Illinois notes

[Rick Powell]

Yeah Kendall County grew 14.9% between 2010 and 2020 and Grundy County grew 4.9% over the same time frame.

Kendall County's growth was even faster in the previous decade at 110.4%. Most of the decline in IL's population is from the rural areas, most of the growth is in the Chicago suburbs, and its biggest county Cook fluctuates between being a gainer and a loser over recent history.
https://www2.census.gov/geo/pdfs/maps-data/maps/2010pop/il_perchange_2010map.pdf
Prior to the widening of US 34 in Oswego in the late 1990's there was not a single state highway with 4 lanes in Kendall. I remember when there was only one stoplight on a state highway, at IL 47 and US 34. And the county has not seen a decennial decrease in population since 1910-1920.

[3467]

Any more planning for state highway widening in Kendall?
I was looking at some old traffic counts from 1967 and 1983. The busiest stretch of 34 was through Plano until deep into DuPage at that era . There has and still is a huge traffic drop off after Plano until Galesburg.
My 1967 map had the future interstates including the Crosstown btw.

[Brandon]

Yeah Kendall County grew 14.9% between 2010 and 2020 and Grundy County grew 4.9% over the same time frame.

Kendall County's growth was even faster in the previous decade at 110.4%. Most of the decline in IL's population is from the rural areas, most of the growth is in the Chicago suburbs, and its biggest county Cook fluctuates between being a gainer and a loser over recent history.
https://www2.census.gov/geo/pdfs/maps-data/maps/2010pop/il_perchange_2010map.pdf
Prior to the widening of US 34 in Oswego in the late 1990's there was not a single state highway with 4 lanes in Kendall. I remember when there was only one stoplight on a state highway, at IL 47 and US 34. And the county has not seen a decennial decrease in population since 1910-1920.

Kendall County had half of I-80 for a short distance at Ridge Road (Minooka), and all four lanes for about 100 feet.  US-30 widened to four lanes at Douglas Road, and was that way at least since the early 1980s, and had a signal.  There was also a signal at US-30 and US-34 (west junction), and a signal at US-30 and IL-47.

[brad]

An ask for @Rick Powell

Has IDOT made any planning headway on the IL-47 Yorkville Bypass?

Werent you looking at a new bridge over the Fox River?

The 4 lane upgrade ends at Caton Farm.

The Prairie Parkway was going to function as a limited access "Yorkville bypass" and a Fox River crossing was designed but never built. However, Kendall County built a Fox River crossing about 800 feet east of where Prairie Parkway would have been, and made other improvements to the Eldamain Road corridor. It's basically a 2-lane road with a center median, with both the bridge and the roadway set up for eventual expansion to 4 lanes. Going south to north, you can now turn west from IL 47, go west on Walker Road to Lisbon Road, go north on Lisbon until it turns into Eldamain, and travel north on Eldamain a few different ways depending on when you want to get back to IL 47. Kendall and Grundy have a very long range goal of improving Lisbon/Saratoga road from IL 71 to US 6, with a possible I-80/Saratoga interchange.

On IL 47 itself, we are currenty working on plans and land acquisition between Caton Farm and IL 71 for an add lanes project. We are close to finalizing plans and land acquisition for IL 47 for the section north of Yorkville, and District 1 is getting close to letting the next section north from Galena Road to Sugar Grove. Once everything gets built out, IL 47 will be 4 lanes between Southmor Road south of Morris to Waubonsee CC in Sugar Grove.

OK, I see the Edelmain Road/Lisbon Road connection now. Thank you.

IL-47 is going to be next west suburban north-south arterial as the suburbs move ever westward.  I looked at the tax maps for the IL-47 and IL-71 interchange and it appears IDOT has good ownership in all but 1 quadrant.

With the massive growth of logistics in the I-80/US-6 corridor west of Joliet, did anything come up in IDOT about Minooka's attempt with CN to build that large logistics center there. I think I posted on it a couple of years ago and the last public hearing was pretty noisy about traffic on US-6.

Illinois is losing population. So I am not so sure about that.

The Illinois population has risen for 3 consecutive years.

[Rick Powell]

Kendall County had half of I-80 for a short distance at Ridge Road (Minooka), and all four lanes for about 100 feet.  US-30 widened to four lanes at Douglas Road, and was that way at least since the early 1980s, and had a signal.  There was also a signal at US-30 and US-34 (west junction), and a signal at US-30 and IL-47.

