This area has some of the oldest homes in the whole country. The Inspection Support Network ranks the LaSalle, Bureau, and Putnam counties region sixth in the nation for what it calls small metro areas and old houses. It says the median age for houses in this area is 60 years, compared to 41 for the whole country. And it says 30% of homes here were built before 1940, compared to just 12.3% nationwide. The group says younger home buyers prefer newer homes so they can have more comfort features and less maintenance.
You can find out more about the findings at this link.