A town of 14,910, settled in 1828. Home to 5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
The 3 things Dixon does most differently from other towns.
1898 · Rock River, view near Dixon12 postcards, papers and photographs from public archives, and 5 places on the National Register.
1887
John Dement 1887 engraving
Photo · Wikimedia Commons. A different picture from Dixon’s archive appears here every day.
See all 12 archive items →Be the first to start the conversation.
Nothing on the calendar.
Ordered by what stands out in Dixon. Another town gets a different order.
The median sale price was $176,000 in May 2026.
About one in 4 of Dixon’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Sterling (7%), Chicago (5%) and Dixon (3%). Half commute less than 14 miles.
4.4 miles of trails across 18 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Meadows Park | 3.6 mi | 549 |
| 2. Van Arnam's Island | — | 48 |
| 3. Page Park | — | 46 |
Dixon beats the Illinois average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 10.
| What stands out | Dixon | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More smokers | 17.1% | 12.1% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.6% | 6.3% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 9.6% | 7.8% |
Dixon reports less crime per resident than 79% of the U.S. towns and cities we grade.
Dixon has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 13°, and about 31 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 47% of U.S. communities.
5 places in Dixon on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Illinois, United States
Dixon is a city in Lee County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The population was 15,274 as of the 2020 census. The city is named after founder John Dixon, who operated a rope ferry service across the Rock River, which runs through the city. The Illinois General Assembly designated Dixon as "Petunia Capital of Illinois" in 1999 and "The Catfish Capital of Illinois" in 2009. Dixon was the boyhood home of former U.S. President Ronald Reagan. The city is also the site of the Lincoln Monument State Memorial, marking the spot where Abraham Lincoln joined the Illinois militia at Fort Dixon in 1832 during the Black Hawk War. The memorial is located on the west side of Dixon's main no…
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