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 and Bull Valley. Some challenges currently facing the city of Crystal Lake include a large and sudden increase in immigration, and an inconvenient road system leading to frequently snarled traffic. However, the overall quality of life and education in the city remains quite high. In addition, a robust city park system and continued revitalization of the downtown area, including a new city hall, have continued to make Crystal Lake an attractive community for new residents. Another positive note for the city is that Crystal Lake is the city where the tradition of giving gold coins to the Salvation Army anonymously began in 1982. The Raue Center for the Arts, in the downtown district, has distinguished itself as a regional and national tourism draw. The National Piano Conference has been held in the Raue Center since 2012. 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. In 2016, it was reported that there were zero retail vacancies in the downtown district of Crystal Lake. This was the case until 2017. 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. Then-Vice President George H. W. Bush had twice visited Crystal Lake in 1988 while campaigning for president. Crystal Lake Park District The Crystal Lake Park District, a separate elected governing body not associated with the city, offers in excess of 40 parks (totaling over 2,000 acres) and recreation areas. Notable parks maintained by the Park District include the 140 acre Veteran Acres Park and Lippold Park, the largest single park in the district at 305 acres. Lippold Park has played host to the McHenry County Youth Sports Association Summer International 15-year-old Baseball Championships for the past 22 years, drawing teams from across the United States and Puerto Rico as well as from Japan, Brazil, and other countries. The Park District also owns and operates 2 beach parks located on the city namesake Crystal Lake and also maintains Illinois Nature Preserve land and the Col. Palmer House a historic landmark and home of the first settler in the area. Additionally, the district operates The Racket Club, an