“City of Champions!”
Joliet, known as “J-Town,” is Illinois’ fastest growing city and one of the fastest growing in the Chicago metro area. The city has been dubbed the “City Of Champions” due to its multiple state and national titles won by Joliet Township High School and grade school bands along with the Joliet American Legion Band. As one would expect from the “city of champions” many notable celebrities have once called Joliet their home. Lionel Richie graduated from Joliet Township High School where he was also a star tennis player. Melissa McCarthy was the class clown at St. Francis Academy. Female rapper Da Brat, Jimmy Chamberlain of Smashing Pumpkins, and Andy Dick and Nick Offerman of “Parks and Recreation” all hail from Joliet, too. Joliet has come a long way from being known as “The Prison City,” Joliet Prison was used for filming the hit show Prison Break and for scenes in Natural Born Killers. And, as you will be reminded as you tour the city, “Joliet” Jake played by John Belushi was paroled from Joliet in the cult classic The Blues Brothers. The show Supernatural also used the city for filming locations, too. There is also a strong dedication to the arts which can be seen in the theaters and galleries that abound in this city. One of the main attractions in Joliet’s city center is the Rialto Square Theatre, also known as the ‘Jewel of Joliet’, it has been called one of the world’s 10 most beautiful theaters. Some of the other diverse attractions in Joliet include the cities two casinos (The Hollywood Casino and Harrah’s Casino), the Chicagoland Speedway (NASCAR), the Route 66 Raceway (NHRA), and the Joliet Route 66 Stadium which hosts the Joliet Slammers baseball.
