DeKalb, Illinois
DeKalb is a city in
DeKalb County,
Illinois,
United States. The population was 39,018 at the 2000 census.
Founded in 1837, DeKalb remained a small community until the arrival of the
Chicago and Northwestern Railroad in 1853. DeKalb's central location brought easier shipping of crops and access to larger markets. Agriculture was the primary economic activity until 1873-4 when farmer
Joseph Glidden developed
barbed wire and began commercial mass production of his new invention. Glidden sold half of his interest to hardware merchant
Isaac L. Ellwood and together the two formed the Barb Fence Company.
Two months after Glidden filed his application for a patent, lumber salesman
Jacob Haish also applied for a patent and on
June 25 1874 ran interference papers against Glidden's patent. After 18 years of legal wrangling, Glidden's patent was declared the "Winner". The industry gave DeKalb a place in history and the nickname "Barb City".
In 1865
H. B. Gurler moved to DeKalb, and later attempted to create high-grade milk. Gurler began shipping his "
Pure Milk" to Chicago in 1895.
The founding of Northern Illinois State Normal School in 1895 added education to DeKalb's landscape. It later became
Northern Illinois University which is known for its law, art, jazz and computer science departments where various people including the voice of
Homer Simpson,
Dan Castellaneta, attended.
Agriculture again came to the forefront with the creation of the DeKalb County Farm Bureau in 1912, the first organization of its kind. In the 1930s the DeKalb AgResearch Corporation (today MONSANTO) marketed its first hybrid seed corn.
Supermodel
Cindy Crawford was born here and graduated as a valedictorian from DeKalb High School in 1984. Actor
Richard Jenkins also was born and raised in DeKalb.
Also, 1990's thrash/grind/power violence hardcore band
Charles Bronson was formed in DeKalb.
In addition to Castellaneta, the 3-time oscar-nominated actress
Joan Allen attended Northern Illinois University. So did
Steve Harris, who is perhaps best known for his role of Eugene Young on the television drama "The Practice".
|
Location of DeKalb, Illinois |
DeKalb is located at (41.931274, -88.750151).
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 32.7
km² (12.6
mi²). 32.7 km² (12.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.08% is water.
DeKalb has over 44 community facilities. Some of the main parks, golf courses and museum include:
*
River Heights Golf Course*
Hopkins Park - Pool/Community Center*
DeKalb County Forest Preserves*
DeKalb Park District*
Ellwood HouseAs of the
census of 2000, there were 39,018 people, 13,081 households, and 6,566 families residing in the city. The
population density was 1,194.7/km² (3,093.9/mi²). There were 13,619 housing units at an average density of 417.0/km² (1,079.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 79.49%
White, 9.08%
African American, 0.24%
Native American, 4.62%
Asian, 0.13%
Pacific Islander, 4.35% from
other races, and 2.09% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 9.04% of the population.
There were 13,081 households out of which 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.0% were
married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 49.8% were non-families. 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.02.
In the city the population was spread out with 16.9% under the age of 18, 39.2% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 12.0% from 45 to 64, and 8.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 23 years. For every 100 females there were 97.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $35,153, and the median income for a family was $53,017. Males had a median income of $36,255 versus $26,422 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $16,261. About 9.0% of families and 21.3% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 11.2% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.
Newspapers
*The DeKalb
Daily Chronicle has been serving the community since 1879.
*The
Northern Star is a publication by students at NIU.
*
DeKalb County Online is an online only news and commentary source.
Tv stations
| Registered Name | Link | | Format | Network |
| Northern Television Center | [1] | | Nightly news produced by students at Northern Illinois University. | Comcast Cable |
Radio stations
DeKalb is the home to 7 radio stations.
AM Stations| Registered Name | Call Sign | AM Frequency | Format | Network | | WLBK | 1360 | News, sports, weather updates, and interviews with locals | |
| NIRIS | 89.5 | a radio reading service for people with print impairments | NPR |
| WKDI | 93.5 | progressive rock | |
FM Stations*
Ellwood Park & Museum was built by barbed wire millionaire Isaac L. Ellwood in 1879.
*
Gurler House is a beautiful example of the Greek Revival Style.
*
The Egyptian Theatre is a 1929, fully restored, Egyptian Art Deco movie palace. A National Landmark, the Egyptian is home to 15+ local performing arts groups. This is one of the best examples of Egyptian/Art Deco architecture in the country.
*Harley-Davidson Museum exhibits over 65 antique and modern motorcycles, along with memorabilia and vintage clothing. 969 Peace Road, 815-756-4558
*
Altgeld Art Gallery is located at Northern Illinois University.
*
Blackwell History of Education Museum is a one-room schoolhouse with displays, workshops and programs available to the public and for scholarly study and research.
*DeKalb Community Labyrinth and Serenity Garden is located in Huntley Park, between South 2nd and South 3rd Streets.
*Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Clock is a World War I memorial originally dedicated in 1921. It is located on the corner of 1st Street and Lincoln Highway.
Northern Illinois University (NIU) was founded in DeKalb as the Northern Illinois State Normal School in 1893. NIU is a comprehensive teaching and research institution with a student enrollment of around 25,000.
DeKalb has seven Public Elementary (Grades K-4)(includes 110 pre-kindergarten), two Public Middle Schools (Grades 5-8), one Public High School (Grades 9-12), and one Private/Parochial (Grades K-8). Included in these schools are the
Cornerstone Christian Academy,
DeKalb Community Schools and
St. Mary School.
*
Corn FestDeKalb forms the western anchor of the I-88 corridor. It is 30 miles away from
Aurora and 65 miles from downtown
Chicago and
O'Hare International Airport.
Airport
DeKalb Taylor Municipal Airport (DTMA), serving the general aviation community, is located at 3232 Pleasant Street, DeKalb, Illinois.
Mass transit
The City of DeKalb
Green Line Bus Service, operated by TransVac, runs on Monday-Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
The NIU Student Association operates the HuskieLine. There a number of routes serving campus and the DeKalb community. A popular route, the #7, provides service to shopping and dining on Sycamore Rd. This service is free to students with a valid NIU ID. The public can ride the HuskieLine for a fifty-cent fare.
