The official logo of the City of Braidwood includes a representation of an ore car from the narrow-gauge lines of a mine. The car is heaped over the top with coal.

There’s an irony to that because today Braidwood is better known as the home of another form of energy — the Braidwood Nuclear Generating Station. Originally built by Commonwealth Edison, the station came online in 1987 and 1988 and is now licensed through 2046 and 2047. So it is going to be around for a while.

While the Braidwood Station carries the name of the city, it is not actually within the city limits. Thus, while the station creates big real estate tax values for the Reed-Custer Community Unit School District and for the separate Braidwood Fire Protection District, Park District and Library District, it does not generate revenue for the city government.

Thus, Braidwood relies on property taxes generated by the homes in the community and on funds from its share of utility taxes.

City Administrator Tony Altiery notes that the government has been a good steward of the funds it does have. Property taxes, he says, have not been raised in six years. A property tax bill in Braidwood might run you about half of some other communities.

“This is a great small town,” he said. “Everything you need is close.”

While Braidwood is a bedroom community, he said, it is within quick driving distance of plenty of jobs. Commuters head out to Joliet and Kankakee and other points.

Braidwood was incorporated in 1873 and named for James Braidwood. There was an excavation to find water and the diggers came up with coal instead — leading to the community symbol. James Braidwood was an early mine supervisor.

The Will County community today has an unusual form of government. There is a mayor, together with four commissioners: a commissioner for health and safety (which includes police); finance commissioner; public buildings and properties (which includes water and sewer); and street commissioner.

While the group works together well, Altiery likens it to having four mini-mayors.

“One thing I cannot stress enough,” he said, “is that our current success comes from having such a good working relationship between the current mayor, commissioners and myself. These six people truly have the best interests of the community at heart.”

The mayor is Karen Hart. She ran for and was elected as finance commissioner. But, she says, she did not read the fine print. The finance commissioner also serves as the vice mayor. So when a newly-elected mayor resigned, she wound up with the job.

She is a retired nurse, who served as the director of LaGrange Memorial Hospice, so she knows about budgeting and leading. Her late husband, Charles, was the health and safety commissioner. The couple had retired to Braidwood and fell in love with the community.

The commissioners meet at 7 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month. Meetings are recorded and posted on the city’s website.

Braidwood has about 6,200 residents and is growing. The chief driver in the growth, Altiery said, is the quality of the Reed-Custer School District. He relocated to Braidwood, largely to raise his children in the district.

He is deeply woven into the fabric of the community. The administrator for the past six years, he is also a builder, developer and Realtor. That gives him a decided edge in knowing what incoming residents and businesses want and he uses that knowledge to save the city money. Altiery’s experience allows him to quickly tackle some street and public works repairs that might linger under a consultant elsewhere.

He still builds about one or two homes a year. Overall, he said, Braidwood is putting up 20 to 25 new homes a year. Demand is high.

“When a house goes on the market here,” he said, “it is gone.”

Six years ago, he said, the average price of a home in the community was $225,000. Now it is $325,000. And it is not uncommon, he adds, to see ones as high as $400,000. Property is generally well-kept up, Altiery said.

Altiery likes the fact the town is growing and proud to be a part of that.

Coming in the future, he said, are two new car dealerships, both a Ford and a Chevrolet. A new Mastodon Travel Center is moving in, too. That is named for the prehistoric beast and a statue of the hairy-elephant-like creature will call attention to the site. If it lasts long enough, it might rival Wilmington’s Gemini Giant.

The main community celebration is a Summerfest every July. The traditional weeklong event, run by the park district, includes a 5K run, fireworks and baseball and softball tournaments.

There is one main city park, run by the park district with ball diamonds, soccer fields, frisbee golf, a skate park, basketball courts and a pavilion. There are also playgrounds throughout the city.

The fire department is a mix of paid and volunteer positions. The city government fields a police force of 24 and annually ranks in the top echelon of the state for low crime. City government also provides water and sewer services for the residents.

Altiery said the government spends about $300,000 a year on roadwork.

Fishing and camping are popular recreational outlets in and around Braidwood. The Mazonia State Wildlife Area is nearby. Altiery, who loves to fish himself, said there are 40 lakes with fish within five minutes. Plenty of bass, bluegills and catfish await. Fishing for a Cure at Braidwood Lake, has raised more than $700,000 for charity in the last two decades.

When it comes to tourism, the place to see is the Polk-A-Dot Drive-In on Old Route 66. A full menu includes shakes, fries, burgers, hot dogs, malts, sodas and chicken. The exterior has the extended canopy of the old drive-in, while the interior has the payphone and Wurlitzer jukebox (with 45s) if years gone past.

Both in and out, there are larger-than-life statues of Superman, Betty Boop, the Blues Brothers, James Dean, Marilyn Monroe and several representations of Elvis.