Coal City was named for the historic coal mines in the vicinity of the Grundy County community. The village logo shows a crossed pick and shovel, along with the outline of the state of Illinois.

But these days, the energy source that helps fuel the community in so many ways is nuclear. The Braidwood and Dresden nuclear power stations spur the economy and boost the tax base of Coal City and its neighboring towns.

A Northern Illinois University study of Dresden found the station provides 1,688 direct and indirect jobs while adding a whopping $138 million, again direct and indirect, to area payrolls. The station, the study says, pays 61% of all the property taxes for the Coal City School District.

Matt Fritz has been the village administrator of Coal City for 15 years. He explained the economic impact of nuclear power helps make area property taxes competitive while boosting the quality of services provided.

There are also intangible assets to the community.

Coal City, he said, might look the same as many other towns, but it is a “generationally strong” community. People might go elsewhere for college when they graduate from high school, but they tend to return. Coal City, he said, is a place where folks move back to be close to mom and dad, as they have their own children. Three or four generations in the same town is not unusual here.

Coal City, incorporated in 1881, has a population of about 5,800. The town is served by Coal City schools. The nearby towns of Carbon Hill and Diamond and unincorporated areas of Goose Lake and Lincoln Lake also are served by Coal City schools, creating an overall population of about 20,000.

For schools, the Coal City Early Childhood Center, Elementary, Intermediate, Middle and High School all have Coal City addresses.

The village has its own water and sewer services and a police force of 14. There is a Coal City Public Library District, which, similar to the schools, is regional. The Coal City Fire Protection District, with a mix of both paid and volunteer fire fighters, is also regional in nature.

Recreation is a strength for the community. A 2015 tornado damaged Lions Park in the center of the community, but it came back better than ever. The park includes baseball and softball fields, along with a skate park and a basketball court.

But the big addition was a unique Hope Helps playground, which features modern and safe equipment. It has a mix of rarely seen structures that are disability friendly and designed to be used by children with autism. Hope Helps is a local nonprofit.

Fritz said there is a North Park in town with facilities for basketball, soccer and tennis. The many schools in the community also offer play areas.

The town’s annual celebration is Fall Fest, which has been going for three years now. It was held in September. The two-day Friday and Saturday event replaced an Oktoberfest. Activities included a car show on Broadway and the Megan Bugg Memorial 5K, which raises funds to fight children’s cancer.

There were inflatables and a rock wall. Various school clubs manned a wide variety of booths, along with arts and crafts.

Fritz describes Coal City as “not quite suburban.” Real estate was booming before the crash of 2008 but has remained good. At the time, he said, there were three subdivisions under construction. Two of them, he said, are almost full. Meadow Estates is nearly done, and Spring Hilll is right behind it. Richards Crossing, he said, is, moving at a slower rate.

While single family homes, he said, are plentiful, Coal City has a mix of housing. There are some multi-family units and a lot of duplexes. There are, he said, few or no vacancies.

The town’s downtown retail area, likewise, has few openings, Fritz said. There is not much available. When a store becomes vacant, something pops in. The median family income in the town, according to Wikipedia, is a solid $65,509.

In the downtown, a federal project has resulted in the renovation of South Broadway. Work was done on the road. New lighting, flowerpots and sidewalks with pavers were added. Some $6 million in work is slated for North Broadway and North Street, too.

A sharp video clip points out the economic development opportunities in Coal City. Nancy Norton, the president and CEO of the Grundy County Economic Development Council, is featured. The presentation asserts that Coal City goes the extra mile to attract business to their community.

The area is praised for having a workforce that is “second to none.” There are plenty of utilities available with abundant natural gas and electric transmission lines.

Top employers to work for in the area include the aforementioned nuclear facilities, as well as D Construction, which builds roads and bridges throughout Illinois.

The geographic location is important, too. Coal City is on the edge of the “largest inland port in North America.” That refers to the nearby CenterPoint Internodal Center served by the BNSF and Union Pacific railways. The center covers a staggering 6,500 acres.

When it comes to Coal City proper, the village is served by BNSF. Some 80 BNSF trains roll through daily on northeast-southwest tracks right in back of village hall. Fritz said the Union Pacific line, which runs north to south, will be key to future industrial development.