DeKalb

History

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. Glidden and Isaac L. Ellwood (1833–1910) manufactured barbed wire in DeKalb, initially as the Barb Fence Company. Successor companies included the 1881 Superior Barbed Wire Company, which merged into American Steel and Wire in 1898 and finally became United States Steel. Between 1892 and 1898 Glidden and Ellwood played substantial parts in establishing the state teachers college that became Northern Illinois University. DeKalb played a leading role in the development of commercial hybrid corn. From a base in the early county Farm Bureau, the DeKalb Agricultural Association produced large quantities of high-yield seed varieties, beginning in 1934. Until the mid-1970s, more American farmers planted DeKalb hybrid corn than any other brand. The DeKalb logo was a flying ear of corn. A series of joint ventures and mergers beginning in 1982 resulted in the DeKalb brand of agricultural products being owned by Bayer since 2017.

Geography

DeKalb is in northern Illinois, about west of downtown Chicago and 30 miles southeast of Rockford. The South Branch Kishwaukee River flows northward through DeKalb. According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, DeKalb has a total area of , of which (or 99.03%) is land and (or 0.97%) is water. On August 24, 2007, the Kishwaukee River at DeKalb crested at (all-time record ), causing major flooding. This was only the second time the river has risen above 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.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,515
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  2,412
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  1,988
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,957
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,899
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,764
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,724
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  1,712

Largest nearby schools

• DeKalb High School
  High · Dekalb · 2,083 students · 16.9:1 ratio
• Sycamore High School
  High · Sycamore · 1,191 students · 17:1 ratio
• Huntley Middle School
  Middle · Dekalb · 934 students · 13.7:1 ratio
• Sycamore Middle School
  Middle · Sycamore · 822 students · 13.5:1 ratio
• Clinton Rosette Middle School
  Middle · DeKalb · 615 students · 14.6:1 ratio
• Founders Elementary School
  Elementary · Dekalb · 556 students · 14.3:1 ratio
• Cortland Elementary School
  Elementary · Cortland · 519 students · 14:1 ratio
• North Grove Elementary School
  Elementary · Sycamore · 467 students · 14.2:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.6 — 2025-03-15
  6 km W of Dwight, Illinois
• M 3.1 — 2024-07-15
  2 km WNW of Somonauk, Illinois
• M 3.6 — 2023-11-15
  1 km SSW of Standard, Illinois
• M 2.9 — 2015-03-25
  3 km WNW of Lake in the Hills, Illinois
• M 3.2 — 2013-11-04
  1 km SSW of Lyons, Illinois
• M 2.6 — 2013-06-10
  4 km NNE of Virgil, Illinois