Crystal Lake, Illinois

Crystal Lake is a city in McHenry County, Illinois, United States. Named after a lake southwest of the city's downtown, Crystal Lake is northwest of Chicago. The population was 40,269 as of the 2020 census. Crystal Lake is the most populous city in McHenry County, part of the Chicago metropolitan area.

History

Founding

thumb|Woodstock and Williams Streets in downtown Crystal Lake

The City of Crystal Lake traces its origins to two communities established in the 1800s. Those communities were generally known as Nunda and Crystal Lake. In 1835, Ziba S. Beardsley came to the shores of the lake and commented that the "waters were as clear as crystal", thereby giving the lake its name. Ziba Beardsley continued south to Naperville. In February 1836, the first white settlers, Beman and Polly Crandall, and six of their ten children arrived from New York State, traveling to Crystal Lake in a covered wagon. Their original cabin was built near today's intersection of Virginia Street and Van Buren Street. Four of the Crandall children were born there. Najah Beardsley's family was the second to settle in the area; his grandson, William Beardsley, was the first white child born on the Crystal Lake prairie, on May 7, 1837.

The town was first known as Crystal Ville. It was changed to Crystal Lake sometime before 1840. The area known today as downtown Crystal Lake was first called Dearborn and later, Nunda, from a location in New York where many settlers originated. The village of Dearborn was founded in the 1850s after railroads were extended through the area. The first train station was built in 1856, although it was pre-fabricated and shipped from Chicago on a flatcar. At that time, the central business district for the village of Crystal Lake was located on Virginia Street, about one mile (1.6 km) southwest of the railroad station. The railroad connected the people and industries of Crystal Lake and Dearborn to Chicago and the rest of the country.

On October 7, 1868, Dearborn's name was changed to Nunda. The village was platted in 1868 by local surveyor John Brink, after whom a downtown street is now named. The village included the area now generally bounded by Illinois Route 176 on the north, Crystal Lake Avenue on the south, Main Street on the east, and Walkup Avenue on the west. Much of the land was originally owned by two early settlers, Daniel Ellsworth and Simon S. Gates. The villages of Crystal Lake and Nunda were both incorporated in 1874. In 1908, the village of Nunda changed its name to North Crystal Lake. Several attempts were made to consolidate the two villages, and, after much disagreement, the Village of North Crystal Lake was annexed to the Village of Crystal Lake in 1914, and a consolidated city government was established.

Dole family

thumb|upright|Dole Mansion

thumb|Lakeside Center

Back in the 1860s, when the town of Crystal Lake was about 25 years old, Charles S. Dole purchased over of land overlooking the lake. It was his dream to construct an elaborate estate that would reflect his position as a successful businessman. He was an early member of the Chicago Board of Trade, being associated with Armour, Dole & Co. in Chicago. To carry out his plan, he built a three-story mansion with adjoining gardens and stables. European artisans were imported to lay parquet floors, fashion archways, and carve interior woodwork from black walnut trees grown on the property. As a final touch, he brought in Italian artisans to build several marble fireplaces. According to Dole's obituary, construction costs exceeded $100,000, an enormous amount of money in those days. parts of which are in the neighboring village Lakewood, Illinois.

Eliza "Lou" Ringling was the widow of the oldest Ringling brother, Albert, of circus fame. just north of Crystal Lake, Illinois. Most of the workers at the tile and ceramic works factory lived in Crystal Lake, The production consisted of drain tile, brick and architectural items. In 1886, the Gates Pottery was established as a subsidiary of William D. Gates, a Crystal Lake-area native show that architectural glazed terra cotta was used on many local buildings including Oak Manufacturing Company, Teckler Building, Cohn Store, Telephone Exchange and Commercial Building, El Tovar Theatre, Crystal Lake Community High School (now Crystal Lake Central High School) and additions, Central School and additions, Pure Oil Research Lab and additions, Sinclair Refining Company Service Station, Warner Building, Citizens State Bank, Garbe Garage, Home State Bank, various Williams Street stores and bakeries, and Martinetti's Restaurant and Motel.