Thanks, I forgot about those pieces at the edges of the county, and straddling the Kendall/Grundy and Kendall/Kane lines. I thought the Douglas Road signal didn't come until the 90s. If 30 was 4 lanes, it wasn't much beyond the intersection until later from what I remember.

[Rick Powell]

Any more planning for state highway widening in Kendall?
I was looking at some old traffic counts from 1967 and 1983. The busiest stretch of 34 was through Plano until deep into DuPage at that era . There has and still is a huge traffic drop off after Plano until Galesburg.
My 1967 map had the future interstates including the Crosstown btw.

With the upcoming add-lanes north and south of Yorkville, that will likely be the last add-lanes work along state routes in Kendall for the near future. District 3 did a fairly large study of extending the 4-lanes through Sandwich to the west of Plano (a section that straddled Kendall and DeKalb County), but it ultimately lost public and elected official support (and new traffic projections that found the need was iffy) and was shelved. 4-lanes on US 34 and IL 31 from Yorkville to the BNSF overpass in Montgomery was also studied back in the 1990s, but ultimately the 4-lane section was terminated at Orchard Road on the east end. Kendall County's construction of Orchard Road in the late 90s-early 2000s provided a travel alternative to the US 34/IL 31 add-lanes section that was dropped.

At some point, Plainfield wants to re-route IL 126 at the west end of town to connect to 143rd Street/Ridge Road.

[hobsini2]

Any more planning for state highway widening in Kendall?
I was looking at some old traffic counts from 1967 and 1983. The busiest stretch of 34 was through Plano until deep into DuPage at that era . There has and still is a huge traffic drop off after Plano until Galesburg.
My 1967 map had the future interstates including the Crosstown btw.

With the upcoming add-lanes north and south of Yorkville, that will likely be the last add-lanes work along state routes in Kendall for the near future. District 3 did a fairly large study of extending the 4-lanes through Sandwich to the west of Plano (a section that straddled Kendall and DeKalb County), but it ultimately lost public and elected official support (and new traffic projections that found the need was iffy) and was shelved. 4-lanes on US 34 and IL 31 from Yorkville to the BNSF overpass in Montgomery was also studied back in the 1990s, but ultimately the 4-lane section was terminated at Orchard Road on the east end. Kendall County's construction of Orchard Road in the late 90s-early 2000s provided a travel alternative to the US 34/IL 31 add-lanes section that was dropped.

At some point, Plainfield wants to re-route IL 126 at the west end of town to connect to 143rd Street/Ridge Road.

Rick, since you are an employee of IDOT, I know this is probably a no go but what are the chances of IDOT ever extending/rerouting highway designations? I know this question kind of dabbles into the fictional but
I am of the belief that if a highway is an important longish corridor it should be a state highway.
For example, I do believe that Ridge Rd and Plainfield Rd could be a state highway and Route 31 would be a candidate number for that extension to Minooka.
Or Larkin Ave/Weber Rd/Naper Blvd/Naperville Rd/County Farm Rd/Barrington Rd being a single number from Joliet to Barrington.
Of the numbers open that would not be so close to confuse drivers, we have (of numbers 1-200) open are 11, 24, 27, 36, 42, 44, 46, 63, 65, 69, 74, 77, 79, 85, 86, 87, 105, 112, 118, 139, 144, 168, 174, 179, 181, 182, 183, 186, 187, 188, 189, 191, 193, 195, 196, 197, 198, 199, 200.

Thoughts?

[Rick Powell]

Rick, since you are an employee of IDOT, I know this is probably a no go but what are the chances of IDOT ever extending/rerouting highway designations? I know this question kind of dabbles into the fictional but
I am of the belief that if a highway is an important longish corridor it should be a state highway.
For example, I do believe that Ridge Rd and Plainfield Rd could be a state highway and Route 31 would be a candidate number for that extension to Minooka.
Or Larkin Ave/Weber Rd/Naper Blvd/Naperville Rd/County Farm Rd/Barrington Rd being a single number from Joliet to Barrington.Or Larkin Ave/Weber Rd/Naper Blvd/Naperville Rd/County Farm Rd/Barrington Rd being a single number from Joliet to Barrington.
Of the numbers open that would not be so close to confuse drivers, we have (of numbers 1-200) open are 11, 24, 27, 36, 42, 44, 46, 63, 65, 69, 74, 77, 79, 85, 86, 87, 105, 112, 118, 139, 144, 168, 174, 179, 181, 182, 183, 186, 187, 188, 189, 191, 193, 195, 196, 197, 198, 199, 200.

