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A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
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Welcome to Ashkum ...

The village of Ashkum is located in Iroquois County<1>.

The pronunciation of Ashkum: ASH-kuhm<2>

While we don't have a date for the founding of Ashkum, you might consider that their post office opened in 1856.

From the  Census Estimates for 2019, Ashkum has a population of 692 people<3> (see below for details).

Ashkum is 660 feet [201 m] above sea level.<4>.

Time Zone: Ashkum lies in the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT) and observes daylight saving time

Note: If you travel east from Ashkum (for example, toward Wolcott (IN)), you will leave Central Time and cross into the Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT).

Area Codes for Ashkum: 815 & 779<5>

The ZIP code for Ashkum: 60911<6>

Population Details ...

Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Ashkum had an population of 692 people. This is a decrease of 9.07% since the 2010 Census (or a decrease of 4.42% since the 2000 Census).

At the time of the 2010 Census, Ashkum had a population of 761 people. This makes Ashkum the county's 9th most populous community.

With a 2010 count of 761 people, the population of Ashkum increased 5.11% from the 2000 Census (with a count of 724 people).

More information can be found on the Census Page for Ashkum.

Communities near Ashkum ...

We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Ashkum.

  • Kankakee
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
  • Watseka
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Gilman
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Limestone
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Limestone is located in Kankakee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Limestone
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,498 people
  • Herscher
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Clifton
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Onarga
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Saint Anne
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Chatsworth
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
  • Chebanse
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)

To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.

We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Ashkum. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Ashkum.

Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Ashkum. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Ashkum.

We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Ashkum. See our Newspapers Page for Ashkum.

TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Ashkum ...

Looking for more information about Ashkum? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.

In addition to the Tourism page for Ashkum, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Ashkum.

Adding Ashkum to Our Gazetteer ...

We originally found mention of Ashkum in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.

From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found (so far) for Ashkum was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<8>

From that list, the Ashkum post office opened in 1856.

For more details, see References and Mentions for Ashkum.

Footnotes ...

<1>If you're interested in how the shape of Illinois' counties, including Iroquois, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
<2>The pronunciation we've provided is our attempt to give a phonetic pronunciation for Ashkum. While it might not be exactly right, hopefully it will be close. If we have it wrong or there's a better way to pronounce the name, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
<3>Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Ashkum.
<4>The elevation is an estimate for the area around Ashkum - it will be higher in some places and lower in others.
<5>When there's a risk of an area code running out of phone numbers, an 'Overlay Area Code' is created that has the same geographic boundaries as the existing area code. In this case, the 815 code has been Overlayed with the 779 area code. New phone numbers in the Ashkum area will be assigned with one of these codes: 815 or 779. As a result, placing a call in the Ashkum area will require 10-digit dialing (where you enter both the area code and then the phone number).
<6>ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a village (such as Ashkum). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Ashkum or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS).
<7>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<8>A copy of the Blevins & Helbock Post Office list with background information can be found at:

      https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/