Channahon
Village
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Will
Area	7.9 sq mi (20 km²)
- land	7.9 sq mi (20 km²)
Population	7,344 (2000)
Density	1,019.0 /sq mi (393 /km²)
Timezone	CST (UTC-6)
- summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Postal code	60410
Area code	815
Location of Channahon within Illinois
Wikimedia Commons: Channahon, Illinois

Channahon is a village in Will County, Illinois, United States. The population was 7,344 at the 2000 census. Channahon is also the name of the township in which most of the village resides. The current mayor is Joe Cook.

Geography

Its name meaning "Meeting of the Waters" in the language of the area's original Potawatomi inhabitants, Channahon is located at the confluence of the Des Plaines and Kankakee rivers, where they form the Illinois River. The Illinois and Michigan Canal (including several locks) runs through most of the village, where it is fed by the water of the DuPage River. Later in the 19th century, a line that eventually came under the control of the Santa Fe Railroad was laid through the eastern portions of the township, but no railroad actually passed through the village itself. In the late 1920s, U.S. Highway 6 came through Channahon; Interstates 80 and 55 followed in the 1960s (although I-80 runs approximately two miles to the north of the village limits).

History

Channahon's abundance of transportation links (as shown above) makes its historically small size somewhat puzzling. The demise of the I & M Canal by 1900 certainly contributed to the village's dwindling population, and the absence of a railroad encouraged business to locate elsewhere. Another possible explanation is that the village did not formally incorporate until 1896, and disincorporated fifteen years later (to avoid liability in an early automobile accident). It did not reincorporate until 1962. The original downtown business district, along what is now Bridge and Fryer streets fell out of favor when U.S. Route 6 was re-routed to a new alignment north of that area around 1940. While Channahon has a concentration of businesses along U.S. Route 6, it currently has no functioning downtown business district.

Serious development finally began in the 1970s, as the village's proximity to two trunk line interstates resulted in both industrial growth (a Mobil oil refinery, two petrochemicals plants, a gigantic soybean oil production facility, and numerous support businesses for the freight hauling industry) and residential development. The village also saw an influx of population from eastern Kentucky in the wake of the closure of many of that area's coal mines. Beginning in the 1990s, development in Channahon took on a more middle-class bent, with subdivisions sprouting in the former gravel quarrying and dairy farming areas near the I&M Canal in the village's western areas, and a widely acclaimed public golf course opening in the hilly southeastern area of the village near I-55. A major natural gas pipeline to the Chicago area from Canada had its southern terminus built in Channahon in 2000, bringing even more jobs and desperately needed tax revenue to the now fast-growing village. Because the village had no downtown area, the Village of Channahon is currently working with Platinum Properties, LLC, and several other developers. The new town hall acts as a landmark to the new downtown area. The downtown area will host upscale stores and homes, (ranging from the $300's to $1,000,000+), along with St. Anne Parish. Throughout the first three quarters of the 20th century, it was primarily a working-class bedroom community for neighboring Joliet. However, with the village's new ordinances and minimum starting price requirements, along with recent upscale developments such as Ravine Woods, and Copper Leaf Estates, the village has taken on a more upscale approach to its developments. As of the 2007 special cenus, the Village of Channahon's population is at 13,500 people.

Park District

Formed in 1971, the award-winning Channahon Park District maintains numerous parks, facilities and plans a variety of programs and activities for all ages throughout the year.

The Park District is governed by an elected Board of Commissioners, who set policy and review operations. Over 200 staff work to provide a quality experience for park visitors and program participants. The Park District is the area’s largest employer of High School and College age youth, in many cases providing these young adults with their first work experiences.

The boundaries of the Channahon Park District include all of the Village of Channahon; unincorporated areas in Channahon Township; and the portions of the Village of Minooka in Will County serving more than 14,000 residents.

The Channahon Park District operates many of the area’s premier recreation destinations. Heritage Bluffs Public Golf Club is a nationally rated 18 hole golf course. A complete golf shop and a newly remodeled, full service restaurant provide every amenity for golfers and non-golfers alike. The course is also designated as an Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary, the 379th in the world to receive the honor, in recognition of the course’s environmental stewardship practices.

Heritage Crossing Field House features two gymnasiums, a three lane, eight lap to the mile indoor track, and Dimensions Fitness Center. The partnership with Channahon School District 17 to build the facility has received national attention for innovation, cost sharing and community cooperation.

Tomahawk Aquatic Center is an outdoor family water park that hosted over 23,000 visits in 2006. A waterslide and zero depth pool highlight the facility, which also includes expansive deck and turn sunning areas, and special water and sand play areas for kids. The Park District’s Learn to Swim program provided almost 1,300 kids with important lifetime skills in swimming last year.

Arrowhead Community Center houses Park District offices and indoor program space, including a dance/aerobics studio, two racquetball courts, and the popular Fun-N-Learn Preschool Program.