Thoughts?

hobsini2, my short response is that state transfers of jurisdiction to locals are way more common than the other way around. When IDOT assumes responsibility for a county, township or municipal road, it is usually the result of a swap. Back in the early 2000s when all the stuff was going on with Orchard Road in Kendall County and the imminent lane additions to US 34 and IL 71, there were some jurisdictional swaps being looked at (and route re-numberings), but nothing came to pass.

[kphoger]

I am of the belief that if a highway is an important longish corridor it should be a state highway.
For example ... Larkin Ave/Weber Rd/Naper Blvd/Naperville Rd/County Farm Rd/Barrington Rd being a single number from Joliet to Barrington.

Wait, what?  Naperville Road and County Farm Road aren't part of the same corridor.  They don't get within two miles of each other.  I used to live and work very close to there, and that just makes no sense to me as a single number.

My own dream state route corridor is for IL-161 to get extended east all the way to Allendale.

[ilpt4u]

I am of the belief that if a highway is an important longish corridor it should be a state highway.
For example ... Larkin Ave/Weber Rd/Naper Blvd/Naperville Rd/County Farm Rd/Barrington Rd being a single number from Joliet to Barrington.

Wait, what?  Naperville Road and County Farm Road aren't part of the same corridor.  They don't get within two miles of each other.  I used to live and work very close to there, and that just makes no sense to me as a single number.

My own dream state route corridor is for IL-161 to get extended east all the way to Allendale.

That Joliet to Barrington Cooridor has a multiplex in Wheaton along Roosevelt Rd/IL 38.

Also, I have clinched that corridor, every bit of it!

I'm not sure Will and DuPage Counties in addition to the municipalities involved would want to transfer that cooridor to the state. Of course the south end of Larkin Ave is already IL 7

[edwaleni]

I am of the belief that if a highway is an important longish corridor it should be a state highway.
For example ... Larkin Ave/Weber Rd/Naper Blvd/Naperville Rd/County Farm Rd/Barrington Rd being a single number from Joliet to Barrington.

Wait, what?  Naperville Road and County Farm Road aren't part of the same corridor.  They don't get within two miles of each other.  I used to live and work very close to there, and that just makes no sense to me as a single number.

My own dream state route corridor is for IL-161 to get extended east all the way to Allendale.

IL-59 is technically the best corridor between Joliet and Barrington on the west side. Use I-355 and US-14 on the east side.

DuPage County had a push to build a Fox Valley Freeway between I-90 to around I-88, but land acquisition was beyond the pale by the time they came up with the idea. DuPage and IDOT have tried at various times and places to improve IL-59 and add more restricted access areas, but municipalities have usually slow walked these proposals because residents dont want to lose their "easy light" to the highway.

When a morning school bus was hit while turning left onto Gary's Mill to reach Curriers Mill Elementary, people locally screamed about putting in lower speed limits on IL-59. IDOT found that the more safer approach was to close the access to IL-59 from Wilson Street and Gary's Mill. The people west of IL-59 howled that they would have to drive an extra mile and a half on Joliet Street to reach the school.  West Chicago proposed a re-route of Gary's Mill along the DuPage River to meet Wilson at the light.  The greens protested that it would ruin the river.

So what happened? Nothing. IDOT had the better approach long term, way more safer, but the locals wouldnt have it.

That is one of the issues about lowering driving times between Joliet and Barrington.

[hobsini2]

I am of the belief that if a highway is an important longish corridor it should be a state highway.
For example ... Larkin Ave/Weber Rd/Naper Blvd/Naperville Rd/County Farm Rd/Barrington Rd being a single number from Joliet to Barrington.

Wait, what?  Naperville Road and County Farm Road aren't part of the same corridor.  They don't get within two miles of each other.  I used to live and work very close to there, and that just makes no sense to me as a single number.

My own dream state route corridor is for IL-161 to get extended east all the way to Allendale.

I know they currently are not the same corridor but to me it makes sense with a short cosign with 38 on Roosevelt Rd.

[kphoger]

My point, though—speaking as someone who literally used to live on Roosevelt between Naperville Road and County Farm—is, how many people are really using that routing as a single corridor in their everyday lives right now?  I just don't see it.

