Homer Township is located in Will County, Illinois. As of the 2010 census, its population was 39,059 and it contained 13,418 housing units. In 2001, the village of Homer Glen was incorporated within area that is Homer Township. This region was formerly an unincorporated census-designated place known as Goodings Grove, Illinois. Homer Township, located between Orland Park, and the historic cities of Lemont and Lockport, offers parks, golf courses and many beautiful wooded settings, as well as convenient access to route 83 and interstates 355 and 55. In 2011, Homer Glen was the third community to be named an International Dark-Sky Community by the International Dark Sky Association (IDA). This highly distinguished honor has only been bestowed on four communities to date. The award acknowledges that the Village has been selected as a community that has taken extraordinary steps in recognizing and preserving the natural night. To achieve the IDSC award, the Village of Homer Glen demonstrated that it has shown “exceptional dedication to the preservation of the night sky through the implementation and enforcement of quality lighting codes, dark sky education and citizen support of dark skies.” In 2007, the Village passed a ground breaking outdoor lighting ordinance which became the first stand alone ordinance of its kind in Illinois. The ordinance provides a clear set of guidelines eliminating the need for commercial establishments to compete for visual attention by escalating their outdoor lighting levels. It also requires full cutoff lighting, limits the amount of light that is used on the property, promotes the safety and welfare of pedestrians, cyclists and motorists who all benefit from the reduction of glare, reduces the detrimental effect to wildlife that depend on the natural cycle of day and night for survival and protects neighbors from unwanted light spilling onto their property.