Essex, IL

Essex is a quiet rural village in northwestern Kankakee County, offering wide-open spaces and a relaxed small-town feel. Built during the area's coal-mining days in the late 1800s, the surrounding countryside now features scenic reclaimed lakes and quiet country roads. Sitting roughly seven miles south of Braidwood and about twenty minutes from Kankakee, it gives residents a peaceful home base within easy reach of larger neighboring towns.