Skateland Recreation Center offers indoor roller skating, as well as space for banquets, receptions and other special events.

The Park District has over 210 acres of public parks. Major facilities include 122 acre Community Park, and 41 acre Central Park. These locations include lighted sports fields, trails, playgrounds and picnic space. Community Park includes a Disc Golf course and a trail system.Central Park is the home of SK8 Zone skate park and serves as the location for the community’s annual Three Rivers Festival. Neighborhood parks are currently located in 16 areas, with five new locations planned.

Over 10,000 recreation program registrations are processed annually in toddler, preschool, youth, teen, adult, senior and family programs. The Park District sponsors many special events throughout the year, including an Independence Day celebration with fireworks; the Frosty 5 Mile which is the oldest consecutively scheduled running event in Will County; Movie in the Park; a Kids Triathlon; the Halloween Happenings; and annual craft show.

Local Legends

• The Potowatomi settled in the area because of its 'safety' from tornadoes. The reasoning behind this was that since Channahon was at a lower elevation than all of the surrounding towns, the tornadoes would 'fly over' the area.
• U.S. Route 6 running through the center of town was built over the site of an old Potawatomi horse race track.
• Abraham Lincoln spent the night in a house near the intersection of U.S. Route 6 & Bluff Road.
• A settler decided to build near Potawatomi burial mounds on the river. The Potawatomi tried in vain to drive him from the land. Late one night, the settler noticed a rival tribe coming across the river to attack the Potawatomis. He alerted the Potawatomi tribe and helped to drive off the invaders. As a reward for saving their village, the tribe granted his family the right to continue living near the burial mounds; the land could never be sold, only given to another family that was worthy of guarding them. The burial mounds are said to contain the remains of the chief mounted on his horse.
• The burial mounds along the Des Plaines River are approximately 1,500 years old, created by the Hopewells and Early Woodland Villagers. They are a registered National Historic Landmark (1 of 2 in the village).
• The Des Plaines River was a much smaller river in the Channahon area until the early 1930s, when neighboring farmland was flooded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to create the Illinois Waterway to accommodate commercial barge traffic.

Geographic Data

Channahon is located at 41°26'17" North, 88°12'59" West (41.438156, -88.216520).^[1] According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 7.9 square miles (20.4 km²), of which, 7.2 square miles (18.7 km²) of it is land and 0.7 square miles (1.7 km²) of it (8.50%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 7,344 people, 2,279 households, and 1,989 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,019.0 people per square mile (393.3/km²). There were 2,346 housing units at an average density of 325.5/sq mi (125.6/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 97.22% White, 0.42% African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.27% Asian, none Pacific Islander, 0.95% from other races, and 1.02% from two or more races. 3.64% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 2,279 households out of which 50.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 78.6% were married couples living together, 5.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 12.7% were non-families. 10.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.22 and the average family size was 3.47.

In the village the population was spread out with 32.8% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 33.8% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 5.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 105.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.7 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $71,991, and the median income for a family was $74,481. Males had a median income of $52,479 versus $31,692 for females. The per capita income for the village was $22,867. About 1.8% of families and 1.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.7% of those under age 18 and 3.8% of those age 65 or over.

References

1. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
2. ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

External links

• Channahon Park District
• Heritage Bluffs Public Golf Club
• City of Channahon

• Channahon, Illinois is at coordinates 41°26′17″N 88°12′60″W / 41.438156, -88.21652 (Channahon, Illinois)Coordinates: 41°26′17″N 88°12′60″W / 41.438156, -88.21652 (Channahon, Illinois)

See also

• Illinois and Michigan Canal
• Will County, Illinois

v â€¢ d â€¢ e Municipalities and communities of Will County, Illinois County seat: Joliet Cities Aurora | Braidwood | Crest Hill | Joliet | Lockport | Naperville | Wilmington Villages Beecher | Bolingbrook | Channahon | Crete | Elwood | Frankfort | Homer Glen | Lemont | Manhattan | Mokena | Monee | New Lenox | Orland Park | Park Forest | Peotone | Plainfield | Rockdale | Romeoville | Sauk Village | Shorewood | Steger | Symerton | Tinley Park | University Park | Woodridge CDPs Crystal Lawns | Fairmont | Frankfort Square | Goodings Grove | Ingalls Park | Lakewood Shores | Preston Heights | Willowbrook Townships Channahon | Crete | Custer | DuPage | Florence | Frankfort | Green Garden | Homer | Jackson | Joliet | Lockport | Manhattan | Monee | New Lenox | Peotone | Plainfield | Reed | Troy | Washington | Wesley | Wheatland | Will | Wilmington | Wilton Unincorporated communities Andres | Ballou | Custer Park | Eagle Lake | Goodenow | Lorenzo | Ritchie | Stateville | Wilton | Wilton Center