Kendall is fastest-growing county in nation, U.S. census finds

March 20, 2008
By: Russell Working and Darnell Little | Tribune reporters

When you live in a rural area in the shadow of behemoth Cook County, bragging rights can be hard to come by. Kendall County may be the birthplace of the harvester and home of a retired speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, but it seldom tops the nation on any outsider's list. On Thursday, however, Kendall County, which has experienced exploding population growth for most of this decade, was named the fastest-growing county in America, new U.S. census estimates show.

Kendall swelled by more than 42,000 people from 2000 to 2007, a 77.5 percent rise that just edged out Flagler County, Fla., for tops in the U.S. among counties with 10,000 people or more.

And despite the problems that accompany growth—the trucks hauling in bulldozers, the road-widening projects, the strip malls and "big-box" stores popping up everywhere—some locals are pleased with an implicit message in the statistics. Kendall County, they say, is a pretty good place to live.

"I think it's terrific," said Yorkville Mayor Valerie Burd. "That's what I want my mayorship to be about. I want to make it the best."

Kendall's growth rate far outpaced other expanding northeastern Illinois counties: Will (34 percent), Kane (24 percent), McHenry (21 percent) and Lake (10 percent).

With an estimated 2007 population of almost 97,000, Kendall's one-year population growth from 2006 was nearly 11 percent. That was more than twice the growth rate of any other county in Illinois.

In raw numbers, however, Will County the most people of any Illinois county since 2000, growing by more than 171,000 people. Kane followed with nearly 97,000 new residents, then Lake (almost 66,000) and McHenry (almost 56,000).

Kendall officials expect growth to continue despite a slowdown in the housing market that has given the region southwest of downtown Chicago a breather in the last year.

When Burd moved to Yorkville 21 years ago, it was a fading farming community where the only bakery and furniture store had just closed. But from 2000 to 2006, the population rose from 6,189 to 12,596, bringing in major stores and developments. It is expected to keep expanding after the current downturn.

Trends bigger than Kendall County contribute to its growth. Just as collar county dwellers are willing to commute to the Loop in exchange for a bigger house at a better price, so have Kendall towns become bedroom communities for businesses in DuPage and Kane Counties.

Plano Mayor Bill Roberts said he doesn't mind the rapid growth, as long as it is managed properly. Plano's population, 9,415, shot up by nearly 3,800 from 2000 to 2006.