FAST FACTS

Conveniently Located and Accessible

• Located in Lake County, IL on the shores of Lake Michigan, approximately
  40 miles north of Chicago and 40 miles south of Milwaukee, WI.
• Easily accessible from I-94 and U.S. Route 41 via State Route 173.
• Easy Metra train ride to downtown Chicago.
• Located within several minutes of the Waukegan Regional Airport; 50 minutes from O'Hare International Airport; 40 minutes from Milwaukee's General Mitchell Airport.

Room to Grow

• More than 2,000 acres of land for commercial and industrial development.
• Historic downtown area perfect for restaurants or retail shops.
• Expanding utility infrastructure will offer access to water, sewer and electricity to all listed commercial and industrial developments.
• Generous incentive programs.
• Access to predevelopment resources.

Population Demographics

• Population: 22,866
• Skills of Zion workforce: 20.9 percent of the city's workforce is trained in manufacturing.
• Retail trade: 12.1 percent of workforce.
• Total Households: 7,575.
• Average cost per owner-occupied home: $142,000
• Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Census 2000

Downtown Zion

Downtown Zion, the area along Sheridan Road between 25th and 29th streets, is home to a thriving retail district, comprised mostly of service providers, independent specialty stores and restaurants. The City strongly supports the downtown and has created several TIF districts to help businesses improve their property and to encourage new businesses to locate in the downtown.

Banks

Zion is home to three full service banks: First Bank, First Midwest Bank and National City Bank. Each bank is a member of a holding company with substantial lending capacity.

Education

The Elementary Schools in the Zion district include Beach Park Consolidated District #3, and Zion Elementary District #6.

The City of Zion and neighboring cities are served by Zion-Benton Township High School. The enrollment of students is well above 2,400. That number is rising every year.

Colleges

There are a number of colleges in the area.

The College of Lake County, which is located in Grayslake, IL, provides a 2-year community college curriculum.

Shimer College, which is located in Waukegan IL, provides a 4-year degree in
liberal arts.

Lake Forest College and Barat College, which both are located in Lake Forest,
are 4-year institutions.

Trinity College and Trinity Evangelical Divinity Schools are located in Bannockburn, Illinois.

The University of Wisconsin Parkside and Carthage College, which are located in Kenosha, Wis., offer special tuition breaks for Lake County Illinois residents.

Emergency Services

Zion staffs a full-time Fire and Rescue Department . Zion staffs a full service Police Department. The city is also served by a large volunteer Emergency Services and Disaster Agency that supplements the Police and Fire Departments during emergencies and during special events.

Hospitals

Located in Zion is the recently expanded and remodeled Midwestern Regional Medical Center, which is affiliated with Cancer Treatment Centers of America. Also serving the medical needs of the community are St. Therese Hospital in Waukegan and Victory Memorial Hospital, also in Waukegan.

Housing

Zion has a wide range of housing choices from old Victorian homes along wide tree-lined boulevards to contemporary housing in the city's new residential developments. Prices for existing homes typically range between $90,000 and $325,000. The average sale price of a home in 2002 is $150,000. Nearly 100 new single-family homes have been constructed in the community each year since 1990.

For more information about the City of Zion contact:

Delaine Rogers

Director of Planning and Economic Development
2828 Sheridan Road
Zion, IL 60099

Phone: (847) 746-4015
Fax: 847/746-7167

delainer@zion.il.us