The city was founded in July 1901 by John Alexander Dowie, a Scots-Australian evangelical minister and faith healer who had immigrated to the United States in 1888. By 1890 he had settled in Chicago, where he built a large faith healing business and had attracted thousands of followers. He bought land 40 miles north of Chicago to found Zion, where he personally owned all the land and most businesses. The city was named after Mount Zion, Israel. 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 burned down in 1937, during the Great Depression.
Geography
Zion is located at According to the 2010 census, Zion has a total area of, of which is land and is water.
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' 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., a war hero, avid environmentalist, and long-time friend of conservation.
Demographics
As of the census of 2010, there were 24,508 people, 7,552 households, and 5,558 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,789.5 people per square mile. There were 8,036 housing units at an average density of 980.3 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 48.9% White, 31.10% African American, 0.4% Native American, 2.3% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 12% from other races, and 5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 27.7% of the population. 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. About 10.1% of families and 11.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.5% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation
The city is served by Metra's Union Pacific/North Line through Zion railway station on the east side. It connects the city to Chicago, Kenosha, and intermediate communities. Pace bus line 571 provides internal transit service in Zion and connects the city to Waukegan.
Sports
The 8,500-seat Fielders Stadium was planned to open in May 2010. Once completed, it was to host the home games of the Lake County FieldersNorth American League baseball team co-owned by actor Kevin Costner. The Fielders' name is an homage to Costner's 1989 film Field of Dreams, with the logo showing a ballplayer standing amid a field of corn. The Fielders' site has been subject to a court dispute between the owners and the city over a breach in contract.
Scott Lucas, lead singer and guitarist for Local H
Billy McKinney, former NBA player, former NBA general manager, former commentator and current head scout for the Milwaukee Bucks
Juan Moreno, two-time Olympic silver medalist in Taekwondo in the Fin-weight class and three-time Olympian ; assistant coach with the U.S. Olympic Team at the 2008 Olympics
Shoes, power pop band including Gary Klebe, Jeff Murphy, John Murphy
Controversy
Until the 1940s, Zion enshrined the Flat Earth doctrine in its religious code. 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.
