De Kalb, Texas

De Kalb (/dɪ ˈkæb/ di KAB) is a city in Bowie County, Texas, United States; it is part of the Texarkana metropolitan statistical area. Its two area codes are 430 and 903. Its ZIP code is 75559. It is in the Central Time Zone, and its population was 1,527 at the 2020 United States census.^[4]

De Kalb, Texas
City
Downtown De Kalb
Motto:  "Opportunity. Innovation"
Location of De Kalb, Texas
Coordinates: 33°30′25″N 94°36′59″W
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Bowie
Area [1]
• Total	1.37 sq mi (3.55 km2)
• Land	1.37 sq mi (3.55 km2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation [2]	410 ft (120 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	1,527
• Density	1,163.6/sq mi (449.28/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	75559
Area codes	903, 430
FIPS code	48-19648[3]
GNIS feature ID	2410303[2]
Website	dekalbtx.org

History

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.^[5]

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/

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.3 square miles (3.4 km²), 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.^[6]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1890	420		—
1920	910		—
1930	1,023		12.4%
1940	1,287		25.8%
1950	1,928		49.8%
1960	2,042		5.9%
1970	2,197		7.6%
1980	2,217		0.9%
1990	1,976		−10.9%
2000	1,769		−10.5%
2010	1,699		−4.0%
2020	1,527		−10.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[7] 1850–1900[8] 1910[9] 1920[10] 1930[11] 1940[12] 1950[13] 1960[14] 1970[15] 1980[16] 1990[17] 2000[18] 2010[19]

De Kalb racial composition as of 2020^[20]
(NH = Non-Hispanic)^[a]

Race	Number	Percentage
White (NH)	917	60.05%
Black or African American (NH)	378	24.75%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH)	12	0.79%
Asian (NH)	16	1.05%
Multiracial (NH)	57	3.73%
Hispanic or Latino	147	9.63%
Total	1,527

As of the 2020 United States census, 1,527 people, 631 households, and 362 families were residing in the city.

As of the 2000 census,^[3] 1,769 people, 725 households, and 477 families lived in the city. The population density was 1,349.1 inhabitants per square mile (520.9/km²). The 853 housing units had an average density of 650.5 per square mile (251.2/km²). 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.

In 2020, the U.S. Census Bureau reported a population of 1,527 people living in the city.^[4] According to the 2020 census and 2020 American Community Survey's five-year estimates program, the majority of the population has remained predominantly non-Hispanic White, though Black or African Americans remained second-largest racial and ethnic group, followed by Hispanic and Latino Americans.^[22]

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.^[23] There was a mean income of $55,765 according to census estimates.^[24]

Education

The city of De Kalb is served by the De Kalb Independent School District.

Communities 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.^[25] Some children elect to attend Hubbard in their formative years.

Dan Blocker was born in De Kalb.

Notable people

• 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^[26]
• 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)