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Morris, IL
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Morris, IL

Grundy County, 54 miles SW of the Loop. Morris was platted in 1842 and incorporated in 1850. Named for Isaac N. Morris, a commissioner for the Illinois & Michigan Canal, the city became an important regional shipping center with the completion of the canal. A diversified industrial base has fueled the town's twentieth-century economy. Morris's population numbered 11,928 in 2000, up from 8,144 in 1970.


Morris, IL (inc. 1853)
Year Total
(and by category) 		  Foreign Born Native with foreign parentage Males per 100 females
1870 3,138   26.3% — 94
  3,119 White (99.4%)      
  19 Colored (0.6%)      
1900 4,273   22.1% 37.9% 97
  4,251 White (99.5%)      
  20 Negro (0.5%)      
  2 Chinese (0.0%)      
1930 5,568   11.0% 33.1% 99
  5,523 White (99.2%)      
  9 Negro (0.2%)      
  36 Other (0.6%)      
1960 7,935   3.0% 17.3% 94
  7,915 White (99.7%)      
  8 Negro (0.1%)      
  12 Other races (0.2%)      
1990 10,270   2.6% — 92
  10,047 White (97.8%)      
  9 Black (0.1%)      
  33 American Indian (0.3%)      
  44 Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%)      
  137 Other race (1.3%)      
  363 Hispanic Origin* (3.5%)      
2000 11,928   3.9% — 95
  11,373 White alone (95.3%)      
  41 Black or African American alone (0.3%)      
  27 American Indian and Alaska Native alone (0.2%)      
  61 Asian alone (0.5%)      
  3 Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone (0.0%)      
  292 Some other race alone (2.4%)      
  131 Two or more races (1.1%)      
  828 Hispanic or Latino* (6.9%)      

Brandon Johnson

Bibliography
Conzen, Michael P., and Valerie M. McKay, eds. Canal Town and County Seat: The Historical Geography of Morris. 1994.

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