Zion, Illinois

Zion is a city in Lake County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 United States census, the population was 24,655. History The city was founded in 1900 by John Alexander Dowie, a Scots-Australian evangelical minister and faith healer who had migrated to the United States in 1888. By 1890, he had settled in Chicago, where he built a faith healing business that included a mail order component, and he had also attracted thousands of followers. He bought land 40 miles (60 km) north of Chicago to found Zion, where he personally owned all of the land and most businesses. The city was named after Mount Zion in Jerusalem. Dowie also founded the Zion Tabernacle of the Christian Catholic Apostolic Church, which was the only church in town. The structure was built in the early 1900s and was burned down in 1937, following several decades of tumultuous rule by Dowie's successor, Wilbur Glenn Voliva. The former city seal was the subject of a 1990 Federal Court case, because it featured a crown and scepter, a dove, a cross and the words "God Reigns". The founder of Zion and designer of the city seal, John Alexander Dowie, intended for these to be Christian symbols and added them "for the purpose of the extension of the Kingdom of God upon earth ... where God shall rule in every department of family, industry, commercial, educational, ecclesiastical and political life". The court ruled the city could not use these religious symbols in its seals and emblems. While the Christian symbolism was removed, the phrase "In God We Trust" could be used on the new city seal since it was already acceptable religious language in the public arena. Geography According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Zion has a total area of 9.93 square miles (25.72 km2), of which 9.93 square miles (25.72 km2) (or 99.99%) is land and 0.00 square miles (0.00 km2) (or 0.01%) is water. Demographics Racial and ethnic composition 2020 census As of the 2020 census, Zion had a population of 24,655. The population density was 2,482.38 inhabitants per square mile (958.45/km2). The median age was 34.4 years. 27.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 11.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 91.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 86.6 males age 18 and over. 99.9% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.1% lived in rural areas. There were 8,542 households and 5,394 families in Zion, of which 39.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 40.2% were married-couple households, 17.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 35.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 26.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 9,295 housing units at an average density of 935.86 per square mile (361.34/km2), of which 8.1% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.6%. Economy The median income for a household in the city was $56,819, and the median income for a family was $66,803. Males had a median income of $37,319 versus $29,416 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,345. About 12.5% of families and 14.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.3% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over. Sports The 8,500-seat Fielders Stadium was planned to open in May 2010, and was to host home games for the Lake County Fielders, the North American League baseball team co-owned by the actor Kevin Costner. The Fielders' name is an homage to Costner's 1989 film Field of Dreams, with the logo showing a ballplayer standing in a field of corn. Fielders Stadium has been subject to a court dispute between its owners and the city over a breach in contract, and was never completed before the Fielders folded. Until the 1940s, Zion enshrined the Flat Earth doctrine in its religious code. Parks and recreation Illinois Beach State Park Zion is the closest municipality to South Beach within Illinois Beach State Park. The North Beach is in Winthrop Harbor. The beach was originally part of Camp Logan, developed in 1892 as a rifle range by the Illinois National Guard. In World War I and World War II, it served as a rifle range for the Great Lakes Naval Training Station. The range remained in operation until 1973, when it was transferred to the Illinois Department of Conservation. 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 was established as the state's first natural preserve. The sections of the northern beach, between Beach Road and the Wisconsin state border, were acquired by the state between 1971 and 1982. The Illinois Beach Resort and Conference Center is located at the south beach. The North Point Marina, one of the largest in the Great Lakes region, is at the north beach. It is Illinois' 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., a war hero, avid environmentalist, and long-time friend of conservation. Education Elementary school districts covering sections of Zion include Zion Elementary School District 6 and Beach Park Community Consolidated School District 3, while the section of Zion in Winthrop Harbor School District 1 is parkland. All of Zion is in the Zion-Benton Township High School District 126. Infrastructure Transportation Highways Illinois Route 131 Illinois Route 137 Illinois Route 173 County roads: A1 (Russell Road) A4 (9th Street) A6 (21st Street) A8 (33rd Street) A9 (Wadsworth Road) W32 (Kenosha Road) W34 (Lewis Avenue) Public Transit Zion is served by: Metra's Union Pacific/North Line at the Zion railway station. Pace Bus Bikeways and Trails Zion is served by the Robert McClory Bike Path. There is a bike lane on a section of 21st Street that is maintained by the Lake County Division of Transportation and there are several smaller trails maintained by the Zion Park District. Air Zion is located just north-east of the Waukegan National Airport, which provides general aviation service. There nearest airports to Zion that provide commercial air service include Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD), Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport (MKE), and Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW). Notable people Jorge Avila-Torrez, serial killer Jarvis Brown, member of 1991 World Series champion Minnesota Twins Richard Bull, actor, "Nels Olson" on Little House on the Prairie Gary Coleman, actor, "Arnold Jackson" on Diff'rent Strokes Joe Daniels, drummer for Local H John Alexander Dowie, founder of Zion Paul Erickson, baseball player, mostly with Chicago Cubs John Hammond, senior adviser of the Orlando Magic and former general manager of the Milwaukee Bucks James Gordon Lindsay, pastor and founder of Christ for the Nations Institute Scott Lucas, lead singer, bassist and guitarist for Local H Billy McKinney, former NBA player; current head scout for the Milwaukee Bucks and mayor of Zion Juan Moreno, two-time Olympic silver medalist; assistant coach with the U.S. Olympic Team at the 2008 Olympics Russell Nype, star of Broadway's Call Me Madam and Hello, Dolly! and Tony Award winner Shoes, power pop band including Gary Klebe, Jeff Murphy, John Murphy Lenzelle Smith Jr., basketball player in the Israel Basketball Premier League See also Zion Nuclear Power Station References Bibliography Cook, Philip L. (1996). Zion City, Illinois: Twentieth-Century Utopia. Syracuse, New York: Syracuse University Press. p. 283. ISBN 0-8156-2621-5. Wallace, Irving (1957). Square Pegs: Some Americans Who Dared to Be Different. New York: Knopf. p. 315. External links City of Zion Zion Area Chamber of Commerce