Welcome to Colchester ...
The city of Colchester is located in McDonough County<1>.
The location of Colchester has been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (ie- the GNIS).<2>
The pronunciation of Colchester: KAHL-ches-ter<3>
While we don't have a date for the founding of Colchester, you might consider that their post office opened in 1856.
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Colchester has a population of 1,296 people<4> (see below for details).
Colchester is 670 feet [204 m] above sea level.<5>.
Time Zone: Colchester lies in the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT) and observes daylight saving time
Colchester lies within the (309) area code.
The ZIP code for Colchester: 62326<6>
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Colchester had an population of 1,296 people. This is a decrease of 7.49% since the 2010 Census (or a decrease of 13.19% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Colchester had a population of 1,401 people. This makes Colchester the county's 3rd most populous community.
The population of Colchester represents 0.01% of the total population of Illinois (which has 12,830,632 people), making it the state's 578th most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 1,401 people, the population of Colchester decreased 6.16% from the 2000 Census (with a count of 1,493 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Colchester.
Communities Also Named Colchester ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 5 communities that are also named Colchester - they are located in New York, Ontario, Vermont, Virginia and Washington.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Colchester.
Communities near Colchester ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Colchester.
- Macomb
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Macomb have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macomb
- Macomb is located in McDonough County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 17,206 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Macomb <7>
- Bushnell
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bushnell
- Bushnell is located in McDonough County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,825 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bushnell <7>
- Carthage
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carthage
- Carthage is located in Hancock County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,419 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Carthage <7>
- La Harpe
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Harpe
- La Harpe is located in Hancock County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,123 people
- Blandinsville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blandinsville
- Blandinsville is located in McDonough County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 586 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Blandinsville <7>
- Augusta
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Augusta have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Augusta
- Augusta is located in Hancock County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 534 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Augusta <7>
- Plymouth
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plymouth have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plymouth
- Plymouth is located in Hancock County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 459 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Plymouth <7>
- Bowen
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bowen have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowen
- Bowen is located in Hancock County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 450 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bowen <7>
- Industry
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Industry
- Industry is located in McDonough County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 432 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Industry <7>
- Table Grove
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Table Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Table Grove
- Table Grove is located in Fulton County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 372 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Table Grove <7>
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 Colchester. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Colchester.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Colchester. 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 Colchester.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Colchester. Our list includes 5 papers. See our Newspapers Page for Colchester.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Colchester ...
Looking for more information about Colchester? 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 Colchester, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Colchester.
Adding Colchester to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Colchester 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 for Colchester was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<8>
From that list, the Colchester post office opened in 1856.
We also found Colchester in the book titled List of Post Offices in the United States (1870).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Colchester.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Colchester. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of Illinois: https://illinois.gov
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of Illinois' counties, including McDonough, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <3> | The pronunciation we've provided is our attempt to give a phonetic pronunciation for Colchester. 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. |
| <4> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Colchester. |
| <5> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Colchester - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <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 city (such as Colchester). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Colchester 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 their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |