DeKalb will finally be known for something other than its corn fields.

Out of 219 small Illinois towns, DeKalb was listed in the top 25 percent of all “micropolitan” areas.

“Micropolitan” is a term coined by author G. Thomas Scott in his book, “The Rating Guide to Life in America’s Small Cities.”

He calls these cities “good things that come in small packages.”

The 219 cities were ranked according to government data and placed in categories including the environment, economics and education.

DeKalb was ranked at 53. Other nearby Northern Illinois area towns included Freeport, ranked 162, and Sterling, ranked 186. Rockford did not qualify because of its population.

Population, one of the characteristics used to rank small towns, averages about 27,000 people. DeKalb’s population is about 33,100 and Rockford’s is about 140,000.

Other characteristics include youth of the population, where the median age is lower than the national average of about 32 years old, and proximity to the countryside is another characteristic.

Jamie Pennington, 6th Ward alderman and a five-year DeKalb resident, said, “DeKalb is very diverse,” both culturally and artistically. He said NIU has a lot to do with DeKalb’s diveristy.

Pennington said even though many DeKalb residents might come as students and might have adjustment problems, those problems are not necessarily because of the town’s size. He said some people are adjusting to college and just the idea of a new home.

“DeKalb is home,” Pennington said. “It’s family and friends.”