On December 31, 1985, at approximately 5:14 pm, a Douglas DC-3 private aircraft, N711Y, owned by Ricky Nelson, with a pilot, co-pilot, 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 co-pilot were able to escape and survived.[5]
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 degrees F or more) and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, De Kalb has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[6]
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,527 people, 631 households, and 362 families residing in the city.
At of the census of 2000,[3] there were 1,769 people, 725 households, and 477 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,349.1 inhabitants per square mile (520.9/km2). There were 853 housing units at 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. Hispanic or Latino 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 5-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 for a household in the city was $23,713, and the median income 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 age 18 and 25.0% of those age 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]
Communities Hubbard and Dalby Springs lie south of De Kalb on US Highway 259 and most children attend the De Kalb ISD school system; however Hubbard does have its own small school district serving Pre-K through 8th grades.[25] Some children elect to attend Hubbard in their formative years.
Luke Walker is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball who played between 1965 and 1974 for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1965–1966 and 1968–1973) and Detroit Tigers (1974)
^Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.[21]
