DeKalb County, Illinois

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Template:Short description Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox U.S. county

DeKalb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 100,420.<ref name=QF>Template:Cite web</ref> Its county seat is Sycamore.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> DeKalb County is part of the Chicago–Naperville–Elgin, IL–IN–WI Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

DeKalb County was formed on March 4, 1837,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> out of Kane County, Illinois. The county was named for Johann de Kalb,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> a German (Bavarian) hero of the American Revolutionary War. DeKalb County's area is approximately 632.7 square miles, and it is located 63 miles west of Chicago. There are 19 townships in the county; the county seat is Sycamore.

Between 1834 and 1837, after the Potawatomi people had been pushed out, European Americans formed settlements in DeKalb County along streams and wooded areas due to fertile soil, wild game, and food and water opportunities. Primary growth stemmed from the introduction of the railroad, which brought easier methods of transportation and opportunities for industrial growth. Early industries based in DeKalb County included Sandwich Mfg. Co, Marsh Harvester Co, barbed wire, and Gurler Bros Pure Milk Co.

The county is noted for agriculture. In 1852, the DeKalb Agricultural Society produced the county's first Agricultural Fair, in Sycamore. Eventually farmers, businessmen, bankers and newspapermen organized to become the DeKalb County Soil Improvement Association, which later was split into DeKalb County Farm Bureau and DeKalb Agricultural Association (DEKALB AgResearch, Inc., Monsanto). DeKalb County is credited with being the birthplace of the Farm Bureau movement. DeKalb County is the 2nd largest hog producing county in Illinois and the 66th largest in the nation.

Education has played an important role in the area: Northern Illinois University is located in DeKalb and Kishwaukee College is located in Malta. Except for 2020 (due to the COVID-19 pandemic), a major fair has been held each year since 1887 at the Sandwich Fairgrounds in Sandwich.

  • DeKalb County at the time of its creation in 1837
    DeKalb County at the time of its creation in 1837

Pronunciation

Unlike similarly spelled locations, such as DeKalb County, Georgia, DeKalb denizens from Illinois pronounce the county name Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell, with an L sound, as in German, after its namesake.

Geography

According to the US Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (0.5%) is water.<ref name=CD/>

Climate and weather

Template:Climate chart In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Sycamore have ranged from a low of Template:Convert in January to a high of Template:Convert in July, although a record low of Template:Convert was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of Template:Convert was recorded in August 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from Template:Convert in February to Template:Convert in June.<ref name=WX/>

Adjacent counties

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Major highways

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Demographics

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2020 census

DeKalb County, Illinois – Racial and ethnic composition
Template:Nobold
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 1980<ref name=1980Census>Template:Cite web</ref> Pop 1990<ref name=1990Census>Template:Cite web</ref> Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>Template:Cite web</ref> Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref> Pop 2020<ref name=2020CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref> % 1980 % 1990 % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 70,273 71,693 75,772 83,825 71,249 94.17% 91.99% 85.17% 79.71% 70.95%
Black or African American alone (NH) 1,649 2,036 4,040 6,579 8,730 2.21% 2.61% 4.54% 6.26% 8.69%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 98 110 146 127 119 0.13% 0.14% 0.16% 0.12% 0.12%
Asian alone (NH) 710 1,715 2,067 2,400 2,280 0.95% 2.20% 2.32% 2.28% 2.27%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) x <ref>included in the Asian category in the 1980 Census</ref> x <ref>included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census</ref> 40 19 29 x x 0.04% 0.02% 0.03%
Other race alone (NH) 489 49 92 114 298 0.66% 0.06% 0.10% 0.11% 0.30%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) x <ref>not an option in the 1980 Census</ref> x <ref>not an option in the 1990 Census</ref> 982 1,449 4,118 x x 1.10% 1.38% 4.10%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 1,405 2,329 5,830 10,647 13,597 1.88% 2.99% 6.55% 10.12% 13.54%
Total 74,624 77,932 88,969 105,160 100,420 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 105,160 people, 38,484 households, and 23,781 families residing in the county.<ref name=DP1>Template:Cite web</ref> The population density was Template:Convert. There were 41,079 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert.<ref name=CD>Template:Cite web</ref> The racial makeup of the county was 85.1% white, 6.4% black or African American, 2.3% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 3.9% from other races, and 2.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 10.1% of the population.<ref name=DP1/> In terms of ancestry, 32.6% were German, 17.5% were Irish, 8.7% were English, 7.0% were Polish, 6.4% were Italian, 6.3% were Swedish, and 4.7% were Norwegian.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Of the 38,484 households, 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.2% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 38.2% were non-families, and 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.11. The median age was 29.3 years.<ref name=DP1/>

The median income for a household in the county was $54,002 and the median income for a family was $70,713. Males had a median income of $50,192 versus $35,246 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,179. About 7.7% of families and 14.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.2% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Communities

Cities

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Town

Villages

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Unincorporated communities

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Townships

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Politics

Template:PresHead Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresFootAs part of Northern Illinois, DeKalb County was a stronghold for the Free Soil Party in its early elections – being among nine Illinois counties to support Martin Van Buren in 1848 – and became overwhelmingly Republican for the century following that party's formation. The only time it did not back the official GOP nominee between 1856 and 1988 was in 1912 when the Republican Party was mortally divided and Progressive Theodore Roosevelt won almost half the county's vote.

During this time, it rejected Democrats even in statewide and national landslides. In 1936, Republican nominee Alf Landon won DeKalb County by double digits while losing 46 of 48 states. Landon held Franklin D. Roosevelt to only 43 percent of DeKalb County's vote, the most he would garner in the county during his four runs for president. Even Barry Goldwater – renowned for his antagonism towards the establishment – won by seven percent in 1964, despite losing sixteen percent of the vote compared to Richard Nixon in 1960.

In 1992, with the third-party entrance of Ross Perot siphoning votes from Republican George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton became the first Democrat to carry the county in 140 years. Clinton would narrowly win the county again in 1996, carrying the county by 335 votes over Republican nominee Bob Dole.

Education

Tertiary

Northern Illinois University is in the county.

K-12

The following school districts have territory in the county, no matter how slight, even if their schools and/or administrative headquarters are in other counties:<ref>Template:Cite map - Text list</ref>

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Secondary:

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See also

References

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References

Further reading

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