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Sterling
is situated next to the Rock River, which joins it to the City of Rock Falls. Sterling is the largest city in
the county; Rock Falls is the second largest. The area continues to be largely industrial. Manufacturing employment
is twice the national average, as it has been for the past two decades. Sterling is also the retail center for
areas between Rockford, IL and the Illinois-Iowa Quad Cities. |
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Location
Sterling is located in Northwestern Illinois on the Eastern edge of Whiteside County, one of the largest counties
in the State. The City is approximately 100 miles due west of the Chicago loop, 55 miles southwest of Rockford,
Illinois, 55 miles East of the Iowa-Illinois Quad Cities and 70 miles north of Peoria. It is 35 miles East of the
Mississippi River, which forms the western boundary of Whiteside County. top |
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Transportation
Highway transportation to and from Sterling is more than adequate for industrial and commercial needs. Interstate
88, east-west, provides two hour access to the industrialized and research areas around Chicago. The Quad Cities
are 50 minutes to the west. Load limits are up to 80,000 pounds for six-axle vehicles.
Interstate 88 links Sterling to Chicago and is paralleled by US 30. Sterling is situated midway between Cedar Rapids,
Iowa and Chicago following US 30. Illinois Route 40 runs north-south through the center of Sterling, connecting
south to Peoria and north to Wisconsin. To the south, it is a class 2 route, two lanes with improved shoulders
and an 80,000 pound load limit. To the north, Illinois 40 is a Class 3 highway, two lanes with narrower shoulders
and an 80,000 pound load limit.
Rail roadbed and track is among the finest in the country, with speeds limited by the operator to 80 miles per
hour, but with capability of greater speeds. The Chicago & Northwestern Railroad's main line, continuously
welded track between Chicago and Omaha, serves Sterling's central industrial area.
Sterling has convenient access to local, regional and international airports. The Whiteside County Airport (SQI) is located just south of Rock Falls, four miles from Sterling. Runways are 6,000'
and 3,899' in length. top |
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Infrastructure
Natural Gas
Low cost natural gas supplied by Nicor Gas,
is a major Sterling advantage. A survey of eight major
Midwestern gas utilities indicated that the company was the
lowest in cost on the basis of 6,000 and 20,000 mcf per month delivery to industrial customers for firm delivery
and non-boiler use.
Nicor Gas operates one of the largest underground gas storage aquifers in the United States. Gas injected into
the field can be withdrawn for use in peak winter months. In 1988, almost half of the gas delivered on the peak
usage day was from the underground storage. The storage system also allows a high degree of reliability to customers;
the company has never interrupted supply for lack of availability. It has no service limitations on volume, except
for industrial boiler loads of over 100,000 therms per day.
Two major natural gas transmission lines (20" and 24') cross Whiteside County south of Sterling. Sterling
is connected to the transmission system by a 12" service line. System-wide Nicor has long term purchase contracts
with five interstate pipelines. However, almost all gas used in the Sterling area comes from Natural Gas Pipeline
of America. |
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Electricity
Commonwealth Edison distributes electricity to Sterling.
Illinois has moved to a deregulated power system, allowing business and
industry to choose their suppliers. |
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Water
Water in Sterling is supplied by the Illinois American Water Company, a private utility. Sterling has excess water capacity in amounts suitable for industrial
users. Water is sourced from five wells, with combined capacity of 5.2 million gallons per day. Present usage is
3.2 million gallons. Storage capacity is 1.7 million gallons. |
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Sewer
The waste water system in
Sterling is municipally owned. The original design
of the wastewater treatment facility allows for expansion to 9 million gallons per day. Present capacity is 4.4
million gallons per day, with usage averaging 2.2 million gallons per day. Sterling follows Illinois EPA discharge
guidelines. Interested parties should consult Chapter 1, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Rules & Regulations,
40 CFR 403, Pretreatment Standards. |
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Telephone
AT&T/SBC provides telephone service to the Sterling area. Basic data service is a full-duplex
point-to-point service that transmits data digitally at up to 56Kbps. Direct Hi-Cap service will transmit data
at 1.54Mbps, 4.3Mbps, or as high as 45Mbps over copper Mre. Future plans include installation of fiber optic cables
with speeds up to 135Mbps. |
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Internet Capabilities
Three Internet
Service Providers currently service the area. DSL, wireless and cable
are all here. There are fiber optic opportunities as well. top |
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Education
Community College
Sterling has a superior industrial training infrastructure in
Sauk Valley Community College
and the Whiteside Area Vocational Center. Programs from these institutions are driven by market demand to accommodate
requirements of local industries. Sauk Valley Community College also provides development assistance to small business
and consults to local business start-ups. Sauk Valley Community College is located two miles east of Sterling.
Sauk Valley Community College offers Associates degrees in Arts and Science. It participates in agreements with
state universities where relevant course work can be transferred for credit towards baccalaureate degrees. Occupational
certificate programs, most less than two years in duration, are also available. Course work is designed so that
employed students may completed degrees on a part-time basis.
K - 12
Sterling Schools of the Community Unit School District
#5 have the benefit of both excellent educational opportunities and
terrific facilities. Sterling has one high school, one junior high
school and four K-5 schools that provide various programs that tailor to
various needs. Advance placement, technology, school-to-work and
flex school are some of the many ways Sterling Schools reach out to
assist students. Extra Curricular activities run the gamut,
ranging from scholastic bowl to speech and band to tennis.
Sterling High School fields teams for all major sports.
In addition to the Sterling
public schools, the Sterling community also has several parochial
schools. St. Mary's Catholic School offers K-8 education.
Newman Central High School is the area Catholic High School.
Christ Lutheran is located in Sterling and Sterling Christian is located
just outside of the City, in Galt.
Located next to the Sterling
High School is the Whiteside Area Career Center (WACC). The Career
Center is one of sixty-one regional vocational systems in Illinois.
The center specializes in market and technology career preparation.
Areas of study include agriculture, health occupations, industrial
trade, and consumer science.
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