Romeoville, Illinois

Romeoville is a village in Will County, Illinois, United States. The village is located 26 mi (42 km) southwest of Chicago on the Gateway Wetlands, directly west of the Des Plaines River. Per the 2020 census, the population was 39,863.[4] It is located in the southwest suburban area of Chicago near Interstate 55 and Interstate 355.

Romeoville
Village
Village of Romeoville
Fitzpatrick House (1842), on the grounds of Lewis University
Fitzpatrick House (1842), on the grounds of Lewis University
Nickname: 
"Stone City"
Motto: 
Where Community Matters!
Location of Romeoville in Will County, Illinois
Location of Romeoville in Will County, Illinois
CountryUnited States
StateIllinois
CountyWill
TownshipDuPage, Lockport
IncorporatedJanuary 19, 1895
Government
 • MayorJohn Noak
Area
[1]
 • Total20.16 sq mi (52.21 km2)
 • Land19.13 sq mi (49.55 km2)
 • Water1.03 sq mi (2.67 km2)
Elevation
[2]
630 ft (190 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total39,863
 • Density2,083.80/sq mi (804.58/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP Code(s)
60446, 60491
Area codes815/779 and 630/331
FIPS code17-65442
GNIS feature ID2399114[3]
Websitehttp://www.romeoville.org/

History
Isle a La Cache Bridge on Romeo Road, 1968

Romeoville was one of the last areas of Will County occupied by Native Americans. The village of Romeo was first settled on September 14, 1835, on Isle a La Cache, a small island in the Des Plaines River. Around this time, the first bridge was built to allow access to the island from the west bank of the river. In 1848, the I&M Canal was finished, drawing new residents to the area. On January 19, 1895, residents of Romeo voted to incorporate and changed the village's name to Romeoville. The community, along with nearby Joliet, became known as "Stone City" in reference to its prosperous limestone quarries. The Illinois State Capitol in Springfield was unveiled in 1888, and is constructed entirely of Romeoville limestone. Lewis University was established on the outskirts of town in 1934.

Romeoville is home to Citgo's Lemont Refinery. The refinery was constructed in 1922 across the river from the village. It was later the site of the 1984 Romeoville petroleum refinery disaster.

In 1950, Romeoville had approximately 46 homes and a population of 147. The village remained sparsely populated until 1957, when over 600 acres (240 ha) of wetlands along IL-53 became the Hampton Park Subdivision. An additional 400 acres (160 ha) were added in 1964, as Romeoville's population slowly grew. On October 5, 1990, the first interchange on I-55 and Weber Road was built, connecting the village to the rest of the Chicagoland area. Throughout the following decade, the area along Weber Road quickly became suburbanized as several new housing developments were completed. Romeoville was one of fastest-growing communities in Illinois throughout the 1990s and 2000s. The population grew rapidly, and the village experienced an influx of over 25,000 new residents in two decades.[5]

On September 16–17, 2023, a family of four, consisting of two adults and two children, were killed in a mass shooting at their home in Romeoville; their three dogs were also killed. Police believed the killings were a targeted attack.[6][7] The shooter, identified as 31-year-old Nathaniel Huey Jr., was tracked down with his fiancée at Catoosa, Oklahoma, on September 20. During an attempted traffic stop, Huey fled but eventually crashed his vehicle. Afterwards, he fatally shot his fiancée and then himself.[8]

Geography

According to the 2010 census, Romeoville has a total area of 18.759 square miles (48.59 km2), of which 18.44 square miles (47.76 km2), comprising 98.3%, is land and 0.319 square miles (0.83 km2), comprising 1.7%, is water. Romeoville borders the neighboring communities of Bolingbrook, Plainfield, Crystal Lawns, Crest Hill, Lockport and Lemont.[9]

Climate

Romeoville is home to a National Weather Service forecast office, although bulletins issued by said office begin, "The National Weather Service in Chicago..."[10]

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1900113—
191098−13.3%
192074−24.5%
193013379.7%
194017027.8%
1950147−13.5%
19603,5742,331.3%
197012,888260.6%
198015,51920.4%
199014,074−9.3%
200021,15350.3%
201039,68087.6%
202039,8630.5%
U.S. Decennial Census[11]
2010[12] 2020[13]

2020 census
Romeoville village, Illinois – Demographic Profile
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
Race / Ethnicity Pop 2010[12] Pop 2020[13] % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 19,992 16,654 50.38% 41.78%
Black or African American alone (NH) 4,545 5,362 11.45% 13.45%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 61 32 0.15% 0.08%
Asian alone (NH) 2,486 2,718 6.27% 6.82%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 3 2 0.01% 0.01%
Some Other Race alone (NH) 53 121 0.13% 0.30%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) 657 1,166 1.66% 2.93%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 11,883 13,808 29.95% 34.64%
Total 39,680 39,863 100.00% 100.00%

Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.

