Frankfort, Illinois
| Frankfort, Illinois | |
|---|---|
| Village | |
 |
|
 Location in Will County and the state of Illinois. |
|
| Coordinates: 41°29′53″N 87°50′58″W / 41.49806°N 87.84944°WCoordinates: 41°29′53″N 87°50′58″W / 41.49806°N 87.84944°W | |
| Country |
 United States
|
| State | Illinois |
| Counties | Will |
| Townships | Frankfort |
| Incorporated | 1879 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor-Council |
| • Mayor | Jim Holland |
| Area | |
| • Total | 14.98 sq mi (38.8 km2) |
| • Land | 14.98 sq mi (38.8 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.0 km2) 0% |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 17,782 |
| • Density | 1,187.0/sq mi (458.3/km2) |
| Up 71.13% from 2000 | |
| Standard of living (2010-2014) | |
| • Per capita income | $41,832 |
| • Median home value | $348,600 |
| ZIP code(s) | 60423 |
| Area code(s) | 815 |
| Geocode | 27624 |
| Website | villageoffrankfort |
Frankfort is a village in Will County, Illinois, United States. The population was 17,782 at the 2010 census, up from 10,391 in 2000. According to Forbes.com, in 2007 the village ranked as the 36th fastest growing suburb in the United States.
The name "Frankfort" was taken from Frankfort Township as designated by the governing board of Will County. It was commonly known as "Frankfort Station" after the opening of the Joliet & Northern Indiana Railroad through the township in 1855, though the official plat of the community dated March 1855 shows the name as "Frankfort". Property deed abstracts and railroad documents also show that the name was always Frankfort. Local residents incorporated Frankfort as a village in 1879.
First inhabited by Native Americans, including the Potawatomi and Sac and Fox tribes, Frankfort was used as a conduit between the Des Plaines and St. Joseph rivers. Originally, the area was part of the Virginia Territory before the French signed a treaty with Manitoqua, the Potawatomi chief, for land in the Prestwick area. The first pioneers came to Frankfort in the early 1830s by means of the Des Plaines River from the southwest and by wagon from the east along the Sauk Trail, a roadway that still exists today.
William Rice, the first non-native settler, made a permanent settlement in Frankfort in 1831. While the first pioneers, coming mainly from the New England colonies, were mostly of English and Scottish descent, German settlers made the village of Frankfort a reality. Later in the 1840s German settlers migrated from Germany to Frankfort. They had fled harsh conditions in their homeland by coming to America and proved to be very industrious and experienced farmers as they soon bought most of the fertile farm land from the "Yankees", who were more inclined to provide services for local needs. Establishing both ownership and pride in the area, the German settlers implemented the first system of resident concern for local lands, which has been maintained ever since.
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