Zion Illinois Real Estate
Founded and originally mapped out by John Alexander Dowie in 1901, the northern Chicago suburb of Zion in Lake County, Illinois is located right on the shores of Lake Michigan and a stone’s throw from the Wisconsin border. Home to an estimated 24,000 residents as of 2005, Zion has a diverse population of Caucasian, Black and Hispanic middle-income families. As one of Lake County’s smaller cities, Zion’s unique location and character has made it the site for a great deal of commercial development in recent years.
Resting 660 feet above sea level, the 8.2 square mile community underwent steady residential development from the 1930’s through the 80’s, but issuances for new housing permits has diminished since then. There are an estimated 8,112 homes in the township of which 7,615 are in use and 4,508 of which are owner occupied. Since the residential areas were developed over such a long period of time the size, renovation needs, and architectural style of the houses vary dramatically. Nevertheless, owner occupied houses generally have three bedrooms whereas renters are more likely to have one or two. As of February 2008, the median sales price for a house in Zion was $148,000 and had increased slowly since 2000.
Located at the intersection of Rt. 173 and Rt. 137, just south of some of Wisconsin’s major industrial parks, Zion has become the beneficiary of a great deal of commercial development that will continue for some time into the future. Much of the development is a result of the Corridor Council created in 2003 which was a collaboration between Lake County and the neighboring communities of Old Mill Creek, Wadsworth and Zion. The purpose of the Council was to adopt an inter-governmental agreement to design commercial plans for nearly 800 acres of undeveloped land between the three neighborhoods. Such multi-community collaboration has never happened before in Lake County and will set a precedent and framework for future projects in the area. To read more about the agreement go to www.co.lake.il.us/planning/support/projects/projects_173.asp.
Of course, in spite of the present and future development, Zion is still home to countless local retail shops, grocery stores, and restaurants all of which can be viewed in their business directory. In addition, Zion is the closest municipality to Illinois Beach State Park which is the site of the new Illinois Beach Resort and Conference Center. And this hardly scratches the surface of the recreational activities Zion has to offer. The city is filled with places to which you can go for swimming, hiking, camping and playing sports.
Children in Zion attend elementary and middle schools which are part of either Zion District #6 or The Beach Park Consolidated District #3. High school students attend Zion-Benton Township High.
For even more information, please go the City of Zion’s website.
