Joliet ( ) is a city in Will and Kendall counties in the U.S state of Illinois. Located southwest of Chicago, it is the county seat of Will County. Originally settled in 1852 as a steel mill town on the Des Plaines River, Joliet later became known for being the first major city outside of Chicago on U.S. Route 66. It is home to Old Joliet Prison, a historic decommissioned correctional facility that was the largest in the state at the time of its construction. The prison has been featured prominently in several films and television shows, including the 1980 film The Blues Brothers. As of the 2020 census, the population was 150,362, making it the third-most populous city in Illinois.
History
thumb|Drawing of Joliet, 1937
In 1673, Louis Jolliet, along with Father Jacques Marquette, paddled up the Des Plaines River and camped on a huge earthwork mound, a few miles south of present-day Joliet. Maps from Jolliet's exploration of the area showed a large hill or mound down river from Chicago, labeled Mont Joliet. The mound has since been flattened due to mining.
In 1833, following the Black Hawk War, Charles Reed built a cabin along the west side of the Des Plaines River. Across the river in 1834, James B. Campbell, treasurer of the canal commissioners, laid out the village of "Juliet", a corruption of "Joliet" that was also in use at the time. Just before the economic depression of 1837, Juliet incorporated as a village, but to cut tax expenses, Juliet residents soon petitioned the state to rescind that incorporation.
In 1845, local residents changed the community's name from "Juliet" to "Joliet", reflecting the original name. Joliet was reincorporated as a city in 1852. Cornelius Covenhoven Van Horne was active in getting the city its first charter, and because of this, he was elected Joliet's first mayor. When the city later built a new bridge, it was named the Van Horne Bridge. Joliet went on to build a system of four more Moveable drawbridges along the river to allow for the passage of large shipping boats.
Joliet Iron and Steel Works was once the second largest steel mill in the United States. Joliet Iron Works was initially run from 1869 to 1936. Joliet Steel Works eventually became unprofitable, and all operations were ceased by the early 1980s. It is now preserved on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
Joliet Correctional Center (also known as "Old Joliet Prison") was completed in 1858. The prison was constructed entirely out of local Limestone sourced from Joliet and the nearby village of Romeoville. At the time of its opening, it was the largest state prison in Illinois. The facility closed in 2002, but opened for tours in 2018.
U.S. Route 66 was completed in 1926 and runs directly through Joliet. It crosses the Des Plaines River at Ruby Street Bridge and continues through the downtown area and south of Interstate 80. It runs concurrent with IL-53 and is home to several tourist stops, including the first-ever Dairy Queen location.
Joliet was a prosperous community through the early 1900’s until the Great Depression. During the 1930’s many residents were no longer financially able to afford the upkeep of their large residences. The Jacob A. Henry Mansion, along with many other properties, became boarding houses. The mansion was later used as a funeral parlor. In the 1940's, when single-family housing became scarce during World War II, large Victorian homes were divided to accommodate multiple families. After the war, absentee landlords and deferred maintenance exacerbated the slowly deteriorating condition of the area. Extensive use of vinyl siding in exterior renovations also played a role in Joliet's decline, altering several historic limestone structures. In 1975, Joliet became eligible for federal financial assistance under the HUD Block Grant Program. The program provided incentives for homeowners and landlords to restore historic structures. Efforts to revitalize Joliet are ongoing, and were aided in part by the establishment of the Joliet East Side Historic District in 1980. The Upper Bluff Historic District was established in 1991. Both neighborhoods are listed in the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
Geography
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Joliet has a total area of , of which (or 98.87%) is land and (or 1.13%) is water. It has a sprawling, irregular shape that extends into nine different townships, more than any other Illinois city. They are: Joliet, Plainfield, Troy, New Lenox, Jackson, Channahon, and Lockport in Will County, and Na-Au-Say and Seward in Kendall County. Joliet developed along the Des Plaines River, and its downtown is located in the river valley.
Joliet has a "west side" and "east side", referring to areas in relation to the river.
With the construction of highways and suburban development to the west, many businesses moved from the downtown area to the expanding areas west of the river. Many stores relocated to the west side in new strip malls and shopping centers with more parking and easier access. These changes resulted in the decline of the downtown shopping district, which is still felt today. Today, Joliet has a "west side" and a "far west side" (which includes all city limits in Kendall County). This has given rise to a newly referenced "Central Joliet" portion of the city, which essentially is all land west of the Des Plaines River and east of Interstate 55. Although no locals believe this, some internet scholars suggest this new reference may soon change the current meaning of "west side" to west of I-55
Climate
Joliet has a hot summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa) with hot, humid summers, and cold winters with moderate to heavy snowfall.