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Small town

Living in Essex, IL

Essex is a small town of 1,026 people in Kankakee County, Illinois. It's about 18 miles from Kankakee, IL and 52 miles from Chicago, IL, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 84°F and winter highs 31°F, with about 24 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $228k and rent runs about $1k a month.

1,026people
$228kTypical home
$1,143/moRent
84° / 31°Summer / winter
24"Snow
224Sunny days
130Rain/snow days

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Size & setting

  • Small town of 1,026
  • Part of a metro area
  • About 441 people per sq mi
  • 52 mi to Chicago, IL
  • 18 mi to Kankakee, IL
  • 16 mi to the nearest town of 10k+

Money

  • Typical home $228k (≈$1,439/mo)
  • Median rent $1,143/mo
  • Median household income $108k
  • Property tax about 1.8% of value
  • 4.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 84°F
  • Winter highs around 31°F
  • Somewhat humid summers (dew point 64°F)
  • 224 sunny days a year (79 totally clear)
  • 141 cloudy days a year
  • 47 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 130 days a year with rain or snow
  • 24" of snow a year
  • 8 days a year with 1"+ of snow
  • Rarely hits 100°F
  • 26 nights a year below 10°F
  • Breezy

Safety

  • Very low violent crime (143 per 100k), county-wide
  • Very low property crime (483 per 100k), county-wide

People

  • Median age 34
  • 37% of households have kids
  • 14% are 65 or older
  • 23% have a college degree
  • Mixed community
  • 4% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 30 min
  • 1% walk or take transit to work
  • 47 mi to MDW airport
  • 47 mi to MDW (major hub)
  • 14 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 88% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1990
  • 90% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Flat, open land
  • Elevation 627 ft
  • 605 mi to the ocean
  • 51 mi to a big lake
  • 11 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • 57 mi to the nearest ski area
  • 6 mi to the nearest campground
  • 16 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 150 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • 62 bars within 25 mi
  • 39 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
  • 10 museums within 25 mi
  • 3 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
  • 26 mi to the nearest farmers market

Everyday

  • Schools in the top 36% of Illinois districts (reading)
  • 6 mi to the nearest grocery store
  • 16 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 16 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • 18 mi to the nearest vet
  • 8 mi to the nearest dog park
  • 6 congregations per 10k people
  • 17 mi to the nearest college

Politics

  • Kankakee County: R+21 in 2024
  • Illinois: D+11 in 2024

Natural hazards

  • Very low hurricane risk
  • High tornado risk
  • Very low wildfire risk
  • Low earthquake risk
  • Low flood risk
  • Very low drought risk
  • Moderate winter storm risk
  • Low heat wave risk
  • Very low volcano risk

Places near Essex

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