Why Crystal Lake?

Crystal Lake - Then and Now
In February of 1836, Beman Crandall became the first settler in Crystal Lake. Soon thereafter, many others were attracted to "the waters as clear as crystal," making Crystal Lake their home for business and family. As a result, Crystal Lake residents enjoy the many employment, cultural and recreational opportunities of a major metro city, while residing in a pleasant, friendly, small-town atmosphere that has preserved and maintained many of its historical buildings and traditional community events.

Crystal Lake has historically been a place where entrepreneurs have come to start their businesses and established companies from around the world have come to tap into the City's resources and potential. The opportunities in Crystal Lake are particularly abundant as the City works together to make itself stronger than ever.

The Mayor and City Council and staff continue to affirm their committment to the business community by promoting business-friendly initiatives to encourage job growth, business expansion and redevelopment. The Mayor and City Council adopted an Economic Development Strategic Plan, which outlines objectives and tasks to retain existing businesses and recruit new businesses to the City - all to maintain and enhance the City's well-earned reputation as a premier business location with the right mix of features that help companies succeed and prosper.

Tax Structure
Crystal Lake offers a positive financial climate with the lowest tax rate in McHenry for municipal and fire services. The City's current system of budgeting provides funding for the police, engineering, planning, streets and other services without collecting a corporate property tax. Programs such as these are primarily funded through sales tax and other alternative revenue sources. As a result, property taxes in general have dropped approximately 1.7% from 1999 and 32% from nine years ago.

Education
Crystal Lake residents take advantage of first-class educational resources for people of all ages. Our community boasts two of the best public school systems in the region, two private schools and a highly rated community college that offers bachelors degree programs in association with Columbia College, Webster University and Roosevelt University.

Values
Crystal Lake is more than a bustling center of economic activity. It is also a comfortable place in which to live, raise a family and to simply relax and enjoy life. City residents have the unique opportunity to benefit from the Park District's numerous golf courses, tennis courts, sports fields, fitness centers, hiking trails, parks and lakes as well as the numerous amenities such as theatre, concerts and other cultural events through our Raue Center for the Performing Arts. Crystal Lake is proud to be home of the future Vulcan Lakes recreational development, where residents will be able to take advantage of 500 acres of northeastern Illinois' most pristine, clear waters as well as unique recreational areas.

Marketing Brochure
The City's marketing brochure illustrates that Crystal Lake is not only "a good place to live", but also "the right place for your business". Our brochure illustrates Crystal Lake's thriving business climate for local and national businesses, which is further enhanced due to its prime location in the Chicagoland area. To download a copy of the brochure in Adobe Acrobat format, click here.

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