To me, County Farm is the natural corridor extension of Winfield Rd / Schaffner Rd.  At least, that's what it functioned as for me when I lived there.

Personally, if I were driving up from Weber Road to County Farm Road, then I'd probably take Washington up through downtown Naperville, then Mill Street to Warrenville, then up to Winfield.  That routing is 1½ miles shorter than going Naperville Rd up to Roosevelt and, while it does go through downtown Naperville, it avoids Danada Square traffic.

To me, coming up from Naperville, Naperville Rd is the gateway to Glen Ellyn, not the gateway to County Farm Rd.

[3467]

I have a lot of the old annual plans and the only land Acquisition I find is half a million between 90 and 88 in 1970.

I think that's why I DOT is rightly slow walking and Route 53 lane transfers. It's why most freeway plans have been rendered impossible.
Even with the low density West of 47 there are enough subdivisions scattered to make any kind of outer belt difficult.

[hobsini2]

My point, though—speaking as someone who literally used to live on Roosevelt between Naperville Road and County Farm—is, how many people are really using that routing as a single corridor in their everyday lives right now?  I just don't see it.

To me, County Farm is the natural corridor extension of Winfield Rd / Schaffner Rd.  At least, that's what it functioned as for me when I lived there.

Personally, if I were driving up from Weber Road to County Farm Road, then I'd probably take Washington up through downtown Naperville, then Mill Street to Warrenville, then up to Winfield.  That routing is 1½ miles shorter than going Naperville Rd up to Roosevelt and, while it does go through downtown Naperville, it avoids Danada Square traffic.

To me, coming up from Naperville, Naperville Rd is the gateway to Glen Ellyn, not the gateway to County Farm Rd.

It's funny you see it that way KP. I used to have to drive everyday from the west side of Bolingbrook to Wheaton St Francis. The quickest way was either using Naper Blvd and Naperville Rd to Roosevelt Rd or Ogden/Raymond/Diehl to Winfield Rd. Most of the time, we did Naper Blvd instead of Washington or Ogden because of the traffic. I still remember when Naper Blvd was a gravel road south of Bailey Rd.

To me, Weber Rd and Naper Blvd now is a logical route for a state route. If you want to end it at Roosevelt, that's fine.

[kphoger]

Personally, I was a fan of using Mack Road, but I have no idea if it was any faster.

To me, Weber Rd and Naper Blvd now is a logical route for a state route. If you want to end it at Roosevelt, that's fine.

Yes, I agree that Weber/Naper/Naperville is a logical corridor up to Roosevelt.  Just nothing farther north, unless you wanted to somehow tie in Schmale Road (which doesn't really continue past Army Trail Rd) or Gary Ave (which does).

And I could also get behind a County Farm/Barrington corridor.  It's just not the same corridor as the other.

[edwaleni]

Personally, I was a fan of using Mack Road, but I have no idea if it was any faster.

To me, Weber Rd and Naper Blvd now is a logical route for a state route. If you want to end it at Roosevelt, that's fine.

Yes, I agree that Weber/Naper/Naperville is a logical corridor up to Roosevelt.  Just nothing farther north, unless you wanted to somehow tie in Schmale Road (which doesn't really continue past Army Trail Rd) or Gary Ave (which does).

And I could also get behind a County Farm/Barrington corridor.  It's just not the same corridor as the other.

I used to live off County Farm Road and have driven the area since 1975.

The City of Wheaton and DuPage Highways seriously considered connecting Naperville Road at Roosevelt Road with Main Street Wheaton when the Wheaton Central High School (later Hubble Middle) was announced to be torn down. A site plan was announced showing a mix of apartments and retail along the new connector.

This would have provided a complete passthrough connector from south Naperville all the way to Schmale Road as far as Army Trail Road. But it was vetoed due to heavy resistance from residents on Main Street north of the UP tracks. Instead the former football and baseball field was turned into a park and a grocery store sits on the corner.

As for County Farm Road (named after the former DuPage County Jail Farm which is now the courthouse/fairgrounds/public home), there was no way it would ever go further south of Roosevelt due to several land covenants the DuPage Forest Preserve signed in order to accept several land grants from the McCormick Family (Cantigny). The McCormicks were the founders of International Harvester and owned a massive property in this area dating back to the early 1900's. Brooks McCormick (just retired) just willed the rest of his land (St James Farm) to the same Forest Preserve with many restrictive covenants protecting it from new highways and development.

