DeKalb County, Illinois

DeKalb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 105,160.[1] Its county seat is Sycamore.[2]

DeKalb County
U.S. county
DeKalb County's Court House
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Illinois
Illinois's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 41°53′N 88°46′W
Country United States
State Illinois
Founded4 March 1837
Named forJohann de Kalb
SeatSycamore
Largest cityDeKalb
Area
 • Total635 sq mi (1,640 km2)
 • Land631 sq mi (1,630 km2)
 • Water3.4 sq mi (9 km2)  0.5%
Population
 (2010)
 • Total105,160
 • Estimate 
(2018)
104,143
 • Density170/sq mi (64/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional districts14th, 16th
Websitewww.dekalbcounty.org

DeKalb County is part of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

DeKalb County was formed on 4 March 1837,[3] out of Kane County, Illinois. The county was named for Johann de Kalb,[4] a German (Bavarian) hero of the American Revolutionary War. DeKalb County's area is approximately 632.7 square miles, and is located 63 miles west of Chicago. There are 19 townships in the county with the county seat at Sycamore.

Between 1834 and 1837, settlements were formed 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 also the 2nd largest hog producing county in Illinois and the 66th largest in the nation.

Education has played an important role in the area with Northern Illinois University located in DeKalb and Kishwaukee College located in Malta. 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

Pronunciation

Unlike similarly spelled locations, such as DeKalb County, Georgia, DeKalb denizens from Illinois pronounce the county name /dɪˈkælb/ di-KALB, with an L sound, as in German.

Geography

According to the US Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 635 square miles (1,640 km2), of which 631 square miles (1,630 km2) is land and 3.4 square miles (8.8 km2) (0.5%) is water.[5]

Climate and weather
Sycamore, Illinois
Climate chart (explanation)
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
 
 
1.5
 
 
27
10
 
 
1.4
 
 
32
16
 
 
2.5
 
 
44
26
 
 
3.5
 
 
58
37
 
 
4.2
 
 
70
48
 
 
4.5
 
 
80
58
 
 
4.2
 
 
84
63
 
 
4.5
 
 
81
61
 
 
3.5
 
 
74
51
 
 
2.6
 
 
62
40
 
 
2.8
 
 
45
28
 
 
2.1
 
 
32
17
Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
Precipitation totals in inches
Source: The Weather Channel[6]

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Sycamore have ranged from a low of 10 °F (−12 °C) in January to a high of 84 °F (29 °C) in July, although a record low of −27 °F (−33 °C) was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of 103 °F (39 °C) was recorded in August 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.40 inches (36 mm) in February to 4.49 inches (114 mm) in June.[6]

Adjacent counties

Major highways

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
18401,697—
18507,540344.3%
186019,086153.1%
187023,26521.9%
188026,76815.1%
189027,0661.1%
190031,75617.3%
191033,4575.4%
192031,339−6.3%
193032,6444.2%
194034,3885.3%
195040,78118.6%
196051,71426.8%
197071,65438.6%
198074,6244.1%
199077,9324.4%
200088,96914.2%
2010105,16018.2%
2018 (est.)104,143[7]−1.0%
US Decennial Census[8]
1790-1960[9] 1900-1990[10]
1990-2000[11] 2010-2013[1]
2000 census age pyramid for DeKalb County with a marked spike in college-aged individuals due to Northern Illinois University

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 105,160 people, 38,484 households, and 23,781 families residing in the county.[12] The population density was 166.6 inhabitants per square mile (64.3/km2). There were 41,079 housing units at an average density of 65.1 per square mile (25.1/km2).[5] 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.[12] 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 3.8% were American.[13]

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.[12]

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.[14]

Communities

Cities

Town

Villages

Unincorporated Communities

Townships

Politics

As 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. Republican candidate Alf Landon, who lost 46 of 48 states in 1936, won DeKalb County by double digits, whilst even Barry Goldwater – renowned for his antagonism towards the establishment – won by seven percent despite losing sixteen percent of the vote compared to Richard Nixon in 1960.

Around the turn of the twenty first century, DeKalb County shifted more toward a balance of power in national elections, owing to the growth of the largely Democratic student population in DeKalb. DeKalb County still remains solidly Republican for most local elected officials, however, with all municipalities outside of the city of DeKalb voting strongly Republican.

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, and in 2008 an Illinois son, Barack Obama, became the first Democrat to win an absolute majority since Van Buren in the county's first-ever Presidential election of 1840. Obama repeated this in 2012, but gains for third-party candidates caused both major-party candidates to underperform in 2016.

Presidential election results
Presidential election results[15]
Year Republican Democratic Third parties
2020 45.8% 21,905 51.5% 24,643 2.7% 1,277
2016 43.8% 19,091 46.9% 20,466 9.3% 4,043
2012 45.9% 18,934 51.4% 21,207 2.7% 1,100
2008 40.6% 18,266 57.3% 25,784 2.1% 924
2004 51.7% 21,095 47.3% 19,263 1.0% 410
2000 51.6% 17,139 44.5% 14,798 3.9% 1,296
1996 43.4% 12,380 44.6% 12,715 12.0% 3,432
1992 37.0% 12,655 40.2% 13,744 22.9% 7,833
1988 58.9% 17,182 40.5% 11,811 0.7% 197
1984 64.5% 20,294 34.8% 10,942 0.7% 229
1980 53.9% 16,370 29.4% 8,913 16.7% 5,082
1976 59.2% 18,193 37.5% 11,535 3.3% 1,000
1972 60.3% 18,910 39.4% 12,375 0.3% 99
1968 63.2% 14,535 30.3% 6,974 6.5% 1,490
1964 53.5% 11,791 46.5% 10,257 0.0% 1
1960 69.6% 15,586 30.3% 6,783 0.1% 19
1956 75.7% 15,078 24.2% 4,826 0.1% 25
1952 74.2% 14,807 25.6% 5,110 0.2% 30
1948 68.7% 11,380 30.7% 5,082 0.6% 105
1944 66.8% 12,157 33.0% 6,004 0.3% 49
1940 64.0% 12,577 35.5% 6,989 0.5% 102
1936 53.8% 9,826 43.2% 7,899 3.0% 550
1932 56.4% 9,356 41.7% 6,923 1.9% 315
1928 74.2% 11,501 25.4% 3,940 0.4% 62
1924 76.4% 10,500 11.2% 1,540 12.4% 1,704
1920 83.9% 10,374 13.8% 1,700 2.3% 287
1916 71.3% 9,764 24.7% 3,386 4.0% 547
1912 24.3% 1,776 21.4% 1,568 54.3% 3,970
1908 72.5% 5,866 21.4% 1,732 6.1% 493
1904 77.4% 5,957 14.8% 1,137 7.8% 599
1900 73.0% 5,923 23.2% 1,881 3.8% 306
1896 72.4% 5,598 24.3% 1,881 3.3% 255
1892 60.7% 3,789 30.9% 1,926 8.4% 525

See also

References
  1. "State & County QuickFacts". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
  2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. Illinois Regional Archives Depository System. "Name Index to Illinois Local Governments". Illinois State Archives. Illinois Secretary of State. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
  4. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p. 103.
  5. "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
  6. "Monthly Averages for Sycamore IL". The Weather Channel. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
  7. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved November 6, 2019.
  8. "US Decennial Census". US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
  9. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
  10. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
  11. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
  12. "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
  13. "Selected Social Characteristics in the United States – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
  14. "Selected Economic Characteristics – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
  15. Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved November 1, 2018.

References

Further reading

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