Zion, Illinois
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For other places named Zion, see Zion (disambiguation).
Zion is a city located in Lake County, Illinois. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 22,866. The city was founded in July of 1901 by Dr. John Alexander Dowie. He also started the Zion Tabernacle of the Christian Catholic Apostolic Church, which was the only church in town. It was built in the early 1900s and burned down in 1937.
- Birthplace of Gary Coleman.
- Bob Collins, a radio personality in Chicago, Illinois, died on February 8, 2000 when two small planes collided over Zion.
- Rock band Local H was formed in Zion and the band's album art and songs often references the city and strongly references the local tavern, "Fritz's Corner".
- On May 9 2005 Laura Hobbs (8) and Krystal Tobias (9) were found stabbed to death in Belulah Park. Laura's father, Jerry Hobbs, allegedly confessed and was charged for two counts of first degree murder. The news shocked the small town and the nation.
- Home of the Zion Nuclear Power Station
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Geography
Zion is located at 42°27'12" North, 87°50'25" West (42.453221, -87.840222)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 21.2 km² (8.2 mi²). 21.2 km² (8.2 mi²) of it is land and none of the area is covered with water.
The city is one of only a few in the world to have ever been completely planned out before building. Dr. Dowie modeled the city layout after the union jack, because he is orginally from Australia. In the planning stage he mailed the mayors of many large city across the world for suggestions on how to design the best city possible. A few of the recommendations were:
- Make provisions for alley ways for utilities and garbage removal, and help keep the city looking clean
- Have the houses face east and west so that thermal heat from the sun could be used to reduce heating bills
- Build as many parks as possible
For some reason some of the diagonal roads were not completed. The north-south roads in the original plan are all names of prophets from the Bible. The original east-west roads are numbered starting with 1 at the state line (now called Russell Rd.), although there are now new east-west roads which bear names. The city used to extend all of the way down to the lakefront until the state bought it to preserve the beach. Because most of the houses on the lakefront were owned by wealthy citizens, most of them were moved to places around what is now Sheridan Rd.
Illinois Beach State Park
Zion is the home of the Illinois Beach State Park: South Beach. The North Beach is in Winthrop Harbor, IL. The beach was originally part of Camp Logan, a Union prisoner of war camp. Then in World War I and World War II it served as a basic training camp for the Army, specifically to train in tank manuvers. In the late 1940s the land was turned over to the Illinois National Guard. Finally, in 1948 the state acquired the first parts of the land, which later would become the Illinois Beach State Park. In 1950, the Illinois Dunes Preservation Society was established to maintain the natural qualities of the beach. With the help of the Illinois Department of Conservation the area south of Beach Road were established as the state's first natural preserve. The northern beach, between beach road and the Wisconsin state boarder, were obtained between 1971 and 1982.[1]
The south beach is now home of the Illinois Beach Resort and Conference Center. The North Point Marina is at the north beach. This is Illinois' newest and largest marina.
On May 9, 2000, the area encompassing Illinois Beach State Park and North Point Marina was officially designated as the Cullerton Complex in honor of William J. Cullerton, Sr., war hero, avid environmentalist and long-time friend of conservation.
Demographics
Image:Zion.jpg As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 22,866 people, 7,552 households, and 5,558 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,076.7/km² (2,789.5/mi²). There were 8,036 housing units at an average density of 378.4/km² (980.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 58.76% White, 27.10% African American, 0.38% Native American, 1.87% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 7.80% from other races, and 4.02% from two or more races. 15.25% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 7,552 households out of which 44.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.9% were married couples living together, 20.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.4% were non-families. 21.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.96 and the average family size was 3.44.
In the city the population was spread out with 33.2% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 31.4% from 25 to 44, 17.4% from 45 to 64, and 8.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 94.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $45,723, and the median income for a family was $50,378. Males had a median income of $37,455 versus $27,563 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,730. 11.9% of the population and 10.1% of families were below the poverty line. 15.5% of those under the age of 18 and 7.7% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
External links
- City of Zion — Official City of Zion website
- Zion Chamber of Commerce
- Zion Park District
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