St. Anne, IL

St. Anne sits in the southeast corner of Kankakee County, a village whose name comes from the Catholic mission that shaped its first settlement. French-Canadian priest Charles Chiniquy established the community in the early 1850s, and the original chapel gave both the village and township their name. That history is still visible in the village's anniversary records and church-centered street pattern, even as Illinois Route 1 carries traffic along the west side toward Kankakee and the Iroquois County line.

ATTRChris Light / CC BY-SA 4.0

School and parish connections keep St. Anne tied to a wider rural area and nearby rural communities. St. Anne Community High School and the elementary school serve families from around the village, while Kankakee Community College is the nearest higher-education option. Village hall, public works, police, parks, and volunteer committees handle the ordinary work of a municipality this size. St. Anne's story has a clear French-Canadian beginning, but the current place is a practical school and service center for southeastern Kankakee County.