Gates used the facilities to experiment with clays and glazes in an effort to design a line of art pottery, which led to the introduction of Teco pottery (from Terra Cotta, but pronounced locally as "Tea-co") in 1902. Many of the pottery pieces were designed by architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright. Produced for only a few years, this pottery exemplifies the Arts and Crafts Movement and today is highly sought after by art collectors. Teco pottery is in the collection of many museums.

Recent history

thumb|100px|Former city logo

On April 11, 1965, during the Palm Sunday tornado outbreak, a large and devastating tornado damaged or destroyed large portions of the city. The tornado killed six people and further 75 wounded. Damage to the town totaled over $1.5 million, with 80 homes, mainly in the Coventry and Colby's Home Estates neighborhoods, damaged. A shopping center was utterly destroyed. Disaster shelters were set up to house people experiencing homelessness, and then-governor of Illinois, Otto Kerner, Jr., personally visited the city to view the damage.

From 1972 to 1986, the Academy Awards Oscar statues were cast in Crystal Lake.

In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, Crystal Lake's history was marked by the growth of suburban subdivisions, as the population increased from 21,823 in the 1990 Census to 38,000 in the 2000 Census. To address growth, Crystal Lake South High School was opened in 1978. Previously, Crystal Lake Community High School (now Crystal Lake Central High School) had served the entire city of Crystal Lake since 1924. A third high school, Prairie Ridge High School, opened in 1997 north of the town to accommodate the spread moving into the area between Crystal Lake and the two communities directly to its north, Prairie Grove and Bull Valley.

On July 7, 2021, U.S. President Joe Biden visited McHenry County College in Crystal Lake, becoming the first sitting president to see the city. Then-Vice President George H. W. Bush had twice visited Crystal Lake in 1988 while campaigning for president.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, Crystal Lake has a total area of , of which (or 96.8%) is land and (or 3.2%) is water.

In 2023, census data reported that Crystal Lake has a total area of 18.985 square miles (49.10 km2), of which 18.35 square miles (47.53 km2) (or 96.8%) is land and 0.613 square miles (1.59 km2) (or 3.2%) is water.

Neighborhoods

thumb|The intersection of Waterford and Bennington

As the largest city in McHenry County, Crystal Lake has three high schools and many distinct neighborhoods.

Starting from the north of the city, the ten largest neighborhoods are easy to trace out. The first has no de facto name like the others, but is referred to as "by Prairie Ridge," referring to the nearby high school of the same name. Houses in this neighborhood are large and widely spaced. The entire area lies just to the north of the city, from the downtown area to the adjacent community of Bull Valley. Some of the communities include Deer Wood, Covered Bridge Trails, and Walk-up Woods. Next is downtown Crystal Lake, which surrounds Crystal Lake Central High School. Houses here range significantly in size and age, and it is the most diverse neighborhood in the city. Directly south of downtown Crystal Lake is the Coventry neighborhood, named for the major through street, Coventry Lane. Students in the Coventry neighborhood attend either Central High School of Crystal Lake or Crystal Lake South High School. Oral tradition holds that Coventry was initially populated by pilots who flew out of O'Hare Airport. The neighborhood, Burtons Bridge, is located at the north-eastern side of Crystal Lake, adjacent to the Fox River.

thumb|Crystal Lake subdivisions

To the southwest of downtown Crystal Lake is the sprawling Four Colonies neighborhood, which covers nearly . Students from Four Colonies attend both Central and South High School. South of Four Colonies is The Villages neighborhood, which is named for its major thoroughfare, Village Road. An important feature of The Villages is Indian Prairie Elementary School, which sits on a large, steep series of hills that is a favorite sledding spot during the snowy months. The residents attend South High School. A neighborhood Northeast of Four Colonies is Wedgewood. Wedgewood includes five ponds, a forest that backs up to Huntley Road, and a paved walking path. Wedgewood has five brick entrance signs reading "Wedgewood" and 3 prominent entrances: the front entrance at the intersection of Huntley Road and Lakeview Drive, the back entrance at the intersection of Huntley Road and Boneset Drive, and the side entrance on Country Club Road. Wedgewood consists of single-family homes and multi-family dwellings such as townhouses. Wedgewood Drive circles the entire neighborhood and is a -mile loop.

