Sycamore

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 17,519 at the 2010 census, up from 12,020 in 2000. As of 2019, the population has grown to an estimated 18,322. Sycamore was the location of a notable cold abduction and murder case, the 1957 disappearance and murder of 7-year-old Maria Ridulph. The case remained unsolved for over 50 years until 2011, when Jack McCullough, a former neighbor and convicted kidnapper, was arrested and sentenced to life in prison. The city is named after the sycamore tree, which was first found in the area in the 17th century. The first European settlers to the area arrived in 1835 and concentrated themselves mostly north of the Kishwaukee River. The original town was platted by a New Yorker named Christian Sharer but the town failed. By 1837, after some controversy, the. location of county seat was settled in favor of Orange and the settlement moved to the present-day site of the city. In 1858, Sy camore was incorporated as a village. Following the American Civil War the railroad began to assist Sy Camore's growth and the town was incorporated in 1869. The town was named for the Sycamores, a type of oak tree that grows in the region. It is located on the banks of the Illinois River, which is a tributary of the Chicago River.

History

The first European settlers to the Sycamore-area arrived in 1835 and concentrated themselves mostly north of the Kishwaukee River. The original town was platted by a New Yorker named Christian Sharer. By 1837, after some controversy, the location of county seat was settled in favor of Orange. The city was incorporated as a village in 1858 and as a city in 1869. The 1957 abduction and murder of 7-year-old Maria Ridulph remains the oldest cold case in US history. Jack McCullough was convicted of the crime in 2010, but his conviction was overturned in April 2016 after a post-conviction review of the evidence indicated that he could not have committed the crime. The earthquake of February 3, 2010: a magnitude-8.0 earthquake at the site of the city's first courthouse. The first DeKalb County Courthouse was built in the city, as well as Sy camore's first hotel. In 1839, the city built its first hotel, and a year later the settlement consisted of 12 houses, which increased to 18 by 1844. The settlement then began an era of steady growth marked by population increases in 1848 to 262, 1849 to 320, 1850 to 390, 1851 to 435. The railroad arrived in the late 1850s and a station was erected in Sy Camore. In the early 1900s, the town was home to 41 commercial and industrial business by 1855. The town is home to the University of Illinois at Carbondale.

Geography

Sycamore is located along Illinois Route 64 (State Street in Sycamore) about 35 miles (56 km) southeast of Rockford and 55 miles (89 km) west-northwest of Chicago. It is along the south bank of the East Branch of the South Branch Kishwaukee River in DeKalb County. According to the 2010 census, the town has a total area of 9.768 square miles (25.30 km²) of which 99.61% is land and 0.038sq miles (0.10km²) (or 0.39%) is water. The town also has the county courthouse, built in 1904, of limestone of limestone. The terrain is gently rolling and contains rich soil which was originally heavily forested. The commercial district of SyCamore is based on Illinois Route64, and stretches about a mile down starting from the intersection of route 64 with Illinois Route 23 and ending at Center Cross Road. The district is composed of two-story shops, a bank, small movie theater, and former Midwest Museum of Natural History. It also has a county courthouse of limestone and limestone. It has a population of 2,816. Sycamores is located on the Illinois River, which runs through the town. The river is a tributary of the Kish Milwaukee River, and flows into the Chicago River from the north. The city is located near the Illinois Turnpike, which cuts through the city. The Chicago River flows through the center of the town, and the town is on its south bank.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 12,020 people, 4,692 households, and 3,148 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 93.39% White, 2.74% African American, 0.22% Native American,0.83% Asian, 1.56% from other races, and 1.24% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.27% of the population. The city's population was spread out, with 28.0% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 31.3%) from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there are 95.7 males. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.13. the city's median income was $51,921, and the median income for a family was $62,083. The per capita income for the city is $23,112. About 2.3%. of families and 3.7%. of the residents were below the poverty line, including 4.3. of those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over. It is the only city in the state with a population of more than 10,000 people. It has a population density of 2,191.6 inhabitants per square mile.

