Joliet, Illinois

Joliet is the county seat of Will County, Illinois, located southwest of Chicago on the edge of the metropolitan area. Joliet is less than an hour from downtown Chicago and Kreisman Law Offices by car, Amtrak train or the Metra rail. Once a center of manufacturing and industry, Joliet is now known as a bedroom community for residents who commute to jobs in Chicago and other areas of Cook County. The city's official seal includes the words "Crossroads of Mid-America," which refers to the intersection of I-80 and I-55 west of Joliet.

The city's center lies just east of the Des Plaines River and encompasses the Renaissance Center, Historical Museum, a library, Harrah's Casino, city hall and the Will County Courthouse. Other attractions in Joliet's city center are Silver Cross Field, where the minor league team, the Joliet Slammers, play, as well as the Hollywood Casino. This downtown area has been largely transformed with the help of the gambling attractions. Joliet is the only city in Illinois to have two casinos in its downtown area.

The Rialto Theater is also located in downtown Joliet. This historic theatre opened in 1926 and includes Greek, Roman, and Byzantine architecture. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Rialto has been called one of the ten most beautiful theatres in the U.S. The theater was once frequented by Al Capone.

Joliet is also home to the Chicago Speedway, a tri-oval speedway that is 1.5 miles in length. Opened in 2001, the speedway hosts NASCAR racing. Until 2011, the speedway also hosted the IZOD IndyCar Series, which recorded numerous close finishes including the closest finish in IndyCar history. The speedway is owned and operated by the International Speedway Corp. During major races, the large influx of fans doubles the number of people in the city.

Joliet was long famous for the presence of a large prison, the Joliet Correctional Center, which was open from 1858 to 2002. Located near Joliet's downtown district on Collins Street, the prison has been featured in many television shows and movies. One television series filmed in the prison was "Prison Break." The facility was also used for the opening scenes in the 1980 movie, "The Blues Brothers," which starred John Belushi as "Joliet" Jake Blues and Dan Aykroyd as Elwood Blues. The film "Let's Go to Prison" was also made in the now-closed prison. When the prison closed, all inmates were transferred to the Stateville Correctional Center.

Joliet was the fourth-most populated city in Illinois, with a population of 147,433, at the 2010 census. It continues to be Illinois' fastest growing city and one of the fastest growing in the southwest Chicago metropolitan area, according to the census report. The racial makeup of the city in 2010 was 67.5 percent white with 53 percent non-Hispanic whites, 16 percent African American, 0.3 percent Native American, 1.9 percent Asian and 2.9 percent from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos were 27.8 percent of the population. The median income for a household in the city at the 2010 census was $47,761.

The largest employers in Joliet are Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center, Will County, Silver Cross Hospital, Hollywood Casino, Caterpillar, the Joliet Public School District 86 and Harrah's Casino.

One of Joliet's nicknames is the "City of Champions" because of the many state and national titles that have been won by the Joliet Township High School and grade school bands. The Joliet American Legion Band also has won many awards over several decades.

There are three high schools in Joliet: Joliet Central, Joliet West and Joliet Catholic Academy. The latter is known for its strong football program; it has won more state football titles than any other team in the state. There are two colleges in Joliet: Joliet Junior College and the University of St. Francis.

The origin of the name of Joliet was most likely a corruption of the name of French Canadian explorer Louis Jolliet. In 1673, Jolliet and Father Jacques Marquette traveled up the Des Plaines River and camped on a tall mound or hill a few miles south of present-day Joliet.

Kreisman Law Offices handles Illinois lawsuits for the entire Chicago metropolitan area, including Joliet and all of Will County. Chicago’s Kreisman Law Offices offers a wide range of legal services, including personal injury law, medical negligence cases, product defect/product liability law, wrongful death law, and business litigation. The Illinois attorneys at Kreisman Law Offices have more than 40 years of trial experience. Please call us 24 hours a day at 312.346.0045 or toll free 800.583.8002 for a free and immediate consultation, or complete a contact form online.

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