History
In 1891, North Kankakee was established when the David Bradley Plow Works established a factory, and in recognition of this, in 1895, the town changed its name to "Bradley City" (later Bradley). Bradley was mostly a blue collar town, with the Kroehler furniture factory and the Roper stove factory, a subsidiary of Sears, Roebuck, being the major employers.
In the 1980s, as elsewhere in the Midwest, these factories closed, and after their closures, parts of those factories burned to the ground. However, by the end of the decade, things changed. In 1989, a new shopping center called Bradley Square was built with Wal-Mart as the first tenant, and more shops followed. Northfield Square Mall opened in 1990
Geography
Bradley is located in central Kankakee County. It is bordered to the south by the city of Kankakee and to the west by the village of Bourbonnais. Interstate 57 passes through the village, with access from Exit 315 (Illinois Route 50). I-57 leads north 56 miles (90 km) to Chicago and south 76 miles (122 km) to Champaign.
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Bradley has a total area of 6.93 square miles (17.95 km2), all land.
Activities and attractions
Residents have plenty of outdoor amenities here, from nearby golf courses to youth league baseball fields. Kankakee River State Park is adjacent to Bradley and allows fishing, camping and canoeing. Cross-country skiers replace horseback riders and bikers on the trails during the winter. Perry Farm Park is another spot with a variety of activities: It’s right on the river and has a creek with some old Indian caves you can explore. As Bradley grows, more athletic facilities and parks continue to open. Adventure Commons is a new sports complex near the Northfield Square Mall, which will soon undergo redevelopment. They’re completely reinvigorating the old mall area with Adventure Commons and an indoor water park, which is set to be the largest in Illinois. Bradley may not be a destination right now, but they’re really trying to change that. this mall area also hosts the Bradley 315 music festival and carnival, which is expected to bring in nearly 20,000 visitors.
