Декалб, Иллинойс: История и современность города

City in DeKalb County, Illinois, United States

DeKalb (/d//ᵻ/'/k//æ//l//b/ dihKALB) is a city in DeKalb County, Illinois, United States. The population was 40,290 at the 2020 census. The city is named after decorated Franconian French war hero Johann de Kalb, who died during the American Revolutionary War. Founded in 1856, DeKalb became important in the development and manufacture of barbed wire, especially for agriculture and raising livestock. While agricultural related industries remain a facet of the city, along with health and services, the city's largest employer in the 21st century is Northern Illinois University, founded in 1895. DeKalb is about from downtown Chicago.

DeKalb was originally called Huntley's Grove, and under the latter name was platted in 1853. The name is for Baron Johann de Kalb, a major general in the American Revolutionary War. The first church in DeKalb was organized in 1844. A post office has been in operation at DeKalb since 1849. The first railroad reached DeKalb in 1853. Barbed wire was a key product in DeKalb's history. Joseph Glidden (1813–1906), a DeKalb resident since about 1850, received a patent in 1874 for inventing the conventional double strand barbed wire that remains in common use around the world today. On August 24, 2007, the Kishwaukee River at DeKalb crested at 15.27 feet (5 m) (all time record 15.8 feet (5 m)), causing major flooding. This was only the second time the river has risen above 15 feet (5 m) since the level of the river has been recorded.

DeKalb has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfa) typical of northern Illinois, with four distinct seasons. Summers can be hot, while winters are cold and snowy. Precipitation is somewhat uniform year round, although it can be heavier in the spring and summer when the area is prone to strong thunderstorms.

As of the 2020 census there were 40,290 people, 15,839 households, and 7,804 families residing in the city. The population density was There were 16,629 housing units at an average density of The racial makeup of the city was 58.73% White, 18.48% African American, 0.76% Native American, 3.92% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 7.99% from other races, and 10.08% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.83% of the population. There were 15,839 households, out of which 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.03% were married couples living together, 13.14% had a female householder with no husband present, and 50.73% were non families. 34.52% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.78% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.22 and the average family size was 2.45. The city's age distribution consisted of 17.9% under the age of 18, 31.8% from 18 to 24, 24% from 25 to 44, 17.2% from 45 to 64, and 9.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $44,223, and the median income for a family was $67,155. Males had a median income of $32,306 versus $17,703 for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,819. About 17.8% of families and 26.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.8% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over.

DeKalb is home to Northern Illinois University, the city's largest employer and Illinois's third largest campus. Other large employers include Northwestern Medicine, General Electric, Monsanto (originally as DeKalb Corn), the local school district, and a large retail district along Route 23 (shared with Sycamore). DeKalb is also home to warehouses for several major companies, including Target, 3M, Nestlé, and Ferrara Candy Company, in part due to DeKalb's proximity to major highways such as I 88 and I 39. 3M's complex serves as the distribution hub for three of 3M's four business units and export operations to North America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. In 2011, DeKalb was the broadcast base of Up and In: The Baseball Prospectus Podcast with Kevin Goldstein and Jason Parks. The town was also the filming location for the 2012 film At Any Price. In June, 2020, Meta announced it would construct an $800 million data center on the south side of DeKalb.

DeKalb is home to the annual Corn Fest, usually held in late August. The Egyptian Theatre, built in 1929, is one of a handful of such theatres still extant in the United States. The Stage Coach Players, founded in 1947, have a theatre on 5th Street.

DeKalb has a council manager government. Policy is developed by an elected city council and implemented by an appointed professional city manager. The DeKalb City Council is made up of a mayor, elected at large, and seven alderpersons, elected by ward. Each serves a four year term, with half the council elected every two years. A city clerk is also elected every four years to serve as the city's official recordkeeper. City council meetings are held the second and fourth Mondays of every month.

There are 11 public schools, one private school, one university and one public library.

DeKalb is served by both public and private school systems. DeKalb Community Unit School District 428 operates eight elementary schools (Grades K–5), Clinton Rosette and Huntley Middle Schools (Grades 6–8), and DeKalb High School (Grades 9–12), which is the home of the Barbs.

Northern Illinois University (NIU) was founded in DeKalb as the Northern Illinois State Normal School in 1895. NIU is a comprehensive teaching and research institution with total enrollment around 20,000, which makes NIU the third largest campus in Illinois. In May 2023, the initial key facts of the feasibility study were published, which showed that an extension to Dekalb was feasible based on commuter and daily ridership estimates. In 2024, Dekalb backed a regional feasibility study by federal officials to revive Amtrak service that ran as the Twin Cities Zephyr, the service was discontinued in the 1970s.

The transcontinental Lincoln Highway was established through DeKalb in 1913. The first "seedling mile" of concrete pavement was built in 1914 at Malta, six miles west of DeKalb. The rest of Lincoln Highway across DeKalb County was paved in 1920. Routes extend through the university, the city, and Sycamore with extensions west to Kishwaukee College and east to the passenger rail station at Elburn. Schedules on the main routes vary depending on whether the university is in session. The system began in 1971 as the Huskie Bus Line under contract to the NIU Student Association. By 1982 the system served 3 million riders per year, second only in Illinois to the Chicago Transit Authority. In 2018, it merged with a smaller City of DeKalb bus system, which had been operated by the local Voluntary Action Center (VAC). Paratransit operations were added in 2021, also by transfer from VAC. VAC continues to serve a wider surrounding area with on demand transportation for people with special needs and to out of town medical appointments.

DeKalb Taylor Municipal Airport (DTMA) , serving the general aviation community, is on the east side of the city at 3232 Pleasant Street. The airport opened in April 1944 in association with a factory making Interstate TDR assault drone aircraft. The city took ownership in 1948. There is no commercial service directly to DeKalb, but the city center is 43.43 miles away from O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, making commercial air access relatively easy.