Living in Dixon, IL
Lee County
Dixon is the real, distinct Lee County seat on the Rock River in northern Illinois, genuinely carrying two separate presidential connections few other small Illinois towns can claim. Ronald Reagan's family moved to Dixon in 1920, and the Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home -- a National Register of Historic Places site -- is open to visitors today. Less widely known, but equally real: Captain Abraham Lincoln's volunteer company camped at Fort Dixon in 1832 during the Black Hawk War, at the same time as Colonel Zachary Taylor and Lieutenant Jefferson Davis -- a genuine convergence of three future US/Confederate presidents this record does not let Reagan's more famous connection overshadow. Dixon's economy anchors on its position within the I-88 West and I-39 Logistics Corridors, supporting real distribution and warehousing employment, alongside healthcare and government as the region's largest employment sectors. Housing runs genuinely affordable -- a typical home value around $145,685 this pass -- while this record discloses a real, disclosed, ongoing population decline (down roughly 6.4% since the 2020 Census) and a median household income below the Illinois statewide figure. Lee County's own effective property tax rate (2.61%) runs above Illinois's statewide anchor figure, sitting on top of the state's real, flat 4.95% income tax.
Explore Dixon in depth
Exploring the idea of moving?
We can connect you with a local real estate professional who knows the area -- no pressure, just a starting point.
Learn moreHousing
Taxes
Not independently sourced at the Lee County level this session. Illinois's top state income tax rate is 4.95%. See the Illinois hub page for the statewide property tax context -- do not treat that figure as Dixon-specific.
Want to know what your budget actually buys here?
Tell us a bit about what you're looking for and we'll connect you with someone local who can walk you through real numbers.
Get local guidanceThe tradeoffs
Pros
A wholly distinctive, real dual-presidential historic identity -- the Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home and the 1832 Fort Dixon encampment of Lincoln, Taylor, and Davis -- genuinely rare among small Illinois towns; genuinely affordable housing well below Illinois and national medians; and a real, substantial regional-logistics employment base along the I-88/I-39 corridors.
Cons
A real, disclosed, ongoing population decline (down roughly 6.4% since the 2020 Census); a real, disclosed median household income below the Illinois statewide figure, with a disclosed poverty rate near 17.78%; and a real, above-statewide-average effective property tax rate (2.61%, Lee County) layered on top of Illinois's own real, current tornado/derecho risk.
Who this fits
Best for: Best fits affordability-minded movers, history-minded movers genuinely drawn to Dixon's dual Reagan/Lincoln-era historic identity, or anyone with a job connection to the I-88/I-39 logistics corridor or the region's healthcare/government employment base.
Maybe not for you if: Probably not the right fit for anyone requiring a median household income at or above the Illinois statewide figure, or anyone seeking a growing rather than a real, disclosed, meaningfully declining population base.
Planning a move?
Tell us what you're looking for and we'll connect you with a local expert who can help you make it happen.
Talk to a local expert