DEKALB, ILLINOIS

'DeKalb' is a city in DeKalb County, Illinois, United States. The population was 39,018 at the 2000 census. The city's name (as well as the name of DeKalb County, IL where it is located) is pronounced "dee-KALB" (di-kalb') (IPA]/di:'kaelb/) (the L sound is present), not as "dee-KABB" (di-kab') (IPA /di:'kaeb/) or "dee-KAHB" (di-kohb') (IPA /di:'ka:b/) with the L silent, which are common pronunciations for similarly spelled locations, mostly located in the southern US, such as in DeKalb County, Georgia.

History

Two examples of Joseph Glidden's early barbed wire.

The 1857 George Gurler House In DeKalb is affiliated with dairy farmers in the Gurler family.

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 several years of legal wrangling, in 1877 Glidden's patent won and Glidden was declared the "Father of Barbed Wire".^[1] 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, accounting and computer science programs.
Agriculture again came to the forefront with the creation of the DeKalb County Farm Bureau in 1912, one of the first organizations 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 was born and raised in DeKalb.
L.A. Rams linebacker Mel Owens graduated from DeKalb High School in 1976.
1990s hardcore punk/power violence thrash band Charles Bronson was formed in DeKalb.

Geography

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.
On August 24, 2007, the Kishwaukee River at DeKalb, Illinois crested at 15.27 feet (all time record 15.8 feet) causing major flooding. This was only the second time the river rose above 15 feet since the level of the river has been recorded.South Branch Kishwaukee River at DeKalb, Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service, ''National Weather Service''. Retrieved 25 August 2007.

Government

DeKalb is governed by a Council-Manager government. Policy is developed by an elected City Council then implemented by an appointed professional City Manager. DeKalb's 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 being elected every two years. A City Clerk is also elected every four years who serves as the official record keeper of the city.

Park facilities

DeKalb has over 44 community facilities. Some of the main parks, golf courses and museum include:

★ River Heights Golf Course

★ Buena Vista Golf Course

★ Pool/Community Center

★ DeKalb County Forest Preserves

★ DeKalb Park District

★ Ellwood House Museum and Park

Health systems

★ Kishwaukee Hospital

★ DeKalb Clinic

Demographics

A home in the neighborhood north of downtown DeKalb, near the Gurler House.

As 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 73.00% 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.

Education

Northern Illinois University

Altgeld Hall, the first building to be constructed at NIU.

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 a student enrollment of around 25,000. Some famous NIU alumni include Dan Castellaneta (the voice of Homer Simpson), Former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert, Oscar-nominated actress Joan Allen, and Steve Harris from David E. Kelley's legal Drama ''The Practice''.

Public Schools

DeKalb is served by both public and private school systems. DeKalb Community Unit School District 428 operates seven Elementary Schools (Grades K-4), Clinton Rosette and Huntley Middle Schools (Grades 5-8), and DeKalb High School (Grades 9-12). DeKalb is also home to St. Mary School (Grades K-8) and is served by Cornerstone Christian Academy] in nearby Sycamore and Malta.

Transportation

DeKalb 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. Voluntary Action Center provides two types of transportation services, TRANS-VAC and MED-VAC. TRANS-VAC provides transportation to activities and businesses in DeKalb County and has one bus route (the green line) that runs a regular hourly route Monday through Friday and some limited evening hours for special needs persons. MED-VAC provides transportation to out-of-town medical appointments when the client registers in advance for the ride. NIU Huskie Bus Line Serves NIU and the DeKalb area. It is Illinois' second largest bus company behind the Chicago CTA. It is also the largest student run bus company in the US.

Airport

DeKalb Taylor Municipal Airport (DTMA), serving the general aviation community, is located at 3232 Pleasant Street, DeKalb, Illinois.

External links

Communications and media

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	NTC		Nightly news produced by students at Northern Illinois University.	Comcast Cable

Radio stations

DeKalb is the home to six radio stations.
'AM Stations'

Call Sign	AM Frequency	Format	Network
WLBK	1360	News, sports, weather updates, and interviews with locals
NIRIS		a radio reading service for people with print impairments	NPR

'FM Stations'

Registered Name	Call Sign	FM Frequency	Format	Network(s)
	WNIJ	89.5	NPR and PRI, news, talk, blues	NPR, PRI, BBC, APM
	WNIU	90.5	Classical
Nine FM	WDEK	92.5	Freeform
B95 Today's Best Variety	WDKB	94.9	Adult Contemporary

References

1. Barbed Wire History

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