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For well over 100 years Clinton has served as a retail and trade center for southeastern Rock County, western Walworth County and the northern sections of Boone County, Illinois. Although agriculture and related industries have served as the area's primary econonic base, a variety of other businesses have been and continue to be successful.
Two of the major employers have been in the community for over 50 years - The DeLong Company and Badgerland Farm Center. The former is an agribusiness that was established in 1929 and has expanded a number of times. The second, a farm supply and marketing cooperative, was started as the Clinton Consumer's Co-operative in 1937. Scot Forge, another major employer, built its plant in the village's Industrial Park in 1975 and has expanded several times on that site. The company is a manufacturer of open die steel forgings.
Clinton's 100-acre Industrial Park was first developed as a 30-acre parcel in the early 1970s and over the years has been expanded to its current size. Sites are still available for development. The creation of the Industrial Park came about through the combined efforts of the village board and a group of community leaders called Clinton Projects. This private organization subsequently changed its name to Clinton Community Development Corporation and continues to promote industrial and business growth.
A tax incremental financing (TIF) district was created in the late 1970s and included an area on the village's northwest side, the industrial park on the southwest side and portions of the downtown business district. Having such a district helped foster both residential and commercial development.
Clinton's downtown business district has long been the envy of most other small communities. Drawing from a trade area of over 10,000 people, the downtown businesses are very successful. During the late 1980s and early 1990s many of these businesses expanded their facilities and services. Among them were the jewelry store, a hardware store, the drug store, the grocery stores, a clothing store, the bank, and an antique mall. Also, some of the more recently established businesses have drawn customers from areas outside Clinton's traditional trade area.
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