Quality of Life

One of Kendall County’s most respected features is the county's high quality of life.

Kendall County residents enjoy some of the finest outdoor recreation and most accessible open space amenities in Illinois. These resources includes the beautiful Fox River which runs through many communities in the county,  the wooded preserves and parklands owned by the Kendall County Forest Preserve District, and Silver Springs State Park.

Excellent healthcare is quickly accessible within Kendall County. Local hospitals include Valley West Hospital in Sandwich and Rush Copley Hospital in Aurora. Rush Copley Medical Center is also located in the heart of Kendall County in Yorkville along Route 34. Kendall County also has some of the best school districts in the region, including the Oswego School District, Yorkville School District, Plainfield School District, and Minooka School District. Two highly acclaimed community colleges, Waubonsee Community  College and Joliet Junior College, serve Kendall County residents.

Manufacturing Prowess

Kendall County is home to industry-leading manufacturers. These businesses speak highly of the local workforce and the quality of life they find in Kendall County. These businesses include industry leaders like Wrigley Mars, Plano Molding and Aurora Specialty Textiles.

Transportation

Kendall County’s efficient roadway transportation system includes Interstate 80 located in the southeast portion of Kendall County. Interstate 80 runs through the Village of Minooka and provides a major east-west transportation corridor that supports traffic from to and from Chicago. An interchange at Ridge Road, a four-lane county road, provides quick and easy access onto the expressway. An interchange a few miles south at Brisbin Road will also prove beneficial for improving roadway transportation in the southern portion of Kendall County.

Other key roadways located in Kendall County include:

• U.S. Route 30
• U.S. Route 34
• U.S. Route 52
• State Routes 47, 126, 31, 71, and 25.

To enhance and improve the roadway system, Kendall County annually revises and adopts a five-year transportation plan. This plan outlines increases to roadway capacities, bridge construction/reconstruction, and existing roadway maintenance.

Please see the Regional Infrastructure Improvement Report for more details on roadway improvements.

Public Transportation

Kendall County has a public transportation system known as the Kendall Area Transit System (KATS). KATS provides bus rides for County residents with priority given for the disabled and senior citizens offering service on weekdays.

For convenient Amtrak service, the City of Plano has an Amtrak station providing daily service into Chicago. Westbound service is also available to Galesburg, Kansas City, and ultimately all the way to the west coast.

Located within the Village of Oswego is a ‘Park n’ Ride’ lot near Orchard Road which conveniently transports users to and from the nearby Aurora Metra station. 

Rail Service

Kendall County contains three important rail systems. The Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail line extends from Chicago’s Union Station all the way west towards Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. Located on the northern end of the County, the BNSF primarily provides freight services. The line also provides Amtrak and Metra train services. The Village of Plano contains an Amtrak station with daily service on the Illinois Zephyr passenger route.

The Illinois Railnet, also known as the Illinois Railway, operates on a former Burlington Northern and Santa Fe line from Eola to Streator, Illinois. The rail line enters Kendall County in Montgomery and travels along the Fox River, passing through the downtown districts of Oswego, Yorkville, Millbrook and Millington.

The Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Line, the E. J.& E., is located just over a mile east of the county line. The E. J.& E. is a class II railroad owned by Canadian National Railway that is used to transport freight to cities within the Chicagoland area from Waukegan all the way into Gary, Indiana. The E. J.& E. line enters Kendall County in Minooka.