Minooka is a village in Grundy, Kendall, and Will counties, Illinois, United States. The population was 12,758 at the 2020 census, up from 10,924 at the 2010 census. The village is part of the Chicago metropolitan area.
History
Minooka was established as a place in 1852 when the railroad was built through this area. It was incorporated as a village in 1869. The name "Minooka" is derived from a Native American word meaning "maple forest" or "good earth".
The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad served the town at Minooka Station.
Geography
left|thumb|Open fields near Minooka, Illinois
The center of the village is in the northeast corner of Grundy County. The village limits extend north into the southeast corner of Kendall County and east into Will County. The village is bordered to the east and south by the village of Channahon.
Interstate 80 passes through the north side of the village, with access from Exit 122. I-80 leads northeast to Joliet and west to LaSalle. Downtown Chicago is northeast of Minooka via Interstates 80 and 55. U.S. Route 6 runs along part of the southern border of Minooka; the highway leads east into the center of Channahon and southwest to Morris.
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Minooka has a total area of , of which (or 99.22%) is land and (or 0.78%) is water. The DuPage River, a south-flowing tributary of the Des Plaines River, forms part of the eastern boundary of the village.
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Minooka village, Illinois – Racial and ethnic composition<br><small></small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(NH = Non-Hispanic)</small>
!Pop 2000
!Pop 2010
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |Pop 2020
!% 2000
!% 2010
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020
|-
|White alone (NH)
|3,815
|8,916
|style='background: #ffffe6;' |9,804
|96.07%
|81.62%
|style='background: #ffffe6;' |76.85%
|-
|Black or African American alone (NH)
|6
|338
|style='background: #ffffe6;' |403
|0.15%
|3.09%
|style='background: #ffffe6;' |3.16%
|-
|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)
|5
|14
|style='background: #ffffe6;' |14
|0.13%
|0.13%
|style='background: #ffffe6;' |0.11%
|-
|Asian alone (NH)
|12
|125
|style='background: #ffffe6;' |130
|0.30%
|1.14%
|style='background: #ffffe6;' |1.02%
|-
|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)
|0
|0
|style='background: #ffffe6;' |0
|0.00%
|0.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6;' |0.00%
|-
|Other race alone (NH)
|0
|8
|style='background: #ffffe6;' |31
|0.00%
|0.07%
|style='background: #ffffe6;' |0.24%
|-
|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)
|20
|132
|style='background: #ffffe6;' |507
|0.50%
|1.21%
|style='background: #ffffe6;' |3.97%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino (any race)
|113
|1,391
|style='background: #ffffe6;' |1,869
|2.85%
|12.73%
|style='background: #ffffe6;' |14.65%
|-
|Total
|3,971
|10,924
|style='background: #ffffe6;' |12,758
|100.00%
|100.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6;' |100.00%
|}
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Minooka had a population of 12,758. The median age was 33.8 years. 31.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 8.3% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 97.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.3 males.
There were 4,032 households in Minooka, of which 49.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 64.9% were married-couple households, 11.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 17.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 13.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. Minooka Community High School District 111 has a campus for juniors and seniors and a newer campus for freshmen and sophomores.
Notable people
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- Carlos Avery, Minnesota newspaper publisher, politician, and conservationist
- Dale Coyne, Indy Car team owner
- Sal Fasano, former Major League Baseball player
- Mike Foltynewicz, Major League Baseball player
- Tanner Laczynski, National Hockey League player
- Nick Offerman, actor (Ron Swanson on Parks and Recreation)
References
External links
- Official website
- Minooka School District