| Official Name: | De Kalb, Texas |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Motto: | "Opportunity. Innovation" |
| Mapsize: | 250px |
| Image Map1: | Bowie County DeKalb.svg |
| Mapsize1: | 250px |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Texas |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Bowie |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 3.55 |
| Area Land Km2: | 3.55 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.00 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 1.37 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 1.37 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.00 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 1527 |
| Population Density Km2: | 449.28 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 1163.62 |
| Timezone: | Central (CST) |
| Utc Offset: | -6 |
| Timezone Dst: | CDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -5 |
| Elevation M: | 125 |
| Elevation Ft: | 410 |
| Coordinates: | 33.5081°N -94.6164°W |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 75559 |
| Area Code: | 903, 430 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 48-19648[2] |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 1381748[3] |
De Kalb 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]
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]
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/
De Kalb is located at 33.5081°N -94.6164°W (33.508016, –94.616264).[6] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.3sqmi, 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.[7]
| 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% | |
| Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH) | 57 | 3.73% | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 147 | 9.63% | |
| Total | 1,527 |
At of the census of 2000, there were 1,769 people, 725 households, and 477 families residing in the city. The population density was 1349.1sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 853 housing units at an average density of 650.5sp=usNaNsp=us. 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. 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.[9]
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.[10] There was a mean income of $55,765 according to census estimates.[11]
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; however Hubbard does have its own small school district serving Pre-K through 8th grades.[12] Some children elect to attend Hubbard in their formative years.