In the late 1970's County Farm didn't go past North Avenue (IL-64). Most of the land obstructing any extension was owned by the Morton Family (of Morton Salt) and it wasnt until they sold their land to Jay Stream to be developed into the town of Carol Stream, that DuPage Highways reserved a ROW to extend County Farm farther North.

When the Lies Family sold their farm, DuPage was able to take it up to Army Trail Road. When the Forest Preserve took over Hawk Hollow on the West Branch DuPage River, they preserved a centerline with help from the City of Hanover Park. Then they connected it with the former Church Road to Ontarioville and when they got a agreement with Cook County, the connection to Barrington Road was complete.

The constant extensions of Gary Ave continued north and in a near panic when IDOT announced the IL-390 of the Elgin-OHare they did a deal with IDOT & Cook County to build an exit ramp for Gary Ave ands connect it with it then terminus at Lake Street (US-20)

[Revive 755]

The constant extensions of Gary Ave continued north and in a near panic when IDOT announced the IL-390 of the Elgin-OHare they did a deal with IDOT & Cook County to build an exit ramp for Gary Ave ands connect it with it then terminus at Lake Street (US-20)

The stretch of Gary Avenue north of US 20/Lake Street would be a lot more useful if it had connections to either Irving Park or Springinsguth, rather than committing one to using IL 390 to at least Roselle.  Yes there is Central and Rodenburg, but Rodenburg has a somewhat busy railroad crossing.

[edwaleni]

The constant extensions of Gary Ave continued north and in a near panic when IDOT announced the IL-390 of the Elgin-OHare they did a deal with IDOT & Cook County to build an exit ramp for Gary Ave ands connect it with it then terminus at Lake Street (US-20)

The stretch of Gary Avenue north of US 20/Lake Street would be a lot more useful if it had connections to either Irving Park or Springinsguth, rather than committing one to using IL 390 to at least Roselle.  Yes there is Central and Rodenburg, but Rodenburg has a somewhat busy railroad crossing.

Springinsguth is a creation of the City of Schaumburg so they could get a Metra station on the Metra MILW-W line and later the Minor League baseball stadium. Since DuPage County was paying for the exit ramps, they werent very worried about connectivity to Cook County locally. Metra does have a park & ride on the DuPage side of the tracks. It's an unusual part where the county line runs on top of the railroad ROW for a few miles.

DuPage just figured if you want to get on Rodenburg, turn on Central prior to IL-390 and jog over.

For years Gary Ave used to end at Travis Parkway and people thought it was going to go to Irving Park Road one day, that is until IDOT announced IL-390.

Trivia: IDOT delayed the opening of IL-390 between Gary and US-20 Lake Street due to a massive peat bog they hit when trying to build the overpass over the railroad. They had to dig down several feet to remove the bog and fill it with aggregate. If memory serves it caused a 6-8 month delay.

[kphoger]

The City of Wheaton and DuPage Highways seriously considered connecting Naperville Road at Roosevelt Road with Main Street Wheaton when the Wheaton Central High School (later Hubble Middle) was announced to be torn down. A site plan was announced showing a mix of apartments and retail along the new connector.

This would have provided a complete passthrough connector from south Naperville all the way to Schmale Road as far as Army Trail Road. But it was vetoed due to heavy resistance from residents on Main Street north of the UP tracks. Instead the former football and baseball field was turned into a park and a grocery store sits on the corner.

When I lived in the area, starting in 2000, there was still a Jewel at the corner of Willow & Cross St.

I rented a room out of a house right on Roosevelt between Main and Hale, and my first job was at the Target at Roosevelt & County Farm.  After moving here and there in northern Wheaton and Carol Stream (and getting a new job in Carol Stream), I later moved into an apartment a block south of Roosevelt between President and Blanchard, and I lived there till Carrie and I got married in 2006 and moved downstate.

It doesn't surprise me to hear that the plan was blocked by Main Street residents north of the tracks.  I was there when the road was converted from four lanes to two with TWLTL, which isn't the kind of thing that happens when residents are keen on having more traffic having easy access to their neighborhood.

[dvferyance]

An ask for @Rick Powell

Has IDOT made any planning headway on the IL-47 Yorkville Bypass?

Werent you looking at a new bridge over the Fox River?

The 4 lane upgrade ends at Caton Farm.

