Kankakee

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Kankakee, Illinois

Kankakee ([ˌkæŋkəˈki]) is a city in and the county seat of Kankakee County, Illinois, United States. The city's name is probably derived from the Miami-Illinois word teeyaahkiki, meaning: "Open country/exposed land/land in open/land exposed to view," in reference to the area's prior status as a marsh. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,537. Kankakee is a principal city of the Kankakee-Bourbonnais-Bradley Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Kankakee County.

History

The area of Kankakee was inhabited by the Potawatami beginning sometime in the 18th century. In 1833 the Potawatami signed a treaty with the United States government, agreeing to leave the region and move west. Kankakee was founded in 1854.

Geography

Kankakee is located at 41°7′12″N 87°51′36″W / 41.12000°N 87.86000°W / 41.12000; -87.86000 (41.12, −87.86).

According to the 2010 census, Kankakee has a total area of 14.62 square miles (37.87 km²), of which 14.14 square miles (36.62 km²) (or 96.72%) is land and 0.48 square miles (1.24 km²) (or 3.28%) is water.

Kankakee station

Kankakee is an Amtrak intercity train station in Kankakee, Illinois, United States. The station is a flag stop for the City of New Orleans, served only when passengers have tickets to and from the station.

History

The Illinois Central Railroad Company was founded in 1851. By 1853, newly founded Kankakee, Illinois was connected Chicago, 56 miles (90 km) away. The first train pulled into the station on July 11, 1853. The rail connection reduced the travel time between the two cities from six days by wagon to three hours by rail. It also provided Kankakee with access to industrial resources in the north-south direction; the city was no longer dependent on the east-west Kankakee River. Kankakee was incorporated two years later.

The original station was a small, wood-framed station. However, by the 1890s, it had fallen into disrepair and no longer conformed to city ordinances. The Illinois Central agreed to commission a new train station in 1897, which was completed the next year. The first train arrived at the new station at 7:30 a.m. on January 10, 1898. Frank Lloyd Wright traveled through the station on several occasions while designing two houses in Kankakee, remarking of the new building, "not a style of my choosing but good enough for the community."