Increase
 • Density990/sq mi (380/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional districts8th, 11th, 14th
Websitecountyofkane.org

Kane County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 516,522, making it the fifth-most populous county in Illinois. Its county seat is Geneva, and its largest city is Aurora. Kane County is one of the collar counties of the metropolitan statistical area designated "ChicagoNapervilleElgin, IL–INWI" by the US census.

History

Kane County was formed out of LaSalle County in 1836. The county was named in honor of Elias Kane, a United States senator and the first secretary of state of Illinois.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county's area was 524 square miles (1,360 km2), of which 520 square miles (1,300 km2) is land and 4.1 square miles (11 km2) (0.8%) is water. Its largest cities are along the Fox River.

Climate

Geneva, Illinois
Climate chart (explanation)
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
 
 
1.6
 
 
29
10
 
 
1.5
 
 
35
16
 
 
2.6
 
 
46
26
 
 
3.9
 
 
59
36
 
 
3.9
 
 
71
46
 
 
4.3
 
 
81
56
 
 
4.4
 
 
84
61
 
 
4.4
 
 
82
58
 
 
3.5
 
 
75
50
 
 
2.7
 
 
63
38
 
 
3.2
 
 
47
28
 
 
2.4
 
 
34
16
Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
Precipitation totals in inches
Source:The Weather Channel
Metric conversion
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
 
 
41
 
 
−2
−12
 
 
39
 
 
2
−9
 
 
65
 
 
8
−3
 
 
99
 
 
15
2
 
 
99
 
 
22
8
 
 
110
 
 
27
13
 
 
112
 
 
29
16
 
 
111
 
 
28
14
 
 
89
 
 
24
10
 
 
69
 
 
17
3
 
 
81
 
 
8
−2
 
 
61
 
 
1
−9
Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Geneva have ranged from a low of 10 °F (−12 °C) in January to a high of 84 °F (29 °C) in July, although a record low of −26 °F (−32 °C) was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of 111 °F (44 °C) was recorded in July 1936. The average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.52 inches (39 mm) in February to 4.39 inches (112 mm) in July.

Adjacent counties

Parks and recreation

Forest preserves

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

  • Almon Underwood Prairie
  • Andersen Woods
  • Arlene Shoemaker
  • Aurora West
  • Barnes
  • 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
  • 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

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
18406,501
185016,703156.9%
186030,06280.0%
187039,09130.0%
188044,93915.0%
189065,06144.8%
190078,79221.1%
191091,86216.6%
192099,4998.3%
1930125,32726.0%
1940130,2063.9%
1950150,38815.5%
1960208,24638.5%
1970251,00520.5%
1980278,40510.9%
1990317,47114.0%
2000404,11927.3%
2010515,26927.5%
2020516,5220.2%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790–1960 1900–1990
1990–2000 2010–2019
2000 census age pyramid for Kane County

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 990.8 inhabitants per square mile (382.6/km2). There were 182,047 housing units at an average density of 350.1 per square mile (135.2/km2). 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, 13.0% were Irish, 7.9% were Polish, 7.4% were Italian, 7.1% were English, and 2.4% were American.

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

Education

Infrastructure

Health care

There are several hospitals serving the county:

Transportation

Transit

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 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 to operate a limited access toll bridge on the Longmeadow Parkway that is not connected to any other tollway.

Communities

Cities

Villages

Census-designated place

Other unincorporated communities

Townships

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 townships. The fourth subcircuit consists the tri-cities area of Batavia, Geneva, 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-settled and prosperous suburban “collar counties”, Kane County was a stronghold of the Free Soil Party in its first few elections, being one of nine Illinois counties to give a plurality to Martin van Buren 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 candidate Theodore Roosevelt carried the county with a majority of the vote over conservative incumbent William Howard Taft.

The gradual shift of the GOP towards white Southern Evangelicals, however, has led the generally moderate electorate of Kane and the other “collar counties” to trend towards the Democratic Party. In 2008, Senator Barack Obama became the first Democrat to carry Kane County since Franklin Pierce 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 in 1844 had both gained only pluralities due to strong Free Soil votes). Obama won a plurality in 2012, and Hillary Clinton 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.

United States presidential election results for Kane County, Illinois
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 96,775 41.74% 130,166 56.14% 4,935 2.13%
2016 82,734 41.43% 103,665 51.91% 13,288 6.65%
2012 88,335 48.61% 90,332 49.71% 3,058 1.68%
2008 83,963 43.42% 106,756 55.21% 2,644 1.37%
2004 92,065 55.03% 73,813 44.12% 1,419 0.85%
2000 76,996 54.45% 60,127 42.52% 4,282 3.03%
1996 54,375 47.41% 47,902 41.77% 12,416 10.83%
1992 55,684 43.52% 44,568 34.84% 27,686 21.64%
1988 66,283 64.10% 36,366 35.17% 763 0.74%
1984 72,655 69.09% 31,875 30.31% 629 0.60%
1980 64,106 61.77% 29,015 27.96% 10,663 10.27%
1976 59,275 62.15% 34,057 35.71% 2,042 2.14%
1972 64,546 69.87% 27,525 29.80% 306 0.33%
1968 54,144 61.94% 26,609 30.44% 6,667 7.63%
1964 46,391 53.27% 40,703 46.73% 0 0.00%
1960 55,389 63.84% 31,279 36.05% 93 0.11%
1956 56,009 72.82% 20,848 27.10% 59 0.08%
1952 50,801 67.78% 24,058 32.10% 96 0.13%
1948 39,284 64.41% 21,176 34.72% 532 0.87%
1944 38,689 62.16% 23,362 37.54% 185 0.30%
1940 41,949 61.77% 25,676 37.81% 289 0.43%
1936 33,491 52.55% 28,187 44.23% 2,051 3.22%
1932 32,934 56.15% 24,638 42.00% 1,084 1.85%
1928 38,236 69.94% 16,184 29.60% 253 0.46%
1924 32,717 76.34% 3,517 8.21% 6,624 15.46%
1920 26,832 82.82% 4,323 13.34% 1,243 3.84%
1916 23,868 67.71% 9,875 28.01% 1,506 4.27%
1912 2,415 12.67% 4,394 23.05% 12,257 64.29%
1908 12,840 70.29% 4,316 23.63% 1,111 6.08%
1904 12,638 75.64% 2,799 16.75% 1,271 7.61%
1900 12,031 67.55% 5,259 29.53% 521 2.93%
1896 12,133 69.94% 4,852 27.97% 362 2.09%
1892 7,977 53.80% 5,778 38.97% 1,072 7.23%

See also

Notable people

41°57′N 88°26′W / 41.950°N 88.433°W / 41.950; -88.433


This page was last updated at 2023-11-01 08:17 UTC. Update now. View original page.

All our content comes from Wikipedia and under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.


Top

If mathematical, chemical, physical and other formulas are not displayed correctly on this page, please useFirefox or Safari