Economy

Sycamore has never had a large manufacturing or industrial sector. Marsh Harvester was established in 1859, Ellwood in 1875 and the preserve works in 1891. Ideal Industries a privately owned manufacturer is based in Sycamore. Today, Ideal Industries is one of the largest privately owned manufacturers in the state of Illinois. The city has a population of 3,000. The town is located on the Illinois Turnpike, which runs through DeKalb. It is located at the intersection of Interstate-70 and Interstate-55. The community is located near the Illinois River and the Illinois-Illinois border. It has an estimated population of 2,000, with the majority of its residents living in the town of De Kalb. The area has a history of being home to several manufacturing companies. The largest of these was R. Ellwood Manufacturing, which relocated to DeKalB in 1892. The village also has a number of other small businesses, such as the Sycamores Preserve Works, which was founded in 1881. It was the site of the Illinois State Fair in 1883. The state's first post-secondary school was opened in 1887. In 1891, the city's first high school was built in the city. The school was named after a local landmark, the SyCamore Post Office. It opened in 1888. It closed in 1894 and was replaced by a new high school. The current high school is located in the village of Sycamor.

Arts and culture

Sycamore is home to the annual Sycamore Pumpkin Festival, a pumpkin festival established in 1962 when local resident Wally Thurow began displaying pumpkins on his front lawn. The event attracts thousands from locations throughout northern Illinois, the Midwest, and the broader United States. The city is also home to an architecturally interesting area containing over 200 individual properties. The former Midwest Museum of Natural History, which featured a varied taxidermy collection and closed in February 2020, is located in the city's historic district. During the summer, the Sycamores Historical Society offers guided walking tours with a local historian. 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. The district was established in 1978 when it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. It is bounded by Main, Som onauk, and Main, but also includes portions of Main, Main, and Som Onauk. The historic district was added in 1978 and includes parts of the commercial district, residential area, and residential area north andsouth of downtown, as well as portions of the historic district east and west of Main. It was established by the City of DeKalb, Illinois, in 1978, and is located on the banks of the Illinois River. The Historic District was added by the city in 1978; it is now part of the Chicago-Illinois Historic District.

Government

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 Alderman serve four year terms, with one Alderman from each ward being elected every two years. The current mayor is Steve Braser. The City Council is made up of eight members, with the mayor and eight aldermen each serving a four-year term. The Mayor is elected for a four year term, followed by a two-year extension. The Council is led by a mayor and a city manager. The city is located in the central part of the state of Ohio. It has a population of 2,000. It is located on the Ohio River, which runs through the centre of the town. The town is home to the Ohio State University, which has a campus in the center of the city. It also has the University of Ohio College of Medicine, which is based in the city's downtown area. It was founded in 1881 and is one of the oldest colleges in the U.S. and the oldest university in the state. It opened in 1883. The first mayor was elected in 1887. The last mayor waselected in 1894. The mayor is currently Steve Brasers. The council is made of eight councillors, with four members elected every four years, and one from each of the wards.

Education

Public schooling began in Sycamore as early as 1839. The city's first school building was built in 1853. Current public education needs are provided by Sy Camore Community Unit School District 427. The district operates high school, middle school, and five elementary schools. The newest elementary school, North Grove, opened in 2009 was built for access by the nearby subdivision. The current Superintendent of SycamORE School District is Steve Wilder. The school district is part of the DeKalb County School District. It is located in the city's central business district, just south of Interstate 75. It has three elementary schools, one middle school and one high school. It also has a middle and high school on the campus of the University of Illinois at Carbondale, which was founded in 1858. The high school is located on the university's main campus, which opened in 1881. It was the first public high school in the state, and the first middle school to open in 1883. The elementary school opened in 1989. The middle school was opened in 1994. The High School opened in 1998. The Middle School was built on the same site as the original high school and was the only one in the district. It opened in 2000. The Elementary School opened on the site of the former High School. It closed in 2007. It reopened in 2009. It now has five elementary and two middle schools, including a middle school. There is also a high school that opened in 2008. The highest school is SyCamore High.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Sycamore, DeKalb County, Illinois = 83. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 60. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 98. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Sycamore = 3.5 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 18,577 individuals with a median age of 34.1 age the population grows by 33.79% in Sycamore, DeKalb County, Illinois population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 1,835.67 residents per square mile of area (708.73/km²). There are average 2.71 people per household in the 5,102 households with an average household income of $68,440 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 9.60% of the available work force and has dropped -4.37% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 21.66%. The number of physicians in Sycamore per 100,000 population = 91.5.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Sycamore = 34.7 inches and the annual snowfall = 29.6 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 97. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 191. 86 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 12.5 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 46, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Sycamore, DeKalb County, Illinois which are owned by the occupant = 70.40%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 34 years with median home cost = $191,660 and home appreciation of -4.82%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $21.01 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,725 per student. There are 16.1 students for each teacher in the school, 2177 students for each Librarian and 968 students for each Counselor. 7.01% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 18.70% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 9.51% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).