Other neighborhoods in Crystal Lake ring the town's namesake lake, and are called West End, North Shore, and the Vista. These neighborhoods consist of many older homes built on the lake shore, and vary significantly in size and style. Effectively, a neighborhood occupying the entire south coast of the lake is the independent Village of Lakewood, historically a restricted community closely connected to the Crystal Lake Country Club on its shores.

Climate

The city's climate is much like that of its large neighboring city, Chicago. The city experiences hot summers and cold winters, with temperatures slightly more extreme than those in nearby suburbs, because the town is still surrounded by rural land. Due to the lack of the urban heat island effect, Crystal Lake experiences colder nights and lower precipitation than recorded at Chicago. High temperatures are usually comparable to those in Chicago, with only a few degrees difference on most days.

The hottest month of the year is July, when the average high temperature is approximately . Temperatures in July and in summer in general can frequently exceed and occasionally exceed , although this does not happen every year. The coldest month of the year is January, with an average high temperature of . Overnight low temperatures are usually around . In winter, the low temperatures fall below on many occasions (often 15, 20, or more) per year. Freezing nights may record temperatures as low as , but this is rare and does not occur every year. 2010

| align = right

Racial and ethnic composition

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

|+Crystal Lake, Illinois – Racial and ethnic composition

!Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)

!Pop 2000

!Pop 2010

!% 2000

!% 2010

|White alone (NH)

|34,067

|33,951

|style='background: #ffffe6; |30,976

|89.65%

|83.33%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |76.92%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|193

|377

|style='background: #ffffe6; |586

|0.51%

|0.93%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.46%

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|53

|54

|style='background: #ffffe6; |37

|0.14%

|0.13%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.09%

|Asian alone (NH)

|735

|1,012

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,091

|1.93%

|2.48%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.71%

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3

|0.01%

|0.02%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.01%

|Other race alone (NH)

|19

|27

|style='background: #ffffe6; |147

|0.05%

|0.07%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.37%

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|267

|545

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,474

|0.70%

|1.34%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.66%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|2,662

|4,770

|style='background: #ffffe6; |5,955

|7.01%

|11.71%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |14.79%

|Total

|38,000

|40,743

|style='background: #ffffe6; |40,269

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Crystal Lake had a population of 40,269, 14,780 households, and 10,551 families.

Of the 14,780 households, 34.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Married-couple households made up 56.3% of all households, 13.9% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present, and 23.6% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 22.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

| White || 32,124 || 79.8%

| Black or African American || 619 || 1.5%

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 165 || 0.4%

| Asian || 1,122 || 2.8%

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 4 || 0.0%

| Some other race || 2,476 || 6.1%

| Two or more races || 3,759 || 9.3%

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 5,955 || 14.8%

In 1990, the Latino (Hispanic) population was 0.1%. Per the 2000 US Census, the Latino population increased to 7%, and per the 2010 US Census, the Latino population increased to 11.7%. there were 40,743 people, 14,421 households, and 10,551 families living in the city. The population density was 2,220/sq mi (857/km). There were 15,176 total housing units, and 22% of all housing units were in multi-unit structures. The racial makeup of the city was 90.2% White, 1.0% Black or African American, 0.4% Native American, 2.5% Asian, <0.01% Pacific Islander, 4.1% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.7% of the population.

