Most People Don’t Know How These 10 Towns In Illinois Got Their Start

Joliet is right next to Romeoville, which may cause you to think that Joliet got its name from Shakespeare. Actually, the name comes from Louis Jolliet, but it probably got misspelled. It was Juliet, then was changed to Joliet.

Naperville does actually get it name from someone with the last name Naper, Joseph Naper to be exact. Believe it or not, the town was predominantly rural until the population exploded in the 1960s.

Mokena comes from a Native American word for "turtle."

Zion gets its name from Mount Zion, Israel. It is home to Illinois Beach State Park, which served as a rifle range during World War 1 and World War 2.

You'll notice that a lot of towns in southern Illinois have some Egyptian sounding names. This was done on purpose, as this part of Illinois became known as "Little Egypt." Many say it got this name because the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi reminded them of the Nile delta.

This town name always brings laughs, but actually, the naming process was not very exciting. It got its name from the "normal schools," which was another name for teacher-training institutions.

Elgin was heavily inhabited by Native Americans, who were driven out in the early 1800s. It was then renamed "Elgin," after the Scottish tune of the same name. It was on the map because of its watch factory.

Aurora got its start as a manufacturing powerhouse. Later, it became the first in the U.S. to use electric lights for lighting the city. It then adopted the nickname "City of Lights."