RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
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Welcome to Merna ...

Merna is located in McLean County<1>.

The pronunciation of Merna: MUHR-nuh<2>

While we don't have a date for the founding of Merna, you might consider that their post office opened in 1883.

Merna is 810 feet [247 m] above sea level.<3>.

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

Area Codes for Merna: 309 & 861<4>

The ZIP code for Merna: 61758<5>

Communities Also Named Merna ...

Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 5 communities that are also named Merna - they are located in Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, South Carolina and Wyoming.

For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Merna.

Websites for Merna ...

Chamber of Commerce:   www.mcleancochamber.org/

Although we don't have any websites that are specific to Merna, the following might be of interest:

Communities near Merna ...

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

  • Bloomington
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Normal
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Le Roy
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
  • Heyworth
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
  • El Paso
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
  • Lexington
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Hudson
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Chenoa
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
  • Gridley
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
  • Danvers
    (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Danvers is located in McLean County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danvers
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,093 people
    • Danvers has also been known as:
    • Danver
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Danvers <6>

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 Merna. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Merna.

Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Merna. 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 Merna.

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

TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Merna ...

Looking for more information about Merna? 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 Merna, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Merna.

Adding Merna to Our Gazetteer ...

We originally found mention of Merna 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 Merna was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<7>

From that list, the Merna post office opened in 1883.

For more details, see References and Mentions for Merna.

Footnotes ...

<1>If you're interested in how the shape of Illinois' counties, including McLean, 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 Merna. 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>The elevation is an estimate for the area around Merna - it will be higher in some places and lower in others.
<4>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 309 code has been Overlayed with the 861 area code. New phone numbers in the Merna area will be assigned with one of these codes: 309 or 861. As a result, placing a call in the Merna area will require 10-digit dialing (where you enter both the area code and then the phone number).
<5>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 community (such as Merna). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Merna or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS).
<6>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<7>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/