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Small city

Living in Ottawa, IL

Ottawa is a small city of 18,447 people in LaSalle County, Illinois. It's about 53 miles from Kankakee, IL and 68 miles from Chicago, IL, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 84°F and winter highs 31°F, with about 25 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $154k and rent runs about $920 a month.

18,447people
$154kTypical home
$920/moRent
84° / 31°Summer / winter
25"Snow
224Sunny days
131Rain/snow days

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Size & setting

  • Small city of 18,447
  • Its own small hub, not a suburb
  • About 1,238 people per sq mi
  • 68 mi to Chicago, IL
  • 53 mi to Kankakee, IL
  • Has its own stores and services

Money

  • Typical home $154k (≈$971/mo)
  • Median rent $920/mo
  • Median household income $71k
  • Property tax about 2.6% of value
  • 7.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 84°F
  • Winter highs around 31°F
  • Somewhat humid summers (dew point 63°F)
  • 224 sunny days a year (79 totally clear)
  • 141 cloudy days a year
  • 47 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 131 days a year with rain or snow
  • 25" of snow a year
  • 10 days a year with 1"+ of snow
  • Rarely hits 100°F
  • 26 nights a year below 10°F
  • Breezy

Safety

  • Low violent crime (240 per 100k)
  • Low property crime (1,229 per 100k)

People

  • Median age 40
  • 33% of households have kids
  • 17% are 65 or older
  • 23% have a college degree
  • Mixed community
  • 3% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 24 min
  • 1% walk or take transit to work
  • 60 mi to RFD airport
  • 63 mi to MDW (major hub)
  • 20 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 79% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1958
  • 84% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Gently rolling terrain
  • Elevation 492 ft
  • 640 mi to the ocean
  • 71 mi to a big lake
  • 7 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • 55 mi to the nearest ski area
  • 7 mi to the nearest campground
  • 19 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 149 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • 75 bars within 25 mi
  • 19 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
  • 7 museums within 25 mi
  • 1 brewery or distillery within 25 mi
  • 33 mi to the nearest farmers market

Everyday

  • Schools in the bottom 47% of Illinois districts (reading)
  • Grocery store in town
  • 17 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 20 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • Vet in town
  • 14 mi to the nearest dog park
  • 7 congregations per 10k people
  • 37 mi to the nearest college

Politics

  • LaSalle County: R+19 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 Ottawa

More places in Illinois →