DeKalb
Town
DeKalb
- grade BOverall Grade
- Rating 3.34 out of 5 177 reviews
Report Card
- Public Schoolsgrade B+
- Crime & Safetygrade C
- Housinggrade C
- Nightlifegrade A minus
- Good for Familiesgrade B
- Diversitygrade A
- Jobsgrade C
- Weathergrade C+
- Cost of Livinggrade C+
- Health & Fitnessgrade B
- Outdoor Activitiesgrade A minus
- Commutegrade A minus
editorial
About
Real Estate
Median Home Value
$171,100
National
$244,900Median Rent
$943
National
$1,163Area Feel
Urban Suburban Mix
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DeKalb Rankings
Niche ranks thousands of places to live based on key statistics from the U.S. Census and expert insights.
Crime & Safety
Crime & Safety
grade C
Based on violent and property crime rates.
Violent Crimes
- Calculated annually per 100,000 residents
- Assault409.7national 282.7
- Murder2.4national 6.1
- Rape96.5national 40.7
- Robbery56.5national 135.5
Property Crimes
- Calculated annually per 100,000 residents
- Burglary242.5national 500.1
- Theft1,942.3national 2,042.8
- Motor Vehicle Theft138.1national 284
Residents
Working in DeKalb
Jobs
grade C
Based on employment rates, job and business growth, and cost of living.
Median Household Income
$45,591
National
$69,021Top Public Schools Serving DeKalb
Top Private Schools Near DeKalb
Similar Places
Places like DeKalb
- grade B+DeKalb Township
DeKalb Reviews
Rating 3.34 out of 5 177 reviews
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DeKalb has been my home for most of my life. I have enjoyed the small town feel and the community overall. If I could see one thing change, it would be to have more interactive spaces for the younger generation. There aren't a lot of places to meet up with friends or hang out if you're a college student. DeKalb doesn't really feel like a college town, and a lot of people end up leaving the university on weekends because of this. During the summer, you wouldn't even know that there's a university in the city because the whole atmosphere changes. It's very strange. Reopening the House Cafe and opening up more interactive spaces would be very beneficial to the community I believe. Jeff's Common Grounds is wonderful! It's awesome to see a place where the arts are present and it's nice to just walk in and pick up a book and a coffee. Jeff is very friendly and will have a chat with you any day. We need more places like this in DeKalb.
Dekalb has a lot of potential. It's located off 88, so convenient for commuters. There schooling options other than the public schools. The public schools tend to have good teaching staff, however a certain segment of the student body come from dysfunctional homes which then cause discipline issues at school. This is a major distraction and hinders the opportunity for a quality education. I believe law enforcement needs to be stricter on enforcing the law as to reduce crime in the crime infested neighborhoods. Crime is located in a very small area of the town that constitutes for 90% of the crime. Avoid these neighborhoods and this town is a beautiful city in a country setting.
I lived here for 17 years and its a very alright town overall. Crime isn't a concern anywhere within the residential neighborhoods, but because its a college town with an area of public housing projects, that's where you'll find the stem of the city's crime rate.
The cost of living adds up to be great but if you want to live here for a long time and you aren't familiar with Illinois high state taxes, then get ready to have the hardest time adjusting.
What Dekalb does best, however, is at the history. The Elwood House, the Egyptian Theatre are two of the town's biggest tourist attractions and are totally worth visiting at some point.
For shopping, Dekalb's got a strong selection. I will say though that its not as fun as shopping in Aurora-Naperville, an hour east of the town, because of the malls.
Weather is all over the place. Winters can drop down to the negatives while summers occasionally reach up to the high 80s Fahrenheit. Tornadoes happen about once or twice a year.
The cost of living adds up to be great but if you want to live here for a long time and you aren't familiar with Illinois high state taxes, then get ready to have the hardest time adjusting.
What Dekalb does best, however, is at the history. The Elwood House, the Egyptian Theatre are two of the town's biggest tourist attractions and are totally worth visiting at some point.
For shopping, Dekalb's got a strong selection. I will say though that its not as fun as shopping in Aurora-Naperville, an hour east of the town, because of the malls.
Weather is all over the place. Winters can drop down to the negatives while summers occasionally reach up to the high 80s Fahrenheit. Tornadoes happen about once or twice a year.