DeKalb, city, DeKalb county, north-central Illinois, U.S. It lies on the south branch of the Kishwaukee River, about 60 miles (100 km) west of Chicago. Founded in 1837, it was called Buena Vista and then Huntley’s Grove (for city founder Russell Huntley of New York) until the 1850s, when it was renamed for Johann Kalb, a general during the American Revolution. The city grew with the arrival of the railroad in the 1850s, and agriculture was the primary activity. DeKalb’s development was attributed to the barbed-wire industry established there by Joseph F. Glidden, who in 1874 invented a successful variety of barbed-wire fencing; his invention earned DeKalb the nickname “Barb City.” The DeKalb County Farm Bureau, the first organization of its kind in the United States, was organized there in 1912. Agricultural research, especially on hybrid seeds, became important in the 1930s.

DeKalb’s economy is based on agriculture (notably hybrid seed corn [maize], as well as soybeans, hogs, and cattle) and manufacturing, including tractors, agricultural storage units, packaging, and wire harnesses. DeKalb is the seat of Northern Illinois University (founded in 1895 as a state normal school); the campus features several museums and an observatory. Kishwaukee College (1968) is in Malta, a few miles west. DeKalb hosts an annual corn festival (August). The Ellwood House Museum and Park includes the 1879 mansion of one of the city’s barbed-wire barons. Other notable attractions include the Egyptian Theatre (1929) and the Harley-Davidson Museum. Inc. town, 1856; city, 1877. Pop. (2000) 39,018; (2010) 43,862.