Minooka, Illinois

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 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 11 miles (18 km) to Joliet and west 45 miles (72 km) to LaSalle. Downtown Chicago is 48 miles (77 km) 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 9 miles (14 km) to Morris. According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Minooka has a total area of 9.48 square miles (24.55 km2), of which 9.41 square miles (24.37 km2) (or 99.22%) is land and 0.07 square miles (0.18 km2) (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 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. 89.7% of residents lived in urban areas, while 10.3% lived in rural areas. 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. There were 4,110 housing units, of which 1.9% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 2.6%. Income and poverty The median income for a household in the village was $97,097, and the median income for a family was $100,097. Males had a median income of $62,403 versus $31,581 for females. The per capita income for the village was $34,655. About 5.2% of families and 5.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.7% of those under age 18 and 3.8% of those age 65 or over. Education Minooka Community Consolidated School District 201 (elementary district) has a total of seven schools and serves nearly 4,000 students. Minooka Community High School District 111 has a campus for juniors and seniors and a newer campus for freshmen and sophomores. Notable people 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