Editing Crystal Lake, Illinois (section)

===Recent history===
[[File:Former city logo of Crystal Lake, Illinois.jpg|thumb|100px|Former city logo]]
On April 11, 1965, during the [[Palm Sunday tornado outbreak of 1965|Palm Sunday tornado outbreak]], a large and devastating tornado damaged or destroyed large portions of the city. Six people were killed by the tornado, and a further 75 wounded. Damages in the city totaled over $1.5 million, as 80 homes, mostly in the Coventry and Colby's Home Estates neighborhoods, and a shopping center were completely destroyed. Disaster shelters were set up to house the homeless, and then-governor of Illinois, [[Otto Kerner, Jr.]], personally visited the city to view the damage.<ref name="history" />

Crystal Lake is the city where the tradition of giving gold coins to the [[Salvation Army]] anonymously began in 1982.<ref>Chicago Tribune, 2013-12-08, Page 3</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1992/12/10/salvation-army-again-mining-gold/ |title=Salvation Army again mining gold |publisher=Chicago Tribune |access-date=2024-12-19 |date=December 10, 1992 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241219184133/https://www.chicagotribune.com/1992/12/10/salvation-army-again-mining-gold/ |archive-date=2024-12-19}}</ref><ref name="USAT1">{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-12-07-goldcoins_x.htm|title=Gold coins from secret Santas bring cheer to Christmas bell ringers|access-date=2007-12-20|author=Oren Dorell |publisher=USA Today |date= December 7, 2006}}</ref>

During the 1970s, the [[Academy Awards]] Oscar statues were cast in Crystal Lake.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/04/02/archives/oscar-night-also-big-one-for-a-factory-in-illinois-make-70-oscars.html/ |title=Oscar Night Also Big One For a Factory in Illinois |publisher=New York Times |access-date=2024-12-19 |date=April 2, 1974 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241219220233/https://www.nytimes.com/1974/04/02/archives/oscar-night-also-big-one-for-a-factory-in-illinois-make-70-oscars.html |archive-date=2024-12-19}}</ref>

In the late 20th century and early 21st century, the history of Crystal Lake consisted mainly of the growth of suburban subdivisions, as the population increased to 38,000 in the 2000 Census from 21,823 in the 1990 Census. In order to deal with the growth, [[Crystal Lake South High School]] was opened in 1978. Previously, Crystal Lake Community High School (now [[Crystal Lake Central High School]]) had served the entire city of Crystal Lake since 1924. A third high school, [[Prairie Ridge High School]], opened in 1997 north of the city to accommodate the spread moving into the area between Crystal Lake and the two communities directly to its north, [[Prairie Grove, Illinois|Prairie Grove]] and [[Bull Valley, Illinois|Bull Valley]].

In 2015, Crystal Lake was ranked tenth best city among 1,268 U.S. cities with populations between 25,000 and 100,000 by WalletHub.<ref>{{cite web |last=Connolly |first=Colleen |date=2015-11-03 |title=Crystal Lake, Algonquin Ranked in 'Best Small Cities' Report |url=http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/crystal-lake-algonquin-suburbs-list-of-best-small-cities-339850912.html#ixzz3qWzGadSm |access-date=2016-03-07 |publisher=[[NBC Chicago]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=November 13, 2015 |title=Northwest Suburb Named One of the Best Small Cities in America |url=http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/Northwest-Suburb-Named-One-of-the-Best-Small-Cities-in-America-347305552.html |access-date=July 27, 2016 |website=nbcchicago.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Craver |first1=Kevin |date=June 14, 2016 |title=WalletHub Ranks Crystal Lake in Top 10 for Best Small Cities in America |newspaper=[[Northwest Herald]] |url=http://www.nwherald.com/2016/06/14/wallethub-ranks-crystal-lake-in-top-10-for-best-small-cities-in-america/aotjej7/ |access-date=July 27, 2016}}</ref>

In 2016, it was reported that there were zero retail vacancies in the downtown district of Crystal Lake.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Linhart |first1=Nate |date=July 26, 2016 |title=Downtown Crystal Lake Has No Retail Vacancies |newspaper=[[Northwest Herald]] |url=http://www.nwherald.com/2016/07/22/downtown-crystal-lake-has-no-retail-vacancies/aqtki2k/ |access-date=July 27, 2016}}</ref> This was the case until 2017.{{citation needed|date=April 2017}}

Aaron T. Shepley was the mayor of Crystal Lake from 1999 to his death in 2020, making him the longest-serving mayor in the city's history.<ref name="McCoppin2020"/>

On July 7, 2021, U.S. President [[Joe Biden]] visited [[McHenry County College]] in Crystal Lake, becoming the first sitting president to visit the city.<ref>{{cite web | last1=D'Onofrio | first1=Jessica | title=President Biden in Crystal Lake: Suburban city prepares for 1st visit from sitting pres. | url=https://abc7chicago.com/biden-crystal-lake-haig-haleblian-illinois/10867569/ | date=July 7, 2021 | work=[[WLS-TV]] | access-date=July 7, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last1=Ruthhart | first1=Bill | title=Biden's stop in McHenry County Wednesday latest in string of visits to key swing districts | url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/politics/ct-joe-biden-mchenry-county-visit-20210707-slirlwrzffeshlju35bmemhmui-story.html | date=July 6, 2021 | work=[[Chicago Tribune]] | access-date=July 6, 2021}}</ref> Then-Vice President [[George H. W. Bush]] had twice visited Crystal Lake in 1988 while campaigning for president.<ref>{{cite web | last1=Locin | first1=Mitchell | title=Bush Takes Relaxed Tour of Suburbs | url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1988-10-30-8802110472-story.html | date=October 30, 1988 | work=[[Chicago Tribune]] | access-date=April 28, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last1=Prokop | first1=Hannah | title=George H.W. Bush made two 1988 campaign stops in McHenry County | url=https://www.shawlocal.com/2018/12/04/george-h-w-bush-made-two-1988-campaign-stops-in-mchenry-county/as5j5d8/ | date=December 5, 2018 | work=[[Shaw Media (United States)|Shaw Local News Network]] | access-date=April 28, 2022}}</ref>