Some of Zion's Streets and Boulevards may be oddly named, especially to someone not familiar with Zion's history. All of the original avenues in the city are named after a person or place in the Bible. Dr. John Alexander Dowie, founder of the city, chose each of the names, and several more for streets not in existence, almost 100 years ago when Zion was first planned. Zion was one of the nations few cities, after Washington D.C., to be mapped street-by-street and laid out in a symmetrical fashion. The major thoroughfares were to lead to the center of town, which was the site of the Christian Catholic Church. Dr. Dowie personally chose each street name and designated the streets in alphabetical order, from the lakeshore to several blocks west of Lewis Avenue. Beyond that fact, and the Biblical reference of each street, little is known as to why Dr. Dowie chose each name.