39.2% of the households included children under 18, 58.9% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.8% were non-families. 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals living alone, and 20.3% had someone at least 65 years old living alone. The average household size was 2.81, and the average family size was 3.31.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 28.1% under the age of 18, 8.% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 27.7% from 45 to 64, and 10.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $78,311, and the median income for a family was $91,870. Males had a median income of $61,982 versus $44,288 for females. The median income for the city was $36,405. About 5.2% of families and 6.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.1% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

thumb|upright|Clock located at the intersection of Brink and William Streets

Crystal Lake, as a city, is large enough to support its cultural institutions. However, it also offers many cultural opportunities in the city of Chicago and the other large communities that surround it, which are easily accessible from Crystal Lake and vice versa. The city is home to the Northwest Herald, the only daily newspaper published in McHenry County. The newspaper primarily covers local issues, but also carries national and international news. Churches also have a significant influence on the city, hosting many annual events. Crystal Lake is also home to WZSR Star 105.5, owned by Alpha Media, which broadcasts throughout the northwest suburbs and Fox Valley.

In 2016, it was reported that there were zero retail vacancies in the downtown district of Crystal Lake. This was the case until 2017.

Parks and recreation

The Crystal Lake Park District, a separate elected governing body not associated with the city, offers more than 40 parks and recreation areas. Notable parks maintained by the Park District include the 140-acre Veteran Acres Park and Lippold Park, the district's largest single park at 305 acres.

Government

Mayor

The Mayor presides at all meetings of the city council. He is otherwise the head of the city government for all ceremonial purposes, and any other purposes determined by the city council, or in emergencies, by the governor. The mayor has no regular administrative duties, as the city operates under a council–manager form of government.

{| class="toccolours collapsible collapsed" width=50% align="left"

! style="background:#F5DEB3"| Mayors of Crystal Lake, Illinois

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

! Image

! Mayor

! Years

! Notes

|- style="height:4em"

|William Pinnow

|1914–1917

|W.A. Goodman

|1917–1923

|Benno Raue, Sr.

|1923–1927

|Fred Mathis

|1927–1931

|John A. Peterson

|1931–1940

|Joseph J. Jaster

|1940–1941

|George Krause

|1941–1953

|Hal Tripp

|1953–1957

|Leo Krumme

|1957–1959

|Louis J. Goosens

|1959–1971

|Anthony Wujcik

|1971–1974

|Arlene B. Fetzner

|1974–1979

|Carl Wehde

|1979–1991

|George Wells

|1991–1995

|Robert J. Wagner

|1995–1999

|Aaron T. Shepley

|1999–2020

|Longest-serving mayor of Crystal Lake, died in office

|Haig Haleblian

|2020–Present

|Served in an acting capacity from 2020 to 2021

Aaron T. Shepley was the mayor of Crystal Lake from 1999 to his death in 2020, making him the longest-serving mayor in the city's history. Nick Kachiroubas is the City Clerk in Crystal Lake. a Pre-K-8 grade school of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod in Crystal Lake, St. Thomas the Apostle, a private Roman Catholic school that serves Pre-K through eighth grade, also in Crystal Lake, Immanuel Lutheran School, a private Lutheran school that serves Pre-K through eighth grade, also in Crystal Lake, Alexander Leigh Center for Autism in McHenry, a full day, year-round therapeutic day school for children 3–21 years old with autism spectrum disorder, OHI, multiple disabilities, developmental delay and/or intellectual disabilities, and the School of Expressive Arts & Learning campus in Woodstock for those with learning disorders and autism spectrum disorder.

Additionally, there are two colleges in Crystal Lake: McHenry County College, a community college, which offers associates degrees. Columbia College also has an extension campus based in Crystal Lake.

thumb|Crystal Lake Train Station

Transportation

thumb|A Pace bus in Crystal Lake

Crystal Lake is located northwest of Chicago, is about a 45-minute drive from O'Hare International Airport, and is near several major highways: U.S. Route 14, Illinois Route 176, and Illinois Route 31.

The Metra Union Pacific Northwest Line provides transportation to and from Chicago Ogilvie Transportation Center, and all other UP-NW stations. In Crystal Lake, UP-NW trains stop at Crystal Lake and Pingree Road stations. Also serving Crystal Lake is the Pace Bus system, which is owned by the Regional Transportation Authority.