Economy
A Commonwealth Edison substation in Romeoville, next to the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal

Romeoville is home to over 600 businesses.[14] In 2013, the village won a Gold Medal from the International Economic Development Council and Atlas Integrated in the High Performance Economic Development category. They earned the award by creating 1,560 jobs during 2012–2013, which was the most for a town with a population between 25,001 and 100,000.[15]

Top employers

According to the village website,[16] the top employers in the village are:

# Employer # of Employees
1 Amazon 1,824
2 Valley View School District 365U 1,300
3 Green Core 1,200
4 PDV Midwest Refining CITGO 803
5 Aryzta 600
6 Ulta Beauty 543
7 Walmart 537
8 RTC 530
9 Magid Glove and Safety 529
10 Lewis University 525

Other major employers include Kehe Foods, FedEx Ground, and the Village of Romeoville.

Education

K–12 education

Romeoville residents attend the following schools:

Valley View School District 365U

  • Valley View Early Childhood Center
  • Beverly Skoff Elementary School
  • Irene King Elementary School
  • Kenneth L. Hermansen Elementary School
  • Robert C. Hill Elementary School
  • A. Vito Martinez Middle School
  • John J. Lukancic Middle School
  • Romeoville High School
  • St. Andrew the Apostle School

Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202

  • Eichelberger Elementary School
  • Creekside Elementary School
  • Lakewood Falls Elementary School
  • John F Kennedy Middle School
  • Indian Trails Middle School
  • Plainfield East High School

Lockport Township High School District 205

Higher education

Government

Mayors
Mayors of Romeoville
Years in Office Mayor
1895–1899Louis Hamann[17]
1899–1903John J. Keig[17]
1904–1905Henry Brockman[17]
1906–1907George Garden[17]
1907–1909George Farrell[17]
1910–1915Edward Swanson[17]
1915–1919Joseph Startz[17]
1919–1920John Mitchell[17]
1921–1927Fred Boehme[17]
1928–1929Anthony Startz[17]
1929–1969Neal Murphy[17]
1969–1973John O'Hara[17]
1973–1977Dewey "Red" Chambers[17]
1977–1981Donald Kennedy[17]
1981–1985Howard Trippett[17]
1985–1993John Strobbe[17]
1993–1997Sandra Gulden[17]
1997–2009Fred Dewald[17]
2009–presentJohn Noak[17]

Infrastructure

Transportation
Romeoville station (Metra)

Major highways

Major highways in Romeoville include:

Notable people

References
  1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  2. "USGS detail on Newtown". Retrieved October 21, 2007.
  3. "Village of Romeoville". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  4. "Romeoville village, Illinois". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  5. "History | Romeoville, IL". www.romeoville.org. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  6. Romine, Taylor; Mascarenhas, Lauren; Razek, Raja; Parks, Brad (September 19, 2023). "Family of four shot dead at home, rattling quiet Illinois neighborhood, 'not a random incident,' according to police". CNN. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  7. Plana, Antonio (September 19, 2023). "Family of 4 fatally shot in Chicago-area home was likely targeted, Romeoville police say". NBC News. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  8. Pathieu, Diane; Ward, Tre; Kawash, Maher (September 21, 2023). "New details emerge about Romeoville murder suspect fiancée who also named person of interest". WLS-TV. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  9. "G001 - Geographic Identifiers - 2010 Census Summary File 1". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
  10. "NWS Forecast Office Chicago, IL". September 11, 2019.
  11. "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". US Census Bureau.
  12. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Romeoville village, Illinois". United States Census Bureau.
  13. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Romeoville village, Illinois". United States Census Bureau.
  14. "ArcGIS Web Application".
  15. "High Performance Economic Developers: The Winners!".
  16. "Our Top Employers | Romeoville, IL".
  17. "Mayoral History". City of Romeoville.
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