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Welcome to Thomson ...

The village of Thomson is located in Carroll County<1>.

The pronunciation of Thomson: TOMP-suhn<2>

While we don't have a date for the founding of Thomson, you might consider that their post office opened in 1865.

From the  Census Estimates for 2019, Thomson has a population of 552 people<3> (see below for details).

Thomson is 610 feet [186 m] above sea level.<4>.

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

Area Codes for Thomson: 815 & 779<5>

The ZIP code for Thomson: 61285<6>

Population Details ...

Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Thomson had an population of 552 people. This is a decrease of 6.44% since the 2010 Census (or a decrease of 1.25% since the 2000 Census).

At the time of the 2010 Census, Thomson had a population of 590 people. This makes Thomson the county's 6th most populous community.

With a 2010 count of 590 people, the population of Thomson increased 5.55% from the 2000 Census (which had a count of 559 people).

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

Communities Also Named Thomson ...

Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 4 communities that are also named Thomson - they are located in Georgia, Kentucky, Minnesota and New York.

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

Communities near Thomson ...

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

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

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

We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Thomson. Our list includes 4 papers. See our Newspapers Page for Thomson.

TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Thomson ...

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

Adding Thomson to Our Gazetteer ...

We originally found mention of Thomson 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 Thomson was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<8>

From that list, the Thomson post office opened in 1865.

For more details, see References and Mentions for Thomson.

Footnotes ...

<1>If you're interested in how the shape of Illinois' counties, including Carroll, 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 Thomson. 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 Thomson.
<4>The elevation is an estimate for the area around Thomson - 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 Thomson area will be assigned with one of these codes: 815 or 779. As a result, placing a call in the Thomson 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 Thomson). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Thomson 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/