Kankakee, Illinois
Kankakee is a city located in Kankakee County, Illinois. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 27,491. It is the County seat of Kankakee CountyGR6.
Geography
Kankakee is located at 41°7'1" North, 87°51'50" West (41.116982, -87.863866)GR.According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 33.0 km˛ (12.8 mi˛). 31.8 km˛ (12.3 mi˛) of it is land and 1.2 km˛ (0.5 mi˛) of it is water. The total area is 3.76% water.
Demographics
As of the CensusGR2 of 2000, there are 27,491 people, 10,020 households, and 6,272 families residing in the city. The Population density is 865.1/km˛ (2,239.8/mi˛). There are 10,965 housing units at an average density of 345.0/km˛ (893.4/mi˛). The racial makeup of the city is 50.92% White, 41.07% African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 5.50% from other races, and 1.90% from two or more races. 9.25% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.There are 10,020 households out of which 34.4% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.4% are married couples living together, 21.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 37.4% are non-families. 31.5% of all households are made up of individuals and 13.9% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.60 and the average family size is 3.28.
In the city the population is spread out with 29.5% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 32 years. For every 100 females there are 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 86.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $30,469, and the median income for a family is $36,428. Males have a median income of $30,894 versus $22,928 for females. The Per capita income for the city is $15,479. 21.4% of the population and 18.1% of families are below the Poverty line. Out of the total population, 29.3% of those under the age of 18 and 11.7% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Interesting Information
In 1999 Kankakee was rated the worst community to live (out of 354 rated communities) in the United States and Canada by the Places Rated Almanac. This was parodied by late night host David Letterman, who gave the city two identical gazebos, hoping the town could turn itself around as the "Home Of The Twin Gazebos". Since this time, city leaders have attempted to improve on this ranking by bringing in a waterpark, ice rink, revitalizing downtown, and other community improvement projects.Frank Lloyd Wright designed a house in the Riverview section of the city. It still stands today.
Kankakee has produced 3 Illinois Governors (Len Small, Samuel H. Shapiro, and George Ryan).
Popular culture
The city is mentioned in Steve Goodman's best known folk song, The City Of New Orleans, about the City of New Orleans Train which runs between Chicago, Illinois and New Orleans, Louisiana: "The train pulls out at Kankakee..." It is also mentioned in the song Lydia the Tattooed Lady, popularized by Groucho Marx.Actor Fred MacMurray (My Three Sons, Double Indemnity, The Shaggy Dog) was born in Kankakee in 1908.
Kankakee is home to the first Dairy Queen.
Rumors are that Barry Manilow got his start performing at a now closed restaurant, The Little Corporal.