Sycamore is a city in DeKalb County, Illinois, United States. It has a commercial district based and centered on Illinois Route 64. The population was 18,577 at the 2020 census, up from 17,419 at the 2010 census. Sycamore is the county seat of DeKalb County and was named after the sycamore tree.

History

thumb|right|[[Sycamore Public Library (1905), a Carnegie library]]

Early settlement

The first European settlers to the Sycamore-area arrived in 1835 and concentrated themselves mostly north of the Kishwaukee River (the name of which means sycamore) and the present site of Sycamore. The original town was platted by a New Yorker named Christian Sharer. A mill was constructed and the Kishwaukee dammed but the town failed. By 1837, after some controversy, the location of county seat was settled in favor of Orange, Sycamore's original name, and the settlement moved to the present-day site of the city.

The present-day town site was platted by James Waterman and Evans Wharry in 1837 (the same year Chicago was founded). The first settler at the new site was Carlos Lattin, who preceded the town, having arrived in 1835. after the DeKalb County court intervened. When court convened the sheriff served a court order declaring Sycamore had built a Courthouse and that the Court session should be held there.

In 1903, as the county prepared to construct a new courthouse, the debate over county seat was reignited. This time, it was the city of DeKalb that sought to wrest the title of county seat away from Sycamore. Two of DeKalb's most prominent citizens, Jacob Haish and Isaac L. Ellwood, each promised to donate $20,000 to help absorb some of the new building's cost. The city of Sycamore responded, raising funds of their own, and after some back and forth and legal wrangling, the issue was settled in Sycamore's favor. However, in April 2016, McCullough's conviction was overturned and he was released from prison after a post-conviction review of the evidence indicated that he could not have committed the crime.

2010 earthquake

On the morning of February 10, 2010 at 3:59 a.m., Sycamore was near the epicenter of an earthquake. The shock had a moment magnitude of 3.8 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of IV (Light). It was felt away in Madison, Wisconsin. When the quake was first reported, it was thought Sycamore was the epicenter. However, revised data from the USGS determined the epicenter to be closer to Virgil. This was the first earthquake in Northern Illinois since an M4.2 (intensity V (Moderate)) event in 2004.

Geography

Sycamore is located along Illinois Route 64 (State Street in Sycamore) about southeast of Rockford and west-northwest of Chicago. It is along the south bank of the East Branch of the South Branch Kishwaukee River in DeKalb County. The terrain in Sycamore and the surrounding area is gently rolling and contains rich soil which was originally heavily forested.

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2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Sycamore had a population of 18,577 and 7,517 households; there were 4,602 families residing in the city, and the population density was . The median age was 38.4 years. 24.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 15.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 93.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.9 males age 18 and over.

There were 7,517 households in Sycamore, of which 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 50.4% were married-couple households, 16.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 26.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

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| White || 15,424 || 83.0%

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| Black or African American || 594 || 3.2%

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| American Indian and Alaska Native || 86 || 0.5%

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| Asian || 418 || 2.3%

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| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 4 || 0.0%

|-

| Some other race || 651 || 3.5%

|-

| Two or more races || 1,400 || 7.5%

|-

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 1,729 || 9.3%

|}

Economy

Sycamore has never had a large manufacturing or industrial sector. The event attracts thousands to Sycamore from locations throughout northern Illinois, the Midwest, and the broader United States.

The city is also home to the Sycamore Historic District, an architecturally interesting area containing over 200 individual properties. The district was established in 1978 when it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The area is bounded in an irregular pattern along Main and Somonauk Streets but contains portions of several other streets and includes much of the downtown commercial district and residential areas north and south of downtown.

Sycamore is also home to the former Midwest Museum of Natural History, which featured a varied taxidermy collection and closed in February 2020.

The Great Western Trail passes through town.

Historic sites

<gallery class="center">

File:ElmwoodCemeteryGates1.jpg|Elmwood Cemetery Gates (1865)

File:Sycamore_Il_DeGraff_House3.jpg|David DeGraff House (1867) in the Sycamore Historic District

File:Frederick_Townsend_Residence6.jpg|Frederick B. Townsend House bed and breakfast (1892)

File:Townsend_Garage.jpg|Frederick Townsend Garage (1905)

File:Sycamore_Historic_District1_0.jpg|Prairie style Wally Thurow House (1917)

</gallery>

Government

thumb|[[DeKalb County Courthouse (Illinois)|DeKalb County Courthouse (1905) in downtown Sycamore]]

Sycamore features a Council-Manager government. Policy is developed by an elected City Council and then implemented by an appointed professional City Manager. The Sycamore City Council consists of a Mayor elected at-large and eight Aldermen representing one of four wards (two per ward). The Mayor and Aldermen serve four year terms, with one Alderman from each ward being elected every two years. Sycamore's current mayor is Steve Braser.

Education

Public schooling began in Sycamore as early as 1839, with classes held in the first DeKalb County Courthouse, a log building across the street from the courthouse's current location. The city's first school building was built in 1853. The district operates Sycamore High School, Sycamore Middle School, and five elementary schools. The newest elementary school, North Grove, opened in 2009 was built for access by the nearby subdivision.

Transportation

DeKalb Public Transit provides bus service on Routes 17, 18, 21 and 21T connecting Sycamore to downtown DeKalb and other destinations.

Notable people

  • David Boies, attorney, born in Sycamore
  • Bryan Carter, musician, recipient of the Grammy and Tony Award.
  • Adam C. Cliffe, United States court judge
  • Erica Coulibaly, USA rugby union player
  • Reuben Ellwood Republican U.S. Representative from Illinois. (d.1885)
  • William J. Fulton, Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court, lived in Sycamore
  • Jay Henigan, plumber and CIA contractor killed in Afghanistan
  • Mark Johnston, cornerback for Houston Oilers
  • George McCaskey, Chicago Bears chairman.
  • Ben Niemann, linebacker for NFL's Tennessee Titans
  • Nick Niemann, linebacker for the Los Angeles Chargers.
  • Maria Ridulph (1950–1957), child murder victim
  • Alvah Sabin, politician, congressman, lived in Sycamore
  • Frederick B. Townsend, judge, mayor of Sycamore
  • Floyd K. Whittemore, Illinois state treasurer
  • David A. Wirsling, Illinois representative and farmer, born in Sycamore

See also

  • Chicago and Northwestern Depot
  • List of properties (Sycamore Historic District)
  • Houses in Sycamore Historic District
  • Adolphus W. Brower House
  • William W. Marsh House

References

  • Official website