The Prairie Parkway was going to function as a limited access "Yorkville bypass" and a Fox River crossing was designed but never built. However, Kendall County built a Fox River crossing about 800 feet east of where Prairie Parkway would have been, and made other improvements to the Eldamain Road corridor. It's basically a 2-lane road with a center median, with both the bridge and the roadway set up for eventual expansion to 4 lanes. Going south to north, you can now turn west from IL 47, go west on Walker Road to Lisbon Road, go north on Lisbon until it turns into Eldamain, and travel north on Eldamain a few different ways depending on when you want to get back to IL 47. Kendall and Grundy have a very long range goal of improving Lisbon/Saratoga road from IL 71 to US 6, with a possible I-80/Saratoga interchange.

On IL 47 itself, we are currenty working on plans and land acquisition between Caton Farm and IL 71 for an add lanes project. We are close to finalizing plans and land acquisition for IL 47 for the section north of Yorkville, and District 1 is getting close to letting the next section north from Galena Road to Sugar Grove. Once everything gets built out, IL 47 will be 4 lanes between Southmor Road south of Morris to Waubonsee CC in Sugar Grove.

OK, I see the Edelmain Road/Lisbon Road connection now. Thank you.

IL-47 is going to be next west suburban north-south arterial as the suburbs move ever westward.  I looked at the tax maps for the IL-47 and IL-71 interchange and it appears IDOT has good ownership in all but 1 quadrant.

With the massive growth of logistics in the I-80/US-6 corridor west of Joliet, did anything come up in IDOT about Minooka's attempt with CN to build that large logistics center there. I think I posted on it a couple of years ago and the last public hearing was pretty noisy about traffic on US-6.

Illinois is losing population. So I am not so sure about that.

The Illinois population has risen for 3 consecutive years.

The 2025 estimate showed Illinois had lost around 100,000 residents from the 2020 census.

[Rick Powell]

The 2025 estimate showed Illinois had lost around 100,000 residents from the 2020 census.

About 75,000 of the loss was from Cook (Chicago and inner suburbs) and St. Clair (St Louis metro) counties, and the rest from mostly rural downstate counties. The loss would have been greater if all the Chicago suburban counties hadn't shown a population gain, which they did. Kendall, Grundy and Will added about 30,000 during that period, with Kendall in its usual mode of being the percentage growth leader among the state's 102 counties.

[edwaleni]

When I lived in the area, starting in 2000, there was still a Jewel at the corner of Willow & Cross St.

Yes, Jewel tried to close it several times. I talked with the regional manager about it once and he said it was the highest grossing Jewel per square foot because it still used the old grocery format from the 1960's. The store closing kept getting pushed out. I used it often, mostly because I could get what I wanted faster than the big box versions..

The real estate eventually became more valuable than the store.

Wheaton has a great history around it, but one thing the town values is community life and they just didn't want Main Street, which was a narrow 4 lane local arterial, to become a regional one.

Most of the north south traffic was to support the original DuPage County Courthouse at Naperville & Reber. But when they finally moved it out to County Farm Road, upgrades in downtown lost favor and all the money went to County Farm after that.

[edwaleni]

The 2025 estimate showed Illinois had lost around 100,000 residents from the 2020 census.

About 75,000 of the loss was from Cook (Chicago and inner suburbs) and St. Clair (St Louis metro) counties, and the rest from mostly rural downstate counties. The loss would have been greater if all the Chicago suburban counties hadn't shown a population gain, which they did. Kendall, Grundy and Will added about 30,000 during that period, with Kendall in its usual mode of being the percentage growth leader among the state's 102 counties.

The latest bump up was due to the arrival of immigrants from the southern border. If you take out that in flow, the trend would have continued down.

[Rothman]

The 2025 estimate showed Illinois had lost around 100,000 residents from the 2020 census.

About 75,000 of the loss was from Cook (Chicago and inner suburbs) and St. Clair (St Louis metro) counties, and the rest from mostly rural downstate counties. The loss would have been greater if all the Chicago suburban counties hadn't shown a population gain, which they did. Kendall, Grundy and Will added about 30,000 during that period, with Kendall in its usual mode of being the percentage growth leader among the state's 102 counties.

The latest bump up was due to the arrival of immigrants from the southern border. If you take out that in flow, the trend would have continued down.

Wut.  There's no reason to discount immigration when talking about population growth...and the way this assertion is written is skeevy...