Lee is a village in

DeKalb County DeKalb County may refer to one of several counties in the United States, all of which were named for Baron Johan DeKalb: * DeKalb County, Alabama * DeKalb County, Georgia * DeKalb County, Illinois * DeKalb County, Indiana * DeKalb County, Missour ...

and Lee County,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, United States. The population was 337 at the 2010 census, up from 313 at the 2000 census.

Geography

Lee is located on the border of DeKalb and Lee counties at (41.794240, -88.940951). Viking Avenue, the main street of the village, follows the county line. It is southeast of Rochelle and southwest of

DeKalb DeKalb or De Kalb may refer to: People * Baron Johann de Kalb (1721–1780), major general in the American Revolutionary War Places Municipalities in the United States * DeKalb, Illinois, the largest city in the United States named DeKalb **DeKal ...

. According to the 2010 census, the village has a total area of , all land. The Lee area is unique for a small village, in that the surrounding area is a part of four different watersheds. Northwest of the village is a part of the Rock River valley. Northeast of the village is a part of the

Kishwaukee River The Kishwaukee River, locally known as simply The Kish, is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed May 13, 2011 river in the U.S. state of Illinois.. United States Board on G ...

valley. Southwest of the village is a part of the

Green River Green River may refer to: Rivers Canada * Green River (British Columbia), a tributary of the Lillooet River *Green River, a tributary of the Saint John River, also known by its French name of Rivière Verte *Green River (Ontario), a tributary of ...

valley. Southeast of the village is a part of the Fox River valley.

History

Lee is noted for its strong ties to

Norwegian American Norwegian Americans ( nb, Norskamerikanere, nn, Norskamerikanarar) are Americans with ancestral roots in Norway. Norwegian immigrants went to the United States primarily in the latter half of the 19th century and the first few decades of the ...

culture. In fact, all of the streets in the village have Norwegian names. In 1974, in honor of the town's centennial, a contest was held to rename the streets and Mary Ellen Prestegaard's entry was chosen. She ran a shop in the village called the Hardanger Hus that sold Norwegian gifts. Many of the original citizens of the community came from the

Hardanger Hardanger is a traditional district in the western part of Norway, dominated by the Hardangerfjord and its inner branches of the Sørfjorden and the Eid Fjord. It consists of the municipalities of Ullensvang, Eidfjord, Ulvik and Kvam, and is ...

region of

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

, and there are still many community members that can trace their ancestry back to that region.

Demographics

At the 2000 census there were 313 people, 118 households, and 77 families in the village. The population density was . There were 125 housing units at an average density of . The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the village was 95.53% White, 0.32% Native American, 0.64% Asian, 2.24% from other races, and 1.28% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.88%. Of the 118 households 37.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.4% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.9% were non-families. 29.7% of households were one person and 11.0% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.36. The age distribution was 31.3% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 32.3% from 25 to 44, 17.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.5% 65 or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 111.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 115.0 males. The median household income was $42,813 and the median family income was $55,833. Males had a median income of $37,917 versus $29,063 for females. The per capita income for the village was $19,709. About 9.8% of families and 11.5% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 24.2% of those under age 18 and 12.0% of those age 65 or over.

References

{{authority control Villages in DeKalb County, Illinois Villages in Lee County, Illinois Villages in Illinois