De Kalb

It is in the Central Time Zone, and its population was 1,527 at the 2020 United States census.

• Official Name — De Kalb, Texas • Type — City • Motto — "Opportunity. Innovation" • Subdivision Type — Country • Subdivision Type1 — State • Subdivision Name1 — Texas • Subdivision Type2 — County • Subdivision Name2 — Bowie • Named For — Johann de Kalb • Unit Pref — Imperial • Area Total Km2 — 3.55 • Area Land Km2 — 3.55 • Area Water Km2 — 0.00 • Area Total Sq Mi — 1.37 • Area Land Sq Mi — 1.37 • Area Water Sq Mi — 0.00 • Population As Of — 2020 • Population Total — 1527 • Population Density Km2 — 449.28 • Population Density Sq Mi — 1163.62 • Time Zone — Central (CST) • Utc Offset — -6 • Time Zone Dst — CDT • Utc Offset Dst — -5 • Elevation Ft — 410 • Postal Code Type — ZIP code • Postal Code — 75559 • Area Codes — 903, 430 • Custom Label Sec1 — FIPS code • Custom Data Sec1 — 48-19648 • Custom Label1 Sec1 — GNIS feature ID • Custom Data1 Sec1 — 2410303 • Website — https: dekalbtx.org/

On December 31, 1985, around 5:14 pm, a Douglas DC-3 private aircraft, N711Y, owned by Ricky Nelson, with a pilot, copilot, and seven passengers, including Nelson, his fiancée, and five members of his band, crashed in a wooded area near De Kalb. The plane was on a flight from Guntersville, Alabama, to Dallas, Texas, where Nelson was scheduled to appear at a New Year's Eve performance. All seven passengers were killed in the accident when the plane caught fire. The pilot and copilot were able to escape and survived. On May 4, 1999, De Kalb took a direct hit to the downtown area from an EF-3 tornado. https: data.elpasotimes.com/tornado-archive/texas/5696338/

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.3 sqmi, all land. The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers (average of 30 or more days of 100°F or more) and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen climate classification, De Kalb has a humid subtropical climate, Cfa on climate maps.

As of the 2020 census, 1,527 people, 630 households, and 362 families were residing in the city. The median age was 41.8 years. 25.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 24.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 82.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 78.6 males age 18 and over. 0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas. There were 630 households in De Kalb, of which 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 34.6% were married-couple households, 18.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 40.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 35.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 754 housing units, of which 16.4% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.1%. Racial composition as of the 2020 census • Race — Number — Percent • White — 943 — 61.8% • Black or African American — 378 — 24.8% • American Indian and Alaska Native — 18 — 1.2% • Asian — 16 — 1.0% • Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander — 3 — 0.2% • Some other race — 73 — 4.8% • Two or more races — 96 — 6.3% • Hispanic or Latino (of any race) — 147 — 9.6%

As of the 2000 census, 1,769 people, 725 households, and 477 families lived in the city. The population density was 1,349.1 PD/sqmi. The 853 housing units had an average density of 650.5 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 66.70% White, 30.81% African American, 0.57% Native American, 0.06% Asian, 0.68% from other races, and 1.19% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 2.43% of the population. The median income in the city for a household was $23,713 and for a family was $32,212 at the 2000 census. Males had a median income of $27,955 versus $20,750 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,360. About 25.3% of families and 28.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 44.3% of those under 18 and 25.0% of those 65 or over.

By the publication of the 2020 census estimates, the median household income increased to $34,178. There was a mean income of $55,765 according to census estimates.

The city of De Kalb is served by the De Kalb Independent School District. The communities of Hubbard and Dalby Springs lie south of De Kalb on US Highway 259, and most children attend the De Kalb ISD school system; but Hubbard does have its own small school district, serving prekindergarten through eighth grades. Some children elect to attend Hubbard in their formative years. • Illustration — Dan Blocker was born in De Kalb.

• Dan Blocker, birthplace of Bonanza star who played the character "Hoss Cartwright" on the NBC television Western series • Terrance Ganaway, former NFL running back • Al Perkins is a musician, singer-songwriter, and producer • Timothy Rhea, director of bands and music activities at Texas A&M University and a former president of the American Bandmasters Association, graduated from De Kalb High School • Luke Walker is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1965–1966 and 1968–1973) and Detroit Tigers (1974)