Business View Magazine | August 2020

231 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE AUGUST 2020 JACKSONV I LLE , I LL INOI S we’re renovating our parks – one every other year. We’ve taken parks and lakes to a new level. We’ve added physical fitness and health- associated type activities; we’ve created two separate nature trails on the south side of Lake Jacksonville that have proven to be very popular. This year, we completed a trail on the north side, which is all hard-surfaced paved and we allow golf carts for senior citizens to meander the path. It’s a two-mile course that follows the lakeshore. We have solicited local organizations and have installed new toys and equipment throughout our parks. One is all-access with the hard rubber surface that the Elks helped finance. It’s been a very big addition to the community park located in the center of town. And we have a nice big dog park.” “Also on the recreational side, we do attract baseball and softball teams from hundreds of miles away, every summer,” Jamison adds. “We have six turf fields. Those types of complexes might be something you’d expect in a larger city. And we have three beautiful golf courses. So, truly, sports and recreation is something that we hang our hat on here.” “We have a lot of amenities for a town our size,” Hall adds. “We have a thriving arts scene. We have events downtown. We have a symphony. We have a very active historical society along with archives and we’re working on a location for a historical museum within one of our very own landmark structures. Jacksonville has several nationally-designated landmarks, so that’s another area that we take very seriously.” Jacksonville, Illinois considers itself a city of surprises. It’s a community rich in historical treasures, with thriving arts, education, industry, and culture, all wrapped in Midwest hospitality. All in all, it’s an excellent place to live, work, and play.