Millington, IL

Millington is an Illinois village split between Kendall and LaSalle counties along the Fox River. The 2020 census counted 617 residents. Most of the village sits on the river’s southeast side, where the water leaves Kendall County and continues into LaSalle County. That county line also divides the wider map: the Kendall side belongs to the Chicago metropolitan area, while the LaSalle side points toward Ottawa. Millington is a small place, but its location ties river, farmland, and two regional service areas together.

The settlement began in 1834 when Samuel Jackson and George F. Markley claimed land along the river. They first called the town Milford, then Mellington, before Millington became the official name in 1872. A dam and sawmill went up in the mid-1830s, followed by a gristmill in 1846. Those mills made the Fox River the reason the village existed, while later roads and nearby towns took over most daily commerce. Millington now keeps its village government and river setting amid the farm country west of the Chicago suburbs.