E For Being A City Where The Traditional Gold Coin Giving To The Salvation Army Secretly Began In 1982.The Origin Of The City Of Crystal Lake Goes Back To The 1800s To The Establishment Of Two Separate Communities, Commonly Known As Nunda And Crystal Lake. Ziba S. Beardsley Came To The Shores Of The Lake In 1835, And Remarked That The Waters Were As Clear As Crystal, In So Doing Giving The Lake Its Name. In The February Of 1836, The First White Settlers Came From New York State, Beman And Polly Crandall With Six Of Their Children, Traveling To Crystal Lake In A Covered Wagon. The Original Cabin Of These First Settlers Can Be Found In The Vicinity Of Todays Intersection Of Virginia Street And Van Buren Street. The Second Settlers In The Area Were Najah Beardsleys Family; The First White Child Born On Crystal Lake Prairie On May 7, 1837, Was His Grandson.The City Was First Named As Crystal Ville, And Was Then Changed To Crystal Lake A Short Time Before 1840. The Vicinity Known Today As Downtown Crystal Lake Was First Named Dearborn, And Then Later Nunda, From A Place In New York That Several Settlers Originated. In 1874, The Communities Of Nunda And Crystal Lake Were Both Incorporated. The Name Of The Town Of Nunda Was Changed To North Crystal Lake In 1908. In 1914, After Many Efforts To Consolidate The Two Villages And Following Many Disagreements, The Town Of North Crystal Lake Was Annexed To The Town Of Crystal Lake, And A Merged City Government Was Instituted.The Place Is A Big City With Distinct Neighborhoods. It Is The Largest City In Mc Henry County With Three High Schools And Many Separate Neighborhoods. Since A Lot Of Adults Work Out Of Town, Particularly Chicago Which Is Just About Fifty Miles, Its Social Life Is Mainly Determined By Whom Peoples Children Go To School With And Who Lives Nearby. The Ten Neighborhoods Of City Are Basically Divided By Wealth And School District. The Ten Neighborhoods Are Easy To Map Out Starting From The North Of The City.The Climate Of The City Is Much Like Its Neighboring City Chicago, And Experiences Of Cold Winter And Hot Summer Temperatures Are Somewhat More Extreme Than Those Of The Closer Villages, Because Rustic Land Still Enclosed The City. Crystal Lake Experiences Colder Nights And Lower Rainfall Than In Chicago Due To The Lack Of The Urban Heat Island Effect.The City Is Provided With Access To Chicago Through The Union Pacific Rail; As A Result, The City Of Crystal Lake Takes Pleasure In The Many Employments, Recreational, And Cultural Opportunities Of A Foremost Metro City, Yet Reside In A Friendly, Pleasant, Small-town Environment.
