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Crystal Lake, Illinois
Economy
The economy of Crystal Lake is fairly decentralized, as there is no one central industry within the city. There are several large companies, but none of them is a majority employer. The main economic activities in the city are retail, dining, and light industry. This includes small, specialized, local-owned shops and restaurants as well as broader-ranged national chains. There are several industrial parks in Crystal Lake, which are full of small, independently-owned businesses which engage in various industries, such as landscaping or automotive repair.
The shopping center for most of Crystal Lake centers around "the strip", a long stretch of road that runs along what once used to be Crystal Pointe Mall but is now a series of strip malls. The strip is located on Rt. 14 between Rt. 31 and Dole Ave. As the name suggests, this area has mostly national chains. Another major shopping area is the downtown district, which is where most of the small independent stores are located.
If any particular industry could be called prevalent, the city of Crystal Lake has a disproportionate number of car dealerships, and the south side of the city features several gravel quarries. Some of these quarries are already exhausted, and have been allowed to fill with water, forming an area known as the Vulcan Lakes. Redevelopment plans for the quarries are still pending, but the city has expressed an interest in turning the lakes into a park and recreation area.
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