Zion is the affordable, north-end pick around Naval Station Great Lakes — a lakefront town up near the Wisconsin border that stretches your housing dollar and puts Illinois Beach State Park (miles of Lake Michigan dunes and beach) right on the doorstep. It has an unusual history, too: it was founded in 1901 as a planned religious community, which is why the older streets carry biblical names laid out on a deliberate grid.
What it's actually like, day one
Zion is value and the lake. Housing — rent or buy — runs below the upscale inland towns, and the commute down US-41 / Sheridan Road to base is an easy 15–25 minutes. Illinois Beach State Park gives you real Lake Michigan shoreline and trails, and Kenosha, Wisconsin is just minutes north for a change of scenery. It's a quieter, working town rather than a polished suburb.
The tradeoff
You trade some polish and uniform school quality for price and beach access. Zion ESD 6 / Zion-Benton HS is the district, and like the other value towns, families do the per-address school homework or weigh Gurnee/Grayslake/Libertyville. For budget and the beach, though, Zion is a strong close-to-base option.
Verify before you sign
Pull the specific Zion ESD 6 / District 126 school + ratings for the address, drive the neighborhood, and confirm your base commute at your report time.
Neighborhoods
Zion runs from its historic-grid downtown to the lakefront by Illinois Beach State Park. The lake side is the amenity; the older grid is the value. Drive both before you decide.