2010 at 3:59 a.m., Sycamore was near the epicenter of an earthquake. The shock had a moment magnitude of 3.8 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of IV (Light). It was felt away in Madison, Wisconsin. When the quake was first reported, it was thought Sycamore was the epicenter. However, revised data from the USGS determined the epicenter to be closer to Virgil. This was the first earthquake in Northern Illinois since an M4.2 (intensity V (Moderate)) event in 2004. Geography Sycamore is located along Illinois Route 64 (State Street in Sycamore) about southeast of Rockford and 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 2021 census gazetteer files, Sycamore has a total area of , of which (or 99.43%) is land and (or 0.57%) is water. The terrain in Sycamore and the surrounding area is gently rolling and contains rich soil which was originally heavily forested. Cityscape The commercial district of Sycamore is based on Illinois Route 64, 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. The town also has the county courthouse, built in 1904, of limestone. Demographics As of the 2020 census there were 18,577 people, 7,083 households, and 4,602 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 7,792 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 83.03% White, 3.20% African American, 0.46% Native American, 2.25% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 3.50% from other races, and 7.54% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.31% of the population. There were 7,083 households, out of which 60.74% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.45% were married couples living together, 14.85% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.03% were non-families. 27.05% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.19% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.12 and the average family size was 2.51. The city's age distribution consisted of 24.8% under the age of 